{"id":1123,"date":"2020-09-23T15:03:01","date_gmt":"2020-09-23T20:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=1123"},"modified":"2020-09-24T12:02:48","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T17:02:48","slug":"grappling-with-loss-of-life-and-connection-native-youth-become-leaders-of-tomorrow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/23\/grappling-with-loss-of-life-and-connection-native-youth-become-leaders-of-tomorrow\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Native youth become leaders of tomorrow amid COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" data-attachment-id=\"1125\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/23\/grappling-with-loss-of-life-and-connection-native-youth-become-leaders-of-tomorrow\/tawnyjodie\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/tawnyjodie.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,600\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"tawnyjodie\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/tawnyjodie.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/tawnyjodie.jpg\" alt=\"tawnyjodie\"   class=\"alignnone img-fluid wp-image-1125\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Tawny Jodie, 20, says serving her community with other young adults who share her Christian faith gave her the encouragement she needed to keep her spirits up during COVID-19. Photo courtesy of Tawny Jodie\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h1-responsive\">Grappling with loss of life and connection, Native youth become leaders of tomorrow<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Wednesday, September 23, 2020<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Allie Barton<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nPHOENIX \u2013 In March, Tawny Jodie was preparing to travel to Israel for her first trip overseas. By July, she was masked and delivering food boxes in rural New Mexico amid a deadly pandemic.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nA full-blooded Navajo, the 20-year-old said she was compelled into service when COVID-19 started ravaging her community and others across the Navajo Nation.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWith the virus disproportionately affecting tribal nations due to health disparities, poor infrastructure and chronic underfunding to fix persistent problems, young people like Jodie have stepped up to help others, preserve their culture and start the healing process.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nJodie is one of several young adults living near Window Rock, Arizona, who shared what their lives have been like these past few months \u2013 and what\u2019s kept them going as they look ahead to a future beyond COVID-19.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n <div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CZjQ-KBjsAQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\r\n <\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">  Tawny Jodie is 20 years old.  Video courtesy of HighLife Window Rock<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Tawny Jodie<\/div>\r\nBefore the pandemic, Jodie was attending the University of New Mexico in Gallup and working part time at Domino\u2019s Pizza while living with her parents, a younger brother and an older brother and his family. After COVID-19 hit, another brother moved back in with his girlfriend and their son.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWhile she adjusted to living at home with nine other people, novel coronavirus cases across the reservation began to climb.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIn April, with more than 350 positive cases, the Navajo Nation began enforcing 57-hour weekend lockdowns that prohibited people from leaving their homes for nonessential reasons.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThat really swept me off my feet, and I had no idea that all of these regulations would come,\u201d Jodie said. \u201cSo I was just full of anger, resentment, bitterness, and I was just tired, like exhausted.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIt was especially tough when her study tour to Israel was canceled, but Jodie said she found a sense of peace by turning to God and service. She traveled with 26 high school and college students as part of a weeklong mission trip to Mariano Lake, New Mexico, to distribute food boxes to families and the elderly.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cEvery day we\u2019d deliver 10 to 12 boxes of food to families in the neighborhoods. \u2026 I don\u2019t think anyone just asked them how they were doing during this time. So it was like a sweet meeting, just being able to get to know people and how they\u2019ve been.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAfter returning from that work, Jodie gave her youngest brother, Tawry, a hand tending to his 20 chickens and growing watermelon, corn, strawberries and tomatoes in his newly constructed greenhouse. It helped them grow closer.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nJodie\u2019s passion for helping others and cultivating relationships is perhaps best seen in her work as a youth leader at a local ministry called HighLife Window Rock.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\"><iframe  src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/n5WGaNX9gv8\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Tawry, 13, feeds one of his 20 chickens.  Video courtesy of Tawny Jodie<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nSeth and Sarah Stevens celebrated their first wedding anniversary on March 16, only days after Navajo President Jonathan Nez declared a state of emergency because of COVID-19.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSeth, 28, and Sarah, 26, started HighLife soon after they got married \u2013 to create a safe space for teens to grow in their faith and develop healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with trauma, addiction or other struggles.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAlthough the ministry is rooted in Christian principles, the couple said their priority is to support Navajo youth of any background, help them find their passions and guide them to become leaders in their communities.