Youth Engagement in Tribal Leadership

Jeanette Armstrongs lifestyle  Is heavily influenced by her community and Okanagan beliefs. Jeanette talks about her identity and where her family's origins start. Through her story she refrences Okanagan words that correlate to a certain part of her life story. Constantly bringing up her dad and grandmother. Every aspect of her life like language, land, community and herself are tied together as one, "Sharing One Skin."

Armstrong, Jeanette. 1996 “Sharing One Skin: The Okanagan Community,” Pp.460-470 in Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith(eds.), The Case Against the Global Economy, San Francisco, CA: Sierra Club Books

In Joe Suinas story he talks about his life before, during, and the end of boarding school days for him as a child. He refers to the time he spent with his grandmother and their simple traditional lifestyle. Joe touches on the harsh topic and realities of boarding schools like punishment with a ruler, language barriers, and how cold the environment of classrooms and teachers were. Towards the end Joe realizes he's beginning to be more in touch with the "white man" lifestyle, rather than a traditional lifestyle.

Suina, Joe H. “‘and Then I Went to School.’” Rethinking Schools, 22 June 2021, rethinkingschools.org/articles/and-then-i-went-to-school/. 

The article  focuses on place names and how people connect to the lands story and the connections. Many indigenous names explain the importance and significance of the lands. The article also explains that using colonizer names can reinforce trauma like El Capitan which is named by an Indian-Killing militia. Indigenous names can help a community reconnect with the land and culture. 

Oaster, B. ‘Toastie.’ “How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscape.” High Country News, 24 Jan. 2024, www.hcn.org/issues/54-5/people-places-how-place-names-impact-the-way-we-see-landscape/.

The Gila River Indian Community, is a community that borders Arizona communities like Tempe, etc.. The youth in this community face many challenges Like gang violence and substance abuse. Many community leaders had a hard time finding a solution. In 1987 the community created a youth council. Youth leaders were able to connect with their peers to listen, advocate, and to ultimately find solutions to help with the youth in the community. This shows great success and now Gila River hopes other communities can do the same for their youth. 

"Participation in Decision Making; Gila River Indian Community." Gila River Indian Community: Participation in Decision Making, fngovernance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/PDM_GilaRiver.pdf

This article reflects on the Indian Citizenship Act (1924) where it granted Natives "citizenship"but not voting rights or equality. Ośhay Birdinground is a crow member who talks about the importance of citizenship, equality, and equity. It also talks about Native votes being the most influential for certain races and elections. It always brings out the issues our native communities have faced and prevailed. the important aspect is youth vote and how much power it holds and voting is worth the time.

Tweedy, Aislin. "Native Youth Carry the Torch of Citizenship Act 100 years Later." Opb, OPB, 21 July 2024, www.opb.org/article/2024/07/20/native-youth-citizenship-act-100/.

In this article it goes over the history with native children and the education system. It goes over the boarding school era and assimilation had detrimental effects on native youth. Throughout this era many children experienced harsh abuse mentally and physically, this has caused a lot of trauma that we see on reservations to today's date. Many laws have been put in place for Native education but over and over the system fails native youth. these scars on native communities will still be here for future generations. 

"2014 Ntative Youth Report."National Archives (Gov.), obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/docs/20141129nativeyouthreport_final.pdf.

In this article Indigenous youth at COP 16 highlighted the deep connection between culture, biodiversity, and traditional knowledge. They explained that modernization, resource extraction, and policy decisions often limit their ability to practice traditional ways of life. Youth leaders emphasized the need to preserve culture by passing knowledge from elders to younger generations. they also called for greater support and inclusion of indigenous youth in environmental decision-making and global biodiversity policies. 

Dougnon, Georges Theodore. “Youth Fellows Use Communication Tools to Safeguard Culture and Advocate for Social and Environmental Justice.” Cultural Survival, www.culturalsurvival.org/news/youth-fellows-use-communication-tools-safeguard-culture-and-advocate-social-and-environmental#:~:text=July%2022%2C%202025-,Youth%20Fellows%20Use%20Communication%20Tools%20to%20Safeguard%20Culture,for%20Social%20and%20Environmental%20Justice. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026. 

The cultural survival Youth Fellows Program empowers Indigenous youth to protect their cultures and advocate for social and environmental justice. Using communication tools like the radio, social media, and storytelling, youth leaders share traditional knowledge and raise awareness about issues affecting their communities. Their projects help preserve indigenous languages, culture and environmental practices while amplifying youth voices globally by connecting local experiences to global advocacy, indigenous youth play an important role in promoting indigenous rights and sustainability. 

Dougnon, Georges Theodore. “Youth Fellows Use Communication Tools to Safeguard Culture and Advocate for Social and Environmental Justice.” Cultural Survival, www.culturalsurvival.org/news/youth-fellows-use-communication-tools-safeguard-culture-and-advocate-social-and-environmental. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026. 

This report explains that indigenous youth play an important role in the future of territorial governance, but their participation is often limited by social, cultural, and structural barriers. Formal education systems, land ownership rules, and traditonal leadership structures can restrict youth involvement in decision-making. Gender inequality can also create additional challenges for young women. Despite all these barriers, youth across Bolivia want greater participation in governance and environmental leadership. 

Sarigumba, Maria Paula, et al. “Understanding the Role of Youth in Indigenous Territorial Governance.” Frontiers, Frontiers, 10 Mar. 2026, www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1200434/full.