Graduation Archives | Voices of Native Youth

The Shocking Truth about being Young and Pregnant on the Reservation

Posted on February 27, 2019February 27, 2019 by Nelcina Bekay

Native youth shouldn’t become sexually active at a young age because they are not ready for the consequences. The reality of being young and pregnant on the Rez is harsh. Young teens drop out of school. Having a baby might lead to unhealthy relationships, and the teen might end up having no support from the dad or their own family. It is a bad idea for native youth to become sexually active at a young age because lack of support, and men don’t cope well with the responsibilities of fatherhood at a young age.

Native youth shouldn’t become sexually active at a young age. According to the Pew Charitable Trust 31 out of 1,000 Native American teenagers will give birth this year. Native youth have more babies than white teenagers. Native youth have babies because they become sexually active at a young age.

But pregnancy isn’t the only problem with sexual activity at a young age. According to Miranda Hitti on Web MD, a sizable percentage of sexually active teens noted negative consequences such as feeling used, getting pregnant, and contracting a sexually transmitted disease. Young teens are not mature enough to insist on using birth control. As a result of not using brith control, you get pregnant. Therefore, Native youth shouldn’t become sexually active at a young age because of the consequences.

The Lack of Support for the Young and Pregnant on the Rez

The teen might have a lack of support from family or friends. For example, I have a relative who became sexually active at a young age, got pregnant, and now she’s having a hard time. She has a lack of support from family, and she has dropped out of school. All the largest public schools on the Navajo reservation don’t have a program for teen parents or pregnant students (verified by calling the three major high schools).

On the other hand, many publics school in Arizona have a program for teen moms. I think that the Navajo reservation needs a program for pregnant or parenting students. A girl on the Rez will receive little help from school, therefore the teen is more likely to drop out.

Although 31 out of 1000 Native girls become pregnant each year, the Navajo high schools don't provide parenting programs for pregnant teens. #navajo Click To Tweet

Too Young to Cope

Although 31 out of 1000 Native American teenagers will get pregnant this year, high schools on the reservation don't provide teen parenting programs. #Navajonation #nativeyouth #nativeamerican #teenpregnancy

Native youth might not know how to cope with having a baby when they are still young. For example, my relative dropped out of school because she thought people were judging her. Therefore, she’s going to have a hard time. She stays at her mom’s house, she has no job, and she has no education.

An adult could have take care of the baby so my relative could finish high school. But she won’t listen. As a result, she has no job or education and is now suck with a baby to raise. As you can see, she is too young to make good decisions for her and her baby.

Native youth shouldn’t become sexually active because of the consequences. A girl on the Rez will receive little help from family or school, therefore the teen is likely to drop out. My relative was too young when she had her baby, therefore she struggles to make good decisions for her and her baby.

Urgent Advice About Dating at a Young Age

Posted on February 25, 2019February 25, 2019 by Davarena Hubbard

Dating Young Seems Fun, but…

Many Native Americans have had experience with or are currently in, unhealthy relationships. I think this happens because most Natives haven’t seen what a good relationship looks like. As Native youth grow up, they often don’t see good role models of healthy relationships from their family members. We’ve also started dating young, and I think that since we’re young and haven’t been shown what a relationship is supposed to be like, we have unhealthy ones ourselves.

Adolescents should avoid dating relationships. You should not only look at the nice things that could possibly come out of the relationship but also the bad. Unhealthy relationships can cause negative emotional and physical consequences.

Dating isn’t all about Roses and Kisses

When you get into a relationship, you’re probably thinking about the nice things that can come of it, not the bad things that could possibly happen. Before getting into or even considering a dating relationship, you should evaluate both the good and bad things that could happen. I know this may seem boring, or even pointless, because your young minds just don’t want to be lonely. But this will allow you to see the cost of the relationship—both positive and negative.

According to Anita Ojeda, you should weigh the positive and the negative consequences. When you do this, if there are more negatives than positives, then you know the relationship wouldn’t be a good idea. Therefore, make a chart or something that separates the good and bad before starting the relationship.

Dating can Depress You

A high school senior advises kids to think before they start dating. Just because everyone else seems to be hooking up doesn't mean you need to! #dating #highschool #middleschool #relationships #consequences #graduate

When you start a relationship you’re all lovey-dovey and happy; you can’t imagine the relationship not working out. Because Natives aren’t exposed to what a good relationship should look like from childhood, we don’t know what to expect. We may come from an abusive family or background and might start acting out like that in a relationship. Since Natives basically grew up around lying and stealing or cheating you might act out like that in a relationship. According to domesticshelters.org, the National Institute of Justice did a study showing 84 percent of Native American women have faced violence in their lives and half of that is caused by an intimate partner. Alcholol-related abuse is not only found within the Native American culture, it’s a universal concept.

