Native American Academic Summer Program

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