The Center for Native American Youth spent three days in Denver, Colorado this past week. Senator Byron Dorgan, founder and chairman of the Center, lead a roundtable with Native American youth at the Denver Center for International Studies (DCIS) on August 24. The purpose of the visit was to learn and hear from urban youth about their lives as Native American living in Denver.
During the trip, the Center’s staff also visited Merrill Middle School’s Indian Focus Program, the Denver Indian Center, Denver Indian Health and Family Services and the Denver Indian Family Resource Center to learn about their services, programs, and other resources available to Native youth in this urban setting.
Enjoying the summer weather, the Center took a group of students to a Denver’s major league baseball game, the Colorado Rockies. Thank you to Dick Monfort, owner of the Rockies, who donated twelve tickets to the Center and met the students. It was an exciting 10 inning game!
From each meeting with programs and youth, the Center collected program information, areas of concern for youth, and youth-developed ideas for solutions to develop a community site report to share with the school and organizations. This report will help continue the dialogue on Native youth concerns, as well as allow the Center to offer appropriate recommendations for available resources that can support and foster solutions.
Special thanks to Rose Mary McGuire from the Denver Public School System, DCIS and Merrill Middle School for inviting the Center to visit their schools.
