By NB3 Foundation

NB3FIT in community: Visits Algodones Elementary with Running Medicine

The principal at Algodones Elementary School worked with Running Medicine Native Health Iniative to start a morning running program for all their students and staff. The initiative provides students the opportunity to begin their day being physically active and connecting to each person’s spiritual and cultural views through that physical activity every single day. Our NB3FIT team joined the school for the kickoff assembly to introduce the running program to the students. NB3FIT coaches Autumn Quiver and Jennie Holmes spoke with the students about the importance of being physically active, then led the school through a dynamic warm-up.

For 20 minutes everyone at the school was moving; students and staff ran and walked at all paces. There were many smiles and lots of encouraging words being shared. At the end of the session, the students said goodbye to the NB3FIT coaches and were sent to their classes full of energy. The NB3FIT team is looking forward to continuing to be a part of the local initiative in the future!

Letter from Principal of Algodones Elementary School (Courtesy Running Medicine Facebook):

“We launched Running Medicine yesterday and it was powerful. The entire school, staff, and students assembled on the large, grassy playground. After a prayer from a respected elder, we warmed up with NB3 team members and then took off running. The energy was incredible as our whole school came together to enjoy the spiritual, psychological, and physical sensations associated with the medicine of running!

At the end of the day at our staff meeting, every single faculty member reported that their students were more focused and there was less random misbehavior. My favorite statement was when someone said, “It felt like we’ve been doing this all the time! It just seemed so natural”

I have never in 29 years of this work seen an entire school cone together in such unison and with such powerful energy. I am so excited for the good this will do for our community!!!”

Ben Talbert, EdD

Principal

Courtesy: Running Medicine

 

Courtesy: Running Medicine

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By NB3 Foundation

NB3 Foundation releases ‘Keeping Track’: A toolkit for Indigenous Youth Program Evaluation 

The Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation is excited to announce the release of Keeping Track: A Toolkit for Indigenous Youth Program Evaluation.  The youth program focused toolkit is aimed at providing resources and information that will assist anyone involved in a youth project, program or serving at a youth-centered organization create an evaluation approach that reflects and supports their community’s needs and strengths.

In 2019, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians awarded a grant of $167,394 to the NB3 Foundation to fund this innovative toolkit to help enhance the overall health of Native youth. The toolkit is designed to facilitate an Indigenous evaluation process that can help determine what is important to community stakeholders; what needs to be measured to satisfy stakeholders; what is feasible and appropriate to measure based on community values and norms; how to measure these items in a way that emphasizes Indigenous ways of being and knowing; and how to report, and use the evaluation findings to further promote Indigenous systems and organizational and programmatic sustainability.

From an Indigenous perspective, using this toolkit is a continuation of the knowledge handed down through generations of learning.“Evaluation has a history. What the Keeping Track Toolkit provides is a way of understanding the positive history that Indigenous communities have as evaluators. That is powerful! The Toolkit also provides a foundation of knowledge for evaluation and practical strategies for building an evaluation system that fits your specific situation,” peer reviewer of the toolkit, Director of Zuni Youth Enrichment Project, Joseph Claunch, Ph.D. said.

San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman Ken Ramirez says mapping the progress of health is the key to guiding the youth into a healthier future.

“Our youth need educated advisors who know how to serve every level of their health needs,” Ramirez said. “The Tribe is proud to increase the resources given to both the youth and those serving them daily to ensure they activate every level of wellness available to them.”

In this toolkit you will find resources that range from theory to practice. Each section building upon the work NB3 Foundation has done with community partners and stakeholders. Sections include:

  • What Is Evaluation – Outlines the history of Indigenous and Western evaluation and how it can be used in your community.
  • Foundations – Provides an overview of the underlying fundamentals and values that guide the toolkit and Indigenous evaluation systems
  • Indigenous evaluation systems – Outlines the process to develop an Indigenous evaluation system for your own organization, project or program.
  • Evaluation Resources – Provides several approaches, strategies and lessons that can be used to help develop your own evaluation systems.
  • References 
  • Glossary of Terms

To embrace new challenges and opportunities, the toolkit is designed to be an evolving resource. The NB3 Foundation will continue to build and improve upon the current version to meet the needs of Indigenous communities.

VIEW AND DOWNLOAD TOOLKIT HERE

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By NB3 Foundation

Evaluation kicks off spring with refreshed knowledge kits

The Evaluation and Research Department were onsite to kick off the NB3FIT youth programs to gather data from participants.The two methods implemented include, the Rez Dog likert scale and Knowledge Kits (surveys). Both methods included questions which were developed using the NB3 Foundation’s four core areas of physical activity, healthy nutrition, youth development and cultural connections, and also using the outcome statements developed by all staff at the foundation. Findings from these methods provide general patterns that can be strong indicators of changes taking place in the youth that we serve.  We will revisit these evaluation techniques at the end of the NB3FIT spring programming for a post evaluation to determine where the youth are at and how the summer camp has impacted them.

