The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony launched a UNITY chapter in early 2018. A national organization, the creed for the group is “Inspiring Hope. Changing Lives Since 1976.”
Contact Information:
Robin Eagle, Youth Mentor
Phone: (775) 329-2936 ext. 3218
Email: reagle@rsic.org
UNITY’s Mission is to foster the spiritual, mental, physical, and social development of American Indian and Alaska Native youth, and to help build a strong, unified, and self-reliant Native America through greater youth involvement.
UNITY Defined: UNITY is a national network organization promoting personal development, citizenship, and leadership among Native American youth.
UNITY has a long (40+ years) and impressive track record of empowering and serving American Indian and Alaska Native youth. UNITY is well regarded among the nation’s Native American organizations, tribal leaders, and government officials.
The heart of UNITY is its affiliated youth councils, which are sponsored by tribes, Alaska Native villages, high schools, colleges, urban centers, and others. Youth Councils are engaged in annual projects in four areas – cultural preservation, environmental awareness, healthy lifestyles, and community service. UNITY has a growing number of affiliated youth councils, which currently stands at 222 in operation in 36 states. UNITY is the only organization to have a formal network of youth councils.
Members of each UNITY-affiliated youth council elect two individuals (one young woman, one young man) to serve as their representatives on the National UNITY Council.
Native youth throughout the United States, who are involved in UNITY, elect individuals to serve as Area Representatives on the National UNITY Council Executive Committee. The ten geographical areas are as follows: Great Plains, Midwest, Northeast, Northwest, Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Southeast, Southern Plains, Southwest, and Western. Two youth (one young man, one young woman) are elected at large to serve as National UNITY Council Co-Presidents.
UNITY conducts annual national youth leadership conferences throughout the United States with the number of participants ranging from 1,800 – 2,000. The UNITY Midyear Conference is normally held each February in the Phoenix, Arizona area, and attracts about 300 attendees. Other UNITY youth programs have included a healthy lifestyles campaign, mini-basketball and golf clinics, leadership training seminars, the Earth Ambassador program, 25 Under 25 Leaders, and the UNITY News communications network.
The Council of Trustees, UNITY’s governing board, includes eight individuals, including the two youth Co-Presidents of the National UNITY Council Executive Committee. All trustees are Native American, and five are UNITY alumni.
One of UNITY’s valued resources is its more than 200,000 alumni, which includes tribal leaders, medical doctors and other health professionals, educators, lawyers, and judges.
UNITY participates in the Combined Federal Campaign, and is one of the charitable organizations recognized by the Oklahoma City Community Foundation – where UNITY maintains an endowment fund.
UNITY’s offices are in Mesa, Arizona.