FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, July 09, 2025

Contact: [email protected]

Empowering the Next Generation: CSVANW Hosts 2025 Native Youth Summit

Albuquerque, NM – July 9, 2025 – The Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women (CSVANW) is proud to announce the return of the Annual Native Youth Summit, a dynamic two-day leadership development experience designed to uplift, connect, and inspire Native youth across New Mexico. Taking place Friday and Saturday, July 11–12, 2025, the Native Youth Summit will be hosted at Bachechi Open Space in Albuquerque, NM.

This year’s Native Youth Summit (NYS) will bring together 25 Native youth, ages 13 to 17, for two powerful days of cultural connection, peer support, and skills-based learning. Through engaging workshops and discussions, youth participants will explore key topics such as healthy relationships, consent, mental wellness, bystander intervention, and digital safety.

“At CSVANW, we believe our youth are already leaders,” said Saundra Tsabetsaye, CSVANW Youth & Family Engagement Coordinator. “The Summit provides a space to strengthen their voices, build their confidence, and foster the tools needed to create change in their communities. By investing in our youth, we are actively investing in safer, healthier futures for all of us.”

A highlight of this year’s summit will be “The Magic of You: Empowering the Next Generation Through Story, Culture, and Magic,” a powerful performance and presentation by Brian Yazzie, the only professional Native American (Navajo) magician touring nationally. Blending interactive illusions, cultural teachings, and personal storytelling, Yazzie shares his journey from growing up in poverty on the Navajo Nation to becoming a nationally recognized performer. His message centers on identity, resilience, leadership, and healing – encouraging youth to embrace their voice, reclaim their story, and recognize that they are the magic they’ve been waiting for.

The Summit will also include a guided visit to Equine Therapeutic Connections, providing opportunities for healing through movement and connection to land and animals. Youth participants will take a 15-minute walk (approximately 0.7 miles) to and from the equine site. A parent or guardian must sign a liability waiver on Day 1 for participation in this activity.

Event Details

Who: Native Youth ages 13–17

When: Friday & Saturday, July 11–12, 2025

Time: Day 1: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Day 2: 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM

Where: Bachechi Open Space, 9521 Rio Grande Blvd NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114

Meals: Breakfast and lunch provided both days

Stipends: Available to youth who attend both full days

Note: A liability waiver must be signed by a parent/guardian for participation in the walk walk to Equine Therapeutic Connections.

The Native Youth Summit reflects CSVANW’s long-standing commitment to ending violence against Native women and children by investing in the leadership, wellness, and cultural pride of our next generation.

For more information visit Native Youth Summit. 

For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].

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CSVANW is an award winning organization at the forefront to a dynamic approach to the Tribal domestic and sexual violence fields that is demonstrating the most effective, creative and innovative ways to address and prevent the cycle of violence within tribal communities.