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cDuring this time of COVID, the next generations underneath are starting to feel like, \u2018Oh, we don\u2019t have our elders anymore. Now it\u2019s our turn. It\u2019s up to us to preserve our history, our culture, our faith, our beliefs,\u2019\u201d Sarah said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nOutside the Navajo Nation, organizations like the Aspen Institute\u2019s Center for Native American Youth are looking for ways to create virtual communities to ensure young people don\u2019t feel deserted as the pandemic and social distancing persist.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nNikki Pitre, a member of the Coeur d\u2019Alene Tribe and executive director at the center, said the center and its youth advisory board created a weekly webinar series to foster a space for Indigenous young people to discuss topics that are important to them through the lens of the pandemic, including decolonizing democracy, LGBTQ+ rights, and mental and physical well-being.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cIt is our responsibility to build up Native youth, whether it\u2019s teaching them about how to use your voice, how to use social media, how to get involved in civic engagement, how to make sure that young people know that who they are and what they say matters,\u201d Pitre said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0l-y9_ekGXY\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Nehamiah Hardy<\/div>\r\nIt\u2019s usually quiet outside 14-year-old Nehamiah Hardy\u2019s house in Window Rock, unless he and his three younger brothers are out riding their bikes. With extra time on his hands this summer, Hardy has been volunteering at HighLife as a sound engineer, photographer and videographer for the digital videos they began making after the ministry moved online.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s just been good to keep your mind off other things,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of become a new hobby.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nPhotographing landscapes and discovering new trails at nearby Window Rock park and memorial have helped him cope with the social isolation and devastation of the pandemic. In mid-July, he and his family took a road trip to Carlsbad, California, and although Hardy said he was hesitant at first, the change of scenery was a much-needed breath of fresh air.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe sunsets were really nice and the waves, the sound of them. I know it probably sounds really overrated, but it\u2019s really nice.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nPrior to the trip, Hardy\u2019s uncle contracted COVID-19 and was in the hospital on a ventilator for two weeks. He\u2019s home now and recovering, but Hardy recalls that time as \u201cpretty shocking\u201d and said he felt \u201cspeechless.\u201d He\u2019s tried to focus on being a role model for his younger brothers and encouraging them to wash their hands and help out around the house.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" data-attachment-id=\"1144\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/09\/23\/grappling-with-loss-of-life-and-connection-native-youth-become-leaders-of-tomorrow\/mikahcarlospaulettejordan\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/mikahcarlospaulettejordan.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,500\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"mikahcarlospaulettejordan\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/mikahcarlospaulettejordan.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/mikahcarlospaulettejordan.jpg\" alt=\"mikahcarlospaulettejordan\" class=\"alignnone img-fluid wp-image-1144\" \/><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">On the left, Mikah Carlos, chair of the CNAY Youth Advisory Board, poses with Paulette Jordan, a U.S. Senate candidate in Idaho, after the 2020 Champions for Change event in Washington, D.C.  Photo courtesy of CNAY <\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMikah Carlos, a member of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, jokes that she\u2019s an \u201celder youth.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nShe\u2019s just 25, but as chair of the youth advisory board at the Center for Native American Youth, she now mentors other young people. The experience has helped her grow, enabling her to advocate for other youth if they aren\u2019t yet comfortable speaking up for themselves.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI always want to really encourage them to speak up and share (their experiences) \u2026 but sometimes they\u2019re not ready to share their stories. And so until they\u2019re ready to do that, I don\u2019t mind amplifying their voice,\u201d Carlos said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nOne of the biggest ways Native young people and youth advocates are using their voices is by changing the perception about Indigenous communities, especially during this time.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nPitre said they\u2019re already operating at a \u201cdeficit narrative,\u201d with much of the focus being on what tribal communities lack, rather than what they\u2019ve created out of limited resources and colonization. She said it\u2019s especially important for young people to acknowledge that yes, there may be \u201cintergenerational trauma,\u201d but, more importantly, there is \u201cintergenerational strength\u201d that they can draw on amid the pandemic.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nMuch of the news coverage around COVID-19 and the Navajo Nation has focused on its rampant spread due to health problems and poor sanitation. Seth Stevens said while these issues are prevalent, they miss how cultural differences, such as the importance of community and staying physically connected to family, play into the spread.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s not because we\u2019re careless,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s because we care so much for one another that we cannot stay away from our elders.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/J_jWJZrvlrE\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Brina Lee is 23 years old.  