“There is a clear need for Native American youth to rejoin our cultural community and create future opportunities to succeed. PYEC has developed an innovative plan to unite generations through participation in an annual intertribal Canoe Journey, a program rooted in traditional knowledge, informed by our core values of balance, pride, giving, community, tradition, kindness, accountability, diversity, and leadership, and which involves evidence-based education and practice-based community engagement.”
NAYA’s project “Canoe Journey: A Relational Worldview Awakening” was an event that had impact for thousands of Native Americans in the Portland, Oregon area. The organization seeks to improve lives of all Native Americans by teaching them more about their heritage and traditions and fill them with a sense of belonging. One way they hope to achieve this is with canoe journeys for Native American youth.
The canoe journeys begin with canoe protocol and several different tribal histories and legends about the waterways. These journeys also teach about environmental sustainability as well as help unite multiple tribes to help each other keep traditions alive.
