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ZUNI, NM — This fall, the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project brought its “Rooted in Healthy Traditions” after-school program back to Shiwi Ts’ana Elementary School for the fourth consecutive year. Made possible with support from the CDC’s Tribal Practices for Wellness in Indian Country and the New Mexico Department of Health, the eight-week program kicked off Sept. 9 and will run through Oct. 30, offering youth a safe space for learning, play, wellness and cultural connection.
RHT takes place at 3:30 to 5 p.m. every Tuesday through Thursday. The Zuni Public School District provides healthy snacks prior to the students’ second activity each day as well as bus transportation home at the end of the day.
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Designed for students in grades 3-6, the program incorporates food sovereignty, physical activity, traditional art, and knowledge sharing/homework help. Students work closely with ZYEP staff and six RHT mentors—young adults ages 18-23 who are gaining leadership and professional development experience while supporting Zuni youth.
This year’s mentors include Victoria Dosedo, 18, and DeVon Bowekaty, 23, for third grade; Tamia Cachini, 21, and Kailin Quam, 19, for fourth grade; and Raine Edaakie, 19, and Jasmine Bradley, 21, for fifth and sixth grades.
“Four of our six mentors have participated in our programs or worked with us in the past,” said Kiara “Kiki” Zunie, ZYEP’s youth development coordinator. “A couple of them also bring experience working as youth mentors outside of Zuni. We are grateful to them, because the relationships they build with the children are an important part of Rooted in Healthy Traditions.”
Zachary James and Khassia Hattie, two of ZYEP’s food sovereignty leaders, are leading the RHT food sovereignty activity. With their guidance, students are preparing healthy plant-based recipes such as fresh sugar-free lemonade, banana pancakes, veggie rainbow kabobs, and black bean burgers with veggie sticks.
“We’re giving the youth opportunities to try new ingredients and learn about food safety when preparing meals and snacks,” Hattie said. “We also want them to understand where their food comes from. I always emphasize the nutritional and health component—food is medicine.”
The children also are visiting the ZYEP garden, making cornhusk dragonflies, and designing their own food sovereignty aprons. In Week 2, they also learned about seeds, water and pollinators through Explora, an Albuquerque-based experiential science center devoted to science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) learning.
ZYEP Physical Activity Leader Esther Siutza is leading the physical activity portion of RHT. Students are playing a variety of games—including Bigfoot Relay Race, different versions of tag, and foam-ball and hula-hoop games—and participating in nature walk-and-talk outings on the community trail system near the school.
“One of the biggest changes to RHT this year is that we are including free time on the playground,” Siutza said. “The playground is always a major highlight for the students, and we want to make sure they have time for that.”
In traditional art, led by ZYEP Art Leader Kandis Quam, the students are focused on traditional Pueblo embroidery. Third- and fourth-graders are learning to tie knots and execute contemporary embroidery techniques on plastic canvas while fifth- and sixth-graders are learning how to cross-stitch on a plastic loom and canvas.
Youth Development Leader Rani Yamutewa is leading the RHT activity dedicated to knowledge sharing and homework help. Guided by A:shiwi (Zuni) core values, students are problem-solving, thinking creatively about their work, and discovering how to work as part of a team.
“They also will have opportunities to practice cursive writing, speak Shiwi’ma (Zuni language), create arts and crafts, and have fun,” Yamutewa said. “One of their biggest projects is building a personalized scrapbook from cover to cover.”
The RHT mentors are deeply involved in every activity. To prepare for this, they completed two weeks of mentor training starting Aug. 25—learning ZYEP’s robust policies and procedures, completing suicide prevention training, and playing icebreaker games they also could teach their students.
“We’re developing a dedicated training guide specifically for RHT mentors that will ensure they meet all the appropriate requirements—and also have pockets of time for team bonding,” Zunie said. “Through our 17 years of Summer Camp, we’ve learned how vital it is for our young adults to feel connected going into these intensive programs. They learn from each other, support each other, and grow together.”
A highlight of the first week of RHT was the Zuni Fair Evening Parade on Thursday, Sept. 11, which featured the theme, “Preserving Cultural Traditions, Honoring Knowledge Keepers Across Generations.” Zunie said ZYEP staff and RHT mentors participated together, representing the youth project and honoring all community knowledge sharers.
The evening became even more memorable when rain began to pour, sending some mentors scrambling out of inflatable costumes and rushing toward the program truck. Others hurried to toss the rest of their candy while trying to keep their phones dry.
“Everyone was in a panic all at once,” Zunie said, laughing. “You can probably find the video of the parade before-and-after on social media!”
To learn more about the
Zuni Youth Enrichment Project and its programs, and for information about making donations, partnering with ZYEP, and volunteering, call (505) 782-8000 or visit
zyep.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest news and events, follow the nonprofit
youth organization on Facebook (/zuniyouthenrichmentproject), Instagram (@zuniyouthenrichmentproject), YouTube (/ZuniYouth), and TikTok (/zyep09)
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