Twelve Native youth from across New Mexico make up our first-ever Get Active youth campaign. The campaign is focused on promoting health and wellness in Native youth ages 12-18. Due to the pandemic, we know many of our Native youth have been separated from their peers and their usual school routines. Through the Get Active campaign, youth have been given the opportnuity to (virtually) come together with Native youth across the state to focus on staying healthy and active. We have been offering virtual programming since last summer, however this campaign gave us an opportunity to reach an older demographic of youth.
The youth have been asked to perform different activities that are aimed at guiding youth towards taking the lead of their own health and wellness. Each week has been centered around on one of our four core areas: physical activity, healthy nutrition, youth development and cultural connections. Some of the activities youth have been asked to preform include designing their own workout routine, making a healthy meal for their family and interviewing their elders.
During virtual check-ins, youth and their accountability partners (parents/guardians) reflect and share their highlights and challenges performing assigned tasks. Besides being provided FitKits that contain small workout gear and sample exercises, the youth have been tackling the tasks on their own! We’ve witnessed just how creative, motivated determined this group of young people are to live healthy lifestyles.
The campaign finishes up this week, however we look forward to keeping up with this amazing group of youth to see how they continue on their healthy journey.
Here are some photos recapping their journey thus far.
Please welcome Jennie Holmes, Pueblo of Sandia, as she recently joined our team as a NB3FIT program coordinator.
Jennie is a certified athletic trainer, who completed her bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training last year. Currently, she is a graduate student at the University of New Mexico studying community health education.
“The opportunity to empower Indigenous youth in ways so they can promote their own health is what motivates me to work at the NB3 Foundation. Being a part of those moments of positivity and joy is what makes it all worth it.”
We’re excited to have Jennie on board.
Join us in welcoming Ryan Arkie to the NB3 Foundation team as our evaluation and research assistant!
Ryan is a Pueblo of Laguna tribal member and a graduate of Dartmouth College with a BA in Cultural Anthropology. He is currently working towards his MPH in Health Promotion from George Washington University.
“I am driven to help alleviate chronic diseases that remain prevalent in Indigenous communities. Understanding that these issues are preventable ignites my desire to educate younger generations on how to live healthier lives and promote self-efficacy.”
Ryan is an avid runner who also enjoys exploring, hiking, camping, and coffee excursions.
We’re thrilled to have Ryan join the #NB3Fam.
The Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation is excited to announce a new interactive resource for communities interested in reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and those who have been working towards a healthier community. This resource titled, “Increase Healthy Beverage Consumption and Reduce Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs): A Community Roadmap,” displays easy-to-understand concepts, developed from high-level research, that can be accessed by a variety of users seeking information on how to begin, strengthen and reinforce healthy water consumption in their communities.
“We know that when we consume sugary drinks our risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dental issues and obesity increases. This community road map is a great starting point and learning tool for communities that are working to make positive change and improve community health,” said NB3 Foundation COO, Jon Driskell.
This resource is the result of a two-year Water First! journey with eight community partners. Together, this learning community explored and shared methods and strategies for making water a first-choice drink in their communities. NB3 Foundation also partnered with the National Drinking Water Alliance and the National Tribal Water Center to build this interactive roadmap to assist communities everywhere.
“What is great about this interactive map is that it includes tips, resources and examples from our community partners and partner organizations who have been through the process,”said Driskell.
The roadmap guides the user through five steps, each step offering specific information, links and resources. Recognizing every community’s needs are different, this community roadmap will help inform each unique journey, from early visioning through evaluation, without being prescriptive.
Whether you are contemplating strategies to improve community health, are already working to reduce SSB consumption or increase drinking of water, or are simply looking for information for Indigenous communities, check out this fun and interactive resource.
Special thanks to our collaborators/partners:
Christina Hecht, PhD, Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California
Laura Vollmer, MPH, RD, Nutrition Policy Institute, University of California
Marleah LaBelle, M.A., National Tribal Water Center, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium
Current and former NB3 Foundation team members
Water First! Community Team
Check out the roadmap on our Resources page.
announced that it is partnering with eight schools in New Mexico for its Active Schools campaign. This campaign is aimed at supporting schools in their efforts to promote the health and fitness of their students during the pandemic.
“This has been an immensely challenging year for schools, educators and students everywhere. Educators have unique opportunities to promote healthy behaviors for their students which is why the Foundation will support schools across the state serving our Native students,” Jon Driskell, NB3 Foundation COO said. “Providing this modest funding and training opportunity is one way we can enhance the work schools are doing to make positive impacts in their communities.”
The Active Schools campaign supports schools with a high enrollment of Native American students in organizing events and activities that promote one or more of the Foundation’s four core areas: healthy nutrition, physical activity, youth development and cultural connections.
Schools joining the NB3 Foundation Active Schools campaign include:
- Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque, N.M. to support a wellness challenge and a storyteller night that will engage students and families in learning the significance of cultural stories during the winter season.
- Dream Diné Charter School in Shiprock, N.M. to provide students with equipment and additional learning resources that will promote physical activity and healthy nutrition.
- Dził Ditł’ooí School of Empowerment Action and Perseverance (DEAP) in Navajo, N.M. to support healthy nutrition by implementing a monthly nutrition program and providing families with kitchenware and healthy recipes.
- Laguna Elementary School in Laguna Pueblo, N.M. to host a virtual run/walk event during spring break to promote physical activity.