New in 2022, were digital knowledge kits with updated engaging graphics. Before, the knowledge kits consisted of a variety of black and white images for youth to choose from. Our hope is the updated colorful graphics will be more intriguing and more easy for youth to identify with. The great news is the icons are now available for download for use in your community and youth programs! You’ll see corn grinding, cattle work and feast day dances, powwow dancing and bread making depicted in the icons. We continue to use these to remind youth physical activity can be outside of just playing sports or working out in P.E.

You’ll also see Rez Dog Emoji’s that we use in our knowledge kits and when conducting our Rez Dog confidence evaluation game. The Rez Dog Likert Scale was originally called the Self-Confidence Snails and the activity encourages participants to score changes in their self-confidence before and after the program. Learn more about how we utilize the Rez Dog Likert Scale in this article.

Visit our Resource Page to view and download icons.

 

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By NB3 Foundation

Spring is here and youth programming is back!

After a much needed rest, our NB3FIT programs are back in full swing. New this spring is the addition of our track program. We’ve had cross country in the fall, but this year NB3FIT decided to continue the running into the spring with a new track team. The track team is open to youth from 6-18 and is focused on getting youth active, learning the fundamentals of running and competing in track. The team will be competing in local youth track events this spring! Stay tuned to see how the first season goes.

Also back this spring is NB3FIT Golf! We are excited to be back at the beautiful Sandia Golf Club four days a week to host programming.  Truly a unique experience, the program is focused on teaching not only golf, but also the importance of healthy nutrition and youth leadership. Youth practice twice during the week and meet up on Saturday’s at local golf courses to get on the course experience. NB3FIT Golf is a great way to get a junior golfer introduced to the game and to help fine tune skills for more advanced players.

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By NB3 Foundation

Water Trailer will be rollin’ through the 2022 Gathering of Nations

You are invited to visit us and taste some refreshing fruit infused water from the Water First! Water Trailer at the 2022 Gathering of Nations. The NB3 Foundation crew will be out and about giving samples of healthy and tasty fruit infused waters, as well as providing information to youth and families about the benefits of choosing water over sugar-sweetened beverages.  

The water trailer was created as a tool for the NB3 Foundation staff to take our Water First! Campaign on the road and into communities. If NB3 Foundation is asking you to drop sugary drinks, then of course we had to give a tasty alternative. Previous flavors have included pineapple-jalapeño, mint-orange, strawberry-basil, cranberry-orange, watermelon-mint and many more!  Tell us what combinations you want to try! 
 

We haven’t been to Gathering since 2019! So if you see us on the road, give us a honk and wave! We hope to see you soon at GON.  

Friday and Saturday April 29-30, 2022 at EXPO New Mexico. The trailer will be located between the Manuel Lujan building and the Arts building. You can’t miss us!  

 

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By NB3 Foundation

NB3 Foundation receives $6 million donation from MacKenzie Scott

Today the Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation announced a donation it received from writer and philanthropist  MacKenzie Scott. This $6 million gift enables the organization to continue advancing its mission of ensuring Native children achieve their full potential by advancing cultures of Native American community health.

“The NB3 Foundation is exceptionally grateful for this gift and what it means for organization and, most importantly, the youth we serve,”  NB3 Foundation COO and Acting President and CEO, Jon Driskell said. “This support will allow us to significantly expand our existing programs while also developing new initiatives that otherwise would not be possible. Ultimately, this support will help us further ensure Native youth across the country are empowered to achieve success and live out their full potential.”

Over the past 17 years, the NB3 Foundation has been leading the way to improve the health of Native American children by supporting and funding Native-led programs and providing opportunities for youth to live healthy, active lives.

With this funding, the NB3 Foundation will continue to support community-led approaches addressing Native children’s health, engage Native-led organizations and communities in policy/systems/environmental (PSE) changes, strengthen and learn from Indigenous-centered evaluation methodologies and build our long-term internal capacity.

“I am incredibly thankful to MacKenzie Scott for her investment and confidence in the foundation’s work to make long-term change benefitting Native American children’s health,” Notah Begay III, NB3 Foundation founder said. “This funding will help us broaden our reach in communities; impacting the lives of even more Native youth and families for years to come.”

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By NB3 Foundation

Using data to help guide NB3FIT programs

Since 2020, the NB3FIT program has been proactive in the continuance of providing programming to youth. In 2021, the NB3FIT program gained momentum and moved to both, in-person and virtual programming, after almost an entire year of no program to just a virtual platform. Amid the pandemic, the NB3FIT program served a total of 134 youth in the following programs: spring virtual program, summer camp, golf and cross-country.

