photo credit: Letkwu Moore Stanger
Elk on the Colville Restoration in the Pacific Northwest, part of a Brave Heart Fellowship project

The Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute says this year's Brave Heart fellows include four young people from Northern California tribes, including the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians.

The Brave Heart Fellowship is a program for young Indigenous leaders, designed to enhance their skills as protectors of tribal lands, waterways and sacred sites, and stewards for food sovereignty.

Katy Stewart is the program manager at the Center for Native American Youth.

"The Braveheart Fellowship was started about three years ago out of this call that we are hearing from Native youth and indigenous communities across the country to focus on climate justice issues. Native communities are often the first ones who are faced with the threats of climate change and Native youth are the ones who are leading the charge for change,” said Stewart.

The six-month program provides funding support to Native American youth to work on a project in their community, focusing on an issue they see and want to address.

Stewart says the program also provides educational support for the 10 Fellows.

"We have a really big network,” Stewart said. “And part of our goal is just bringing in experts, whether it's policy experts or community climate justice advocates who can come and speak to the Fellows about their experience."

One of this year's Brave Heart Fellows is Alexio Lira, a Master's candidate in Data Science at UC Berkeley, and a member of the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians. Lira is working on a project to help Indigenous communities with energy independence.

"I’m really looking forward to talking, learning from indigenous advocate scholars and policy leaders. My work specifically is looking to explore the potential of floating photovoltaic systems for deployment in Native American communities and shed some light onto the regulatory barriers that might be impeding that development,” Lira explained.

Lira says he is passionate about using his skills to help Native American communities.

“As a child, I was a traditional dancer alongside many of my cousins, uncles, other family,” Lira said. “And they've really supported me throughout my whole life and through my education, and I see my work as a way to give back using what I've learned to help native communities move forward toward independence and right now energy independence and energy sovereignty."

The Brave Heart Fellowship aims to empower Indigenous youth leadership in addressing climate change and promoting environmental justice, according to Stewart.

"There's so much energy and passion in native communities, particularly Native youth when it comes to climate justice. We want to lean into that energy and get them the support we can,” said Stewart.

Other Fellows in this cohort are working on restoration of wildlife habitats, medicinal plant research, and coastal erosion, among other community action projects.