Video courtesy of HighLife Window Rock<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Brina Lee<\/div>\r\nIn May, after finishing up her third year at Indian Bible College in Flagstaff, Brina Lee moved in with her mom in the reservation community of St. Michaels. Like so many college students, the 23 year old had to adjust her routine and grow accustomed to being back home under her mother\u2019s watch.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nShe said their relationship has been difficult over the last several years, so it\u2019s been challenging to live under the same roof. At the same time, she said, there have been \u201ca lot of blessings\u201d in rebuilding their connection and growing together in their Christian faith by \u201callowing the words (of the Bible) to penetrate through (her) heart.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAlthough she is not close with her grandparents, Lee said seeing so many older people die across the Navajo Nation has been \u201cfrustrating\u201d because of the wisdom that is lost with their passing.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThey had to endure through so much, and yet they\u2019re taken out by sickness, by some virus. That\u2019s something I\u2019m struggling with: How do I not act out in frustration toward the virus? But how can I live through it?\u201d she said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nWalking, praying and journaling have been a respite for Lee. She\u2019s also discovered a sense of purpose over the last few months, whether that be by doing yard work to prepare for winter or by walking to a wooded area about 20 minutes from her home.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI\u2019m able to take my focus off of me and redirect it back to others \u2026 not being trapped in a four-(walled) room feeling helpless or lonely, but going out and seeing creation and feeling that fresh breeze or smelling the red dirt, like it really just makes your feet feel planted,\u201d Lee said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\"><iframe   src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kctrGX7bEBU\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> Brina Lee has written several poems during quarantine about her faith and experience during the pandemic.  Video courtesy of Brina Lee<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nEven as the pandemic goes on, this process of healing has begun for so many \u2013 but it\u2019s far from complete. Youth leaders are encouraging their peers to find ways to process trauma and mourn the loss of loved ones to the virus.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWhen COVID is over, our young people are going to need something to turn to. They\u2019re going to be thirsty for something to turn to,\u201d Pitre said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe don\u2019t want them to turn to drugs, to alcohol, to anything unsafe. So what is our responsibility to make sure that young people turn to their culture, turn to traditional ways of knowing \u2026 tend to their families?\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAdded Seth Stevens: \u201cWe don\u2019t believe in coincidence. We have to believe, and even as Navajo believe, that this is for a purpose and reason, and we can easily miss it if we don\u2019t really look into it. If we just focus on our pains, we can easily miss the purpose behind it.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAs of September 23, the Navajo Nation had more than 500 COVID-related deaths, but there are signs that the spread is slowing down, with fewer than 100 new cases daily since June 26. Despite these signs of improvement, President Nez recently told tribal members that recovery will happen \u201cslowly, gradually\u201d until there is a vaccine.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cHere on the Navajo Nation, we continue to flatten the curve, but we cannot become complacent or careless in our daily activities, especially when we are out in public,\u201d Nez said in a statement.\r\n<p><\/p><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\r\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n  <\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nFor now, Jodie, Hardy and Lee will continue living at home, following government guidelines and doing their best to stay away from others, but they\u2019ve started to think beyond the hurt and loss to what they\u2019re looking forward to most \u2013 normalcy.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI miss going to the beach,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThe beach was one of my favorite places to be. But I\u2019ve also been thinking about going up to Oregon just for fun.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cPhotoshoots with friends, definitely,\u201d Hardy said. \u201cI can\u2019t wait to get some really cool shots.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe one thing I\u2019m super excited about is just going to see some of my closest friends,\u201d Jodie said. \u201cAlso just \u2026 I\u2019m really looking forward to not being afraid of people.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<HR><EM>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2020\/09\/08\/native-youth-transforming-leaders\/\">appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>.  It  is published via a <A href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative  Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"https:\/\/www.asu.edu\">Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM><HR>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the coronavirus disproportionately affecting tribal nations due to health disparities, poor infrastructure and chronic underfunding, young people in Indian Country have stepped up to help others, preserve their culture and start the healing process.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1125,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[19,1],"tags":[321,319,5,46,324,24,323,322,278,326,325,320,102],"class_list":["post-1123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-national","tag-brina-lee","tag-cda","tag-coronavirus","tag-cronkite-news","tag-mikah-carlos","tag-navajo","tag-nehamiah-hardy","tag-nikki-pitre","tag-religion","tag-sarah-stevens","tag-seth-stevens","tag-tawny-jodie","tag-youth","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/tawnyjodie.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-i7","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}