NativeVision is a unique national youth enrichment and empowerment initiative for American Indian children, operated by the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health. Launched in 1996 in partnership with the NFL Players Association and the Nick Lowery Charitable Foundation, more than 40,000 Native youth and tribal community members from dozens of tribes across the country have been reached.

American Indian youth living on reservations today suffer the poorest health, socioeconomic and educational status of any racial or ethnic group in the country, with the highest rates of suicide, obesity, diabetes, high school dropout, substance abuse and poverty. NativeVision is a strengths-based program to overcome these issues by engaging professional and collegiate athletes as volunteer mentors to promote healthy lifestyles, fitness, and the pursuit of education through the vehicle of sports.

The guiding principle for NativeVision is to cultivate the core strengths, values and positive relationships of American Indian youth that will make them resilient and help them transition to a healthy, productive and fulfilling adulthood.

To extend the impact of camp and reinforce the attitude and behavior change that is so powerfully begun in the summer, the Center for American Indian Health has lauched year-round NativeVision after-school programs in five tribal communities.  The after school program is currently serving students in Santo Domingo Pueblo (NM), the White Mountain Apache tribe (AZ), on the Navajo Nation (Shiprock, NM and Tuba City, AZ), and with the Tonawanda Seneca Nation (NY), with plans to expand to additional communities in the years ahead.  The model includes: 

• Regular fitness activities.

• Nutrition and health lifestyles promotion.

• Encouragement to complete high school and pursue higher education.

• Parent engagement to support their participating children's goals.

• ​Elder's involvement to promote resilience, wellness and cultural connectedness.

The NativeVision camp and after-school programs are throughly evaluated to monitor impact and changes in knowledge, attitudes and behavior among the youth.

CONTACT: For more information, please contact Marlena Hammen, NativeVision Program Coordinator at mhammen@jhu.edu or 443-287-5167.

Photos on the Native Vision website courtesy of Ed Cunicelli.
ed cunicelli/photographer inc.
p.o. box 86
glen mills, pa 19342
ewc@cunicelli.com