Native American Youth and Family Center
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : l***h@n*****x.o*g
Mission Statement
To enhance the diverse strengths of our youth and families in partnership with the community through cultural identity and education.
About This Cause
Founded by the community, for the community, NAYA is a family of numerous tribes and voices who are rooted in sustaining tradition and building cultural wealth. We provide culturally-specific programs and services that guide our people in the direction of personal success and balance through cultural empowerment. Our continuum of lifetime services create a wraparound, holistic healthy environment that is Youth Centered, Family Driven, Elder Guided Native people find culture, education, direct support and resources at the Native American Youth and Family Center. We invite our region’s more than 70,000 Native people to join the elders for yoga, learn how to buy a home, participate in ceremony, or explore the Many Nations Academy. More than 30 programs and services rooted in diverse Native cultures and traditions wrap around our community like a giant bear hug. Programs are offered free of charge from a growing and thriving Northeast Portland land base owned by our community. We operate the only off-reservation tribal preference housing in the state, giving some of our Native renters the lowest rents in Portland. No matter the challenges we face as individuals or as Native people, we belong at NAYA. Each program we offer is fully grounded in Native American cultural understanding. This is represented most by the Relational Worldview Model, a service-delivery model that balances the four areas of the Medicine Wheel, and the four areas of life: Mind, Body, Spirit and Social Context. We practice Native naming and branding of our buildings and programs, incorporate culture into our curriculum, and ensure the delivery of our programs is Native-led. The vast majority of NAYA’s board, staff, clients and event participants are Native American. More than 10,000 individuals from more than 380 tribes connect with NAYA resources each year. Our campus is sited at the former Chinook fishing village of Neerchokikoo, in what is now called Portland, Oregon. NAYA asked for and received the permission of the Chinook tribe to gather on this land. NAYA connects elected leaders and the Native American community’s leaders to ensure governments are responsive to our people’s needs and respectful of our self-determination. NAYA staff advocate for our clients and community members, and support clients and community to advocate for themselves. Good government leaders will shake our hands out of respect that Native people are civic leaders, voters, and are active and engaged in politics. We will not be overlooked or treated as expendable when budget season hits. We ensure Native leaders will be in the room fighting for governments to provide Native people resources to correct historic injustices and make our community whole for future generations. Anyone can be a leader so long as they show up and stand up for Native self-determination and prosperity. Portland Indian Leaders Roundtable notes that “even with our large population and the strong evidence of need, resources have not been equitably distributed to our community.” NAYA is the last line of defense for our region’s Native people. While we are blessed to have support from individuals, businesses and foundations across our region, we are at risk of losing many vital community supports. A gift to NAYA nurtures a thriving Native community in the face of many compounding threats. Gifts sustain the culture, classes, and events that ensure we remain rooted in tradition for generations to come. In return we honor our donors for their commitment to the success of Native families, and we welcome them into our community embrace. Please make a gift today, start or increase a sustaining contribution, or find some other way to ensure NAYA has the resources to continue to nurture a thriving Native community. Details about our many offerings for youth, families and elders are available on our website, or by visiting our welcome desk.