Native American After-School Program

Well friends, it’s hard to believe, but another school year has come and gone, and what an incredible year it has been for the youth of the Gu Vo Academic After-School Program! I think it is safe to say that this has been the best year yet. Thanks to your generous, continued support, our program continues to grow, and to provide more and more opportunities for the youth of Gu Vo to realize their potential, to set positive goals, and to lead healthy and active lives.

Perhaps the best measure of success that we have for our program is the number of students enrolled who graduate from high school and middle school. This year we are so excited to report that we have more high school and middle school graduates from the program than any previous year! This year we had 6 high school graduates, and 8 middle school graduates in our program. In addition, as has been the case since we first started the program 6 years ago, none of the students enrolled in the program have dropped out of school. In an area where the dropout rate is over 50%, this is an enormous accomplishment!

This year, our district of Gu Vo had more graduates than any other district in the Tohono O’odham Nation. While we are proud of this accomplishment, it also serves to show the need for similar programs throughout the other districts on the reservation. We consider our programs to be pilot programs, and it is our hope that, going forward, we will have the resources to implement similar programs throughout the Nation. 

Each after-school session is made up of lessons in math, reading, writing, composition, STEM lessons, tribal culture and tradition, art-and-crafts, and play time. Our students cannot wait to get to the program, and they always hate to leave. Each day, we serve a healthy and delicious meal and snack, prepared according to USDA guidelines to promote healthy. In an area where access to resources like nutritious food and educational services are so limited, our program is vital to the continued growth and health of Tohono O’odham youth.

Your help in making this program a success is also vital, and all of us at NAAF - the staff, volunteers, kids, and parents involved in the program - thank you so much, from the bottom of our hearts. You are helping us to make a real difference in a beautiful place with so much to offer, and so many challenges to overcome. Together we can help the Tohono O’odham Nation to thrive as it should!