Native American Academic Summer Program

Another Summer Adventure Program will be here before we know it, but that doesn’t mean it has not been a busy time in GuVo District as 2022 ended on a high note with summer seeds packets getting assembled for distribution to household gardeners in time for the 2023 planting season. The new year kicked-off on a fun note with the Pre-K learners in the Ce:ce:m A’al o O’odham Ñeñok program having a pen pal exchange with students living in Texas. The two classes not only exchanged artwork, photos, and stories about where they are from, but also enjoyed a fun and educational way to make new friends.  While on the topic of fun, theses little learners also enjoyed having the opportunity to fill both their hearts and bellies with a Valentines Day (translation = I’bdag Tas) celebration where they not only got to show off their cookie decorating skills, but also learned that for O’odham “love” is an expression rather than a word. 

Also in January, the Healthy People Coalition program partnered with the Arizona Counter Drug Taskforce to bring lifesaving training to the GuVo District. This training was offered on both January 20th and 21st, with 3 different training sessions being held each day. The training taught participants how to identify someone that is overdosing, as well as provided training on what should be done if encountered.  The training introduced participants to the life-saving product Narcan and provided instruction on how and when to use it.  The Healthy People Coalition also hosted Sober Family Bingo on January 27th for some family-focused fun time.  Finally, in March, the Healthy People Coalition program hosted its first event highlighting traditional practices as part of its new “Culture as Prevention” efforts. The first event was a Native American Leather Workshop for young people ages 6 to 18, with parents also encouraged to attend.  The leatherworking workshop gave youth and adults the opportunity to learn some of the traditional practices using more modern tools. 

Finally, March was a very busy time in the GuVo community.  While many exciting things occurred this past quarter the most exciting was the Grand Opening of the “Free as a Bird” Skatepark in GuVo on March 15th.  As reported last quarter, the concrete had been poured, local Indigenous mural artists were designing artwork, and traditional shade ramadas were being constructed.  Each of GuVo District’s four communities and the District's administration built 5 traditional shade ramadas, and a wall mural was created in memoriam of the skatepark group’s founder/member Eli Lewis.  Additionally, generous project supporters donated 75 skateboards, 50 from the Skatepark Project and 25 from Cowtown Skateboards. The Skatepark Project also donated 25 helmets and 25 sets of both knee pads and elbow pads, and 7 Layer Army from NAAF’s sister tribe in Gila River donated 6 skateboard decks to be raffled off and shared their skills in a skate demonstration. Nearly 200 members of the community and visiting dignitaries showed their support by taking part in the Grand Opening festivities, which represented the culmination of a vision that began in 2017 when a group of GuVo young people had the dream of creating a skatepark in the District.

Other happenings in March included young learners of the Ce:ce:m A’al o O’odham Ñeñok program participating in their very own Love of Reading: Spirit Week. From March 6th through the 10th the kids participated in spirit week and made the most fun of it. They had guest readers, learned their introductions in O’odham, and had a great time doing arts and crafts with fun themes like Pajama Day, Dr. Seuss Day, complete with silly hats and glasses, Crazy Hair Day, and Inside Out Day. For District Families, on March 17th, the Remote Learning Center hosted a Safety Fair at the NAAF Compound. Families were invited to drop by to visit with first responders, various info booths and take-home fun giveaways such as free books, backpack, tote bags and other great stuff.  Finally, an update that was reported on last quarter was the expansion of Ruth’s Oidag, or Ruth’s Garden. It was noted the garden space was expanding from 96 square feet to more than 1,300 square feet. Not included last time was the planned addition of a brand-new greenhouse in the oidag. While work had begun during the last quarter of 2022, the new 800 square foot greenhouse was completed in March and will allow for year-round seed cultivation. 

Dear Friends,

The hot days of desert summer may have given way to chilly temperatures and winter holidays, but there’s still quite a lot going on that’s an adventure right now and promises to make for a fantastic Summer 2023.

The NAAF team is in the home stretch to complete construction on the much-awaited Free As A Bird Skatepark in GuVo District, a years-long collaboration with Endure Skate Group and many local and national partners. The Skatepark will be the only one on the Tohono O’odham Nation and will serve as a community hub for kids of all ages to engage in healthy outdoor activities like skateboarding, roller skating, and scootering. Concrete has been poured, local Indigenous mural artists are designing artwork, and a traditional shade ramada is in the works. Volunteers from the community have been an enormous help throughout the project, and NAAF will host a Grand Opening to celebrate in January, with food, live music, and a traditional blessing. 

NAAF is growing bigger, literally! This Fall, our garden team began work to redesign and expand Ruth’s Oidag, NAAF’s community garden space and outdoor learning center. The growing area will increase from 96 square feet to 1300 square feet - that’s 13 times the original planting space! Additionally, the team is installing traditional fencing, drip irrigation, and a new container gardening learning corner. NAAF is also setting up a brand new greenhouse in the oidag to host classes, grow seedlings, and expand productivity year round. The beds and greenhouse will be ready for spring planting by late December, to yield what is certain to be a bountiful harvest for the whole community and an exciting new learning space for all students and their families.

All our best to you and your loved ones!

NAAF