The Center for Native American Youth is hosting five Native youth in Washington, D.C., as part of its Champions for Change initiative.

Dahkota Brown (Wilton Miwok), Cierra Fields (Cherokee), Joaquin Gallegos (Jicarilla Apache / Santa Ana Pueblo), Vance Home Gun (Salish and Kootenai) and Sara Schilling (Little Traverse) were selected for their efforts to improve the lives of youth in their communities. They will participate in a panel discussion at the Aspen Institute today.

"These young people are a tremendous inspiration to everyone in this country. They are leading change in areas of education, oral health, cancer awareness, language preservation, and youth leadership," former Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), who created the Center for Native American Youth, said in a press release.

The event starts at 12pm. The live broadcast can be found at www.aspeninstitute.org/events/live

The youth will also attend the White House Tribal Nations Conference tomorrow at the invitation of President Barack Obama.