- Santa Fe Indian School in Santa Fe, N.M. to host weekly fitness challenges from February through March, as well as hosting a water challenge encouraging students, families and staff to drink more water.
- Mescalero Apache School in Mescalero, N.M. to host a virtual jump rope challenge for the students in the district.
- Cuba Independent School District in Cuba, N.M. to facilitate a video contest for youth to promote physical activity, self-esteem and confidence.
- Vista Grande High School in Taos, NM to host physical activity challenges and a nutrition event focused on students preparing a meal with one or more “pre-contact” foods.
The schools will also attend a “Playing to Heal & Virtual Facilitation” training from Up2Us Sports. They will explore both the aspects of stress on the brain, the effects of COVID, and facilitation techniques to use for creating healing-centered virtual experiences.
“Our ultimate goal for the campaign is to help schools and students start 2021 on a positive note,” NB3 Foundation Community Coordinator Leroy Silva said. “The importance of our health is at an all-time high, especially within Native American communities … we’re excited to partner with these schools and look forward to highlighting all the amazing work they do to promote the health and wellbeing of their students.”
This year the NB3FIT XC program went virtual for the first time this fall. Due to the pandemic, Cross Country was postponed just like many other youth sports. However, we wanted the youth to be active during this time even if we couldn’t be there in person. Going virtual was not an easy decision, but we knew we wanted to provide a way for new and veteran runners to still participate in a XC program safely.
In preparation, curriculum was created and workout videos were recorded. These videos included a dynamic warm up, cool down stretches, and circuit training follow-along videos recorded by our own coaches and staff.
Forty youth registered from Santa Ana, Jemez, San Felipe, Santo Domingo, Acoma Pueblos and Navajo Nation. For six weeks, parents received a workout plan for the runners to complete for the week. The runners were asked to practice three times a week, completing two runs, a circuit training and attend a check in with the coaches. These check in’s were a time for the coaches to interact with the athletes and do various fun activities such as running games, “Team Time”, meditation and other leadership activities. To assist in keeping track of the runners’ progress, each one received a FitBit. Coaches challenged the athletes to achieve 10,000 steps a day and because of this, the kids all together totaled over 9 million steps! Top 3 with the most steps were Julyssa Montoya, Sandia Pueblo with 468,984 steps; Quinton Begay, Jemez, San Felipe, Navajo, with 458,313 steps; and Lisa Leon, Santa Ana Pueblo, with 446,129 steps!
It is incredible what these runners achieved in six weeks and all the coaches are so proud of them.
It wouldn’t have worked how we imagined without the help and support from the parents. Thank you to them and their runners for being apart of this first Virtual XC experience. We hope next season will be in person!
Today, the Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation announces that it has made grant awards to 53 Native-led organizations in 14 states who are working to alleviate the impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The NB3 Foundation established its COVID-19 Response Fund in April, raising over $400,000 to support COVID relief efforts in Native communities.
“NB3 Foundation is honored to be providing this funding to Native communities during this critical time of the pandemic,” said Jon Driskell, NB3 Foundation chief operations officer. “We know the impacts of COVID-19 will be ongoing, so we are grateful to partner with Native-led efforts working to provide for those in need.”
The awarding of these essential grants marks the end of the NB3 Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund.
The NB3 Foundation will continue to address the public health needs magnified by COVID-19 through supporting culturally responsive, health prevention strategies that strengthen Indigenous resiliency. This pandemic is a strong reminder of the greater need to invest in the long-term health sustainability of our Indigenous youth and communities, particularly on reservations and pueblos.
We are honored to support the amazing work of these organizations and tribes:
Acoma Education Foundation
Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Alaska Village Initiatives
Barcid Foundation
Center Pole
Central Oklahoma American Indian Health Council, Inc. dba Oklahoma City Indian Clinic
Cheyenne River Youth Project
Chizh for Cheii
Consolidated Tribal Health Project Inc
Denver Indian Family Resource Center
Diné Healers Relief
Diné Introspective, Inc.
Eastern Shawnee Tribe Of Oklahoma
F.A.C.E.S. First, Ltd.
First Nations Community HealthSource
Hannahville Indian Community
Healing Circle Drop In Center
Healing Our Communities
Hearts Gathered Immersion School
Indigenous Idaho Alliance
Indigenous Knowledge Collective
Inter Tribal Sports, Inc.
Kewa Child Care & Development
Kno’Qoit Native Wellness, Inc.
La Jolla Generations Program
Laguna Rainbow Corporation
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
LF: Friends for Life
Makoce Agriculture Development
NACA-Inspired Schools Network
Native Action Network
Native American Advancement Foundation
Native American Community Board
Native American Parent Advisory Committee (NAPAC) of the SFPS Native American Student Services Program (NASS)
Northwest Tribal Emergency Management Council
Oglala Sioux Tribe Partnership for Housing, Inc.
Oneida Nation
Pueblo of Pojoaque Early Childhood Center
Pueblo of San Felipe
Pueblo of Sandia
Ramah Navajo School Board. Inc and Ramah Navajo Chapter
Rez Refuge Community Center
Santa Clara Pueblo
Santa Clara Pueblo Regional Adult Day Care
Santa Clara Pueblo Senior Center
Santo Domingo Tribal Housing Authority
Sicangu Community Development Corporation
Society of Native Nations
St. Michael Indian School
Stockbridge-Munsee Community
Thunder Valley CDC
Ute Tribe Health Coalition
yəhaw̓ Indigenous Artist Collective
Zuni Youth Enrichment Project
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