Native American After-School Program

Thank you for your support of the After-School Program, Native American Advancement Foundation and GuVo District, Tohono O’odham Nation. This has been a challenging year and we could not have done it without you.  

With COVID-19 continuing to impact the Tohono O'odham Nation reservation at rising rates, NAAF expanded the academic After-School Program to direct delivery of program and emergency services to student households. This includes daily meals, homework tutoring, STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), Tohono O'odham language and culture, and prevention (substance and suicide). Additionally, NAAF is delivering COVID-19 related basic human needs, like health care packages and groceries to district families. NAAF’s After-School Program is a daily service of academic support and meal delivery for district children. And we have served a total of 13,748 meals since March!

The GuVo Remote Learning Center is up and running under Center for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Led by an educator and Tohono O'odham parent, the RLC is a safe space for students to receive academic tutoring, health resources and Tohono O’odham culture and language. With NAAF, the RLC provides mentoring for grade advancement, graduation, college and professional goals (photo is delivery of student support goodies, a regular service).

With your help, NAAF and the RLC have been able to deliver laptops to students and expand internet capability in GuVo District. Arizona public education platforms require laptops for student interface and internet to sustain academic progress in 2020-2021. NAAF and GuVo families prioritized narrowing the digital divide for students since summer 2020. We conducted two education technology surveys to assess student needs and access; and partnered with the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and Google to create innovative solutions. A link to a short film on education during COVID-19 is included.

GuVo District Skatepark is moving from dream to reality. In 2017, GuVo young people created a skateboarding group called Endure. They presented their skatepark plan to GuVo District and Youth Councils, Tucson Skatepark Alliance and the Tony Hawk Foundation. On November 12, 2020, Endure was awarded a competitive, national level grant of $20,000.00 for skatepark construction by The Skatepark Project of the Tony Hawk Foundation and Portugal The Man, PTM Foundation. Their vision is a beautiful recreational space and the first skatepark on the Tohono O’odham Nation. NAAF and our GuVo Healthy People Coalition have prioritized this space for youth recreation, prevention and health/fitness programming.

Thank you again for your inspirational support!