The goal for the Evaluation and Research department is to provide demographic data and other pertinent NB3FIT data to improve and elevate the NB3FIT program. Demographic data is important and it allows us to strategically plan for future programs and fulfill the gaps we may encounter. Not only is demographic data important, we are also using data for program improvement to enhance the experiences and outcomes of the youth we are serving. We are being pivotal in the work we do and the data will help us achieve our goals at the NB3 Foundation.

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By NB3 Foundation

NB3FIT hopes to bring back soccer program this spring!

Spring soccer is in the works!

We are wiping the dust off our soccer ball and working to expand our knowledge to help us provide the best programming possible. In preparation our NB3FIT coaches attended the 2022 United Soccer Coaches Convention in Kansas City, Mo. January 21-23.  Director of NB3FIT, Clint Begay led a session at the convention titled, ”Soccer in Native American Communities and How it can be an Example to other Underserved Communities.” Begay spoke on the  history of the soccer program and the impact it has had on the communities NB3FIT serves.

“I enjoyed sharing about NB3FIT, what works in our communities and ways that we can all improve for the youth we serve,” Begay said.

The convention is the world’s largest gathering of soccer coaches and was a great opportunity for NB3FIT to learn from fellow leaders on the field.

“It was awesome meeting with other coaches from around the world,” Autumn Quiver, NB3FIT program coordinator said. “We hope to take all of the knowledge that we learned and implement it in this upcoming season.”

NB3FIT has not hosted soccer since 2019 when the season abruptly came to end with the emergence of COVID-19. NB3FIT hopes with a new tailored curriculum, focused on Covid safe practices, it will be able to provide a safe atmosphere for  youth to return the field this spring.

Stay tuned for updates on all upcoming NB3FIT spring programs.

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By NB3 Foundation

Looking ahead to 2022

 

This year at the NB3 Foundation we focused on rebuilding in-person programs and strengthening our relationships with Native youth and communities who were affected by the global pandemic and shutdowns. Due to the continued tribal precautions, our NB3FIT team had to create new ways to stay connected while still delivering quality programming to Native youth. The year started with virtual programming and slowly transitioned to a hybrid format until we were finally back in-person this past summer. Our youth and families were ecstatic to see each other and get back together as a community.

We also doubled down on our support of tribal communities by providing funding through our Community Empowerment grants and supportive tools like the ‘Keeping Track: Toolkit for Indigenous Youth Program Evaluation’ both aimed at empowering communities to make sustainable changes that benefit their children’s health.

Going into 2022, we are looking forward to growing current programs, piloting new initiatives to engage more youth and hosting collaborative events in Native communities.

In order to keep the momentum going, we need your help. What we have seen over the past year is that families have been impacted financially by the global pandemic and many are not always able to pay for youth program fees. We provided full scholarships to 86 percent of participants in our recent cross-country season to cover the cost of coaches, uniforms and materials needed for Native youth to fully participate without the worry of not having adequate supplies.

Your generosity this holiday season, can help provide Native youth with more opportunities to attend healthy youth programs in 2022.
We appreciate your consideration to help support healthy initiatives for Native youth. Donate today at  https://www.nb3foundation.org/donate-2
We wish you and your family the most peaceful holiday season.
In health,
Jon Driskell
COO, Acting President and CEO
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By NB3 Foundation

Nearly 200 community members receive vaccine at NB3 Foundation event

The Notah Begay III (NB3) Foundation, a local Native-led nonprofit dedicated to Native children’s health, partnered with local organizations to host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for community members on Saturday, December 11 at the Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque, N.M.

During the three-hour event, over 180 individuals received their COVID-19 vaccine. The clinic was hosted to encourage Native youth and families to get vaccinated.

“With the recent surge in cases and the emergence of the new Omicron variant, we felt the best way to promote safety in our communities was to host a vaccination clinic at a central location that is well known in our communities. We’re grateful to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and Native American Community Academy for providing us the space to do that,” Cyanne Lujan, director of advancement said.

NB3 Foundation recently received a funding from IllumiNative to help combat COVID-19 and increase vaccinations in Indian Country.

“There is a lot of misinformation regarding the vaccine being shared especially on social media,” Lujan said. “We wanted to use our platform to help reassure Native families that the vaccine is effective and is another tool we must utilize to keep our communities safe.”

As more youth become eligible for the vaccine it is important that families and communities encourage their youth to get vaccinated.

“Our communities can’t wait,” Lujan said. “We need to be doing our best to keep our youth safe so they are able to stay in the classroom and participate activities that benefit their physical and emotional health.”

Families in New Mexico looking to get vaccinated can visit www.VaccineNM.org to register for an appointment to receive the vaccine in their community.

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