Men suffer from domestic abuse, too—not just women. I have adolescent family members who have gotten depressed from being in a relationship. I myself have been let down from an unhealthy relationship and have gone through depression. This type of emotional negativity shouldn’t be coming from a relationship at a young age. Adolescents can get emotional consequences like these from dating while young.

Things You Think Will Never Happen to You

In addition to the emotional consequences, there are other negative consequences. When you date, you might get distracted. You may not focus in school completely because you spend all your time thinking about something relating to your relationship or the other person. It can cause you to fall behind in school work from lack of concentration.

When you date, your teenage hormones can take over sometimes, and you and your partner can get sexual. It can start with kissing and lead to something else. According to advocatesforyouth.org, 31 babies are born to every 1,000 Natives between the ages 15-19. I know at least seven people who got pregnant before finishing high school.

It's hard to take care of a baby while trying to finish school. #dating Click To Tweet

It’s hard to take care of a baby while trying to finish school. It can lead to dropping out and not graduating. That is another negative consequence to dating as an adolescent. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend at a young age can lead to negative consequences.

Just Say, “No!”

You shouldn’t date at a young age. I know you probably feel like you have to, because it might seem fun. Maybe a relative had a relationship at a young age and so you think nothing bad will happen to you. But these reasons should help you stop and think. Especially if you don’t have anyone warning you about the dangers of relationships at a young age.

Before you get into a relationship, you should list the good and bad things that could come with it. Being in a relationship will cause emotional consequences. Not every relationship brings abuse or causes depression, but it will affect your emotions. You also want to look out for the negative consequences of relationships such as distractions and pregnancy.

Also, since both teenagers are still basically children and aren’t on their own then you’re not mature enough to be caring about someone else’s needs when you have your own. Just worry about yourself for now and avoid dating at a young age.

*Davarena (a.k.a Dave) is a Navajo currently finishing her last year of high school and preparing for her college education. Dave is an eccentric foodie with dispraxia who loves her puppy, Oliver.*

Why do Native Youth Have to Drop Out of School?

Posted on February 19, 2019February 19, 2019 by Jorge Lopez

For the past ten years my family has moved around from apartment to apartment, staying with whichever family member had room to house us. This means that we often had to change schools and make new friends. In trying to figure out why we moved so often, I realized that none of my family had finished high school.

Not finishing high school seemed to make it difficult for everyone to find steady jobs. I now understand that not finishing school would make my life more difficult. Most Native youth don’t get enough support from family or others. Native youth drop out of school because they are unstable emotionally, academically, and financially.

The Importance of Family Support

Most Native youth don’t get the support they need from families or others, and some families don’t encourage their kids. The Pygmalion effect helps explain this: people tend to perform at the level that others expect of them. Some families don’t expect their children to finish or go to school. Therefore, their kids don’t finish.

Most Native youth on the reservation don’t have an education because their parent(s) don’t put any effort into encouraging them to go. I have four older sisters that have not finished school because of lack of support and encouragement. They would have had a better lifestyle if they would have finished school. Therefore, my sisters would have lived up to their potential and would have had a good and stable life. Most kids don’t get enough support or encouragement from their family.

Homelessness Gets in the Way of Success

Most native families don’t have a stable home for their kids to finish school. A report by the Department of Housing and the Urban Development estimates that between 42,000 and 85,000 Native people don’t have their own home or apartment on reservations. In other words, there are thousands of homeless Native youth. Whenever a kid a moves in with a relative or friend, it makes it harder for them to get to school or to start a new school.

One difficulty with staying in a crowded house is that concentrating on school work feels impossible. This makes it hard to stay focused on school. Usually, when the house or apartment is crowded, it is harder to get homework done and kids will eventually start to get behind in school. I was close to being a drop-out because of the struggle I had and problems I put myself in. I lived in an unstable home because problems my family had. Therefore, I know how difficult it is for Native youth to finish school without a stable home/lifestyle.

Most people don't understand the barriers to success for Native American youth. Like laundry. #nativeamerican #poverty Click To Tweet

Drop Out or Go to School Dirty?

Laundry and lunch money shouldn't keep kids from an education. But that and other challenges often force Native youth to drop out of high school. #nativeyouth #graduation #poverty

Most Native youth don’t have the money for school and for their lunch. Most kids I grew up with didn’t have money for clean clothes and other things that were needed for school, so they decided to drop-out. Many kids don’t have the support for their financial needs.

They didn’t have money that would get them a new set of clothes, pay for laundry, or buy food. For example, my friends lived on welfare but didn’t have the money for school. My sisters didn’t have money for necessities so they had to drop-out. My sisters also had to babysit us when we were little while my mom was working, so they got behind in all their classes.

Now that they are adults with no high school diploma, they have to work hard because of the low-paying jobs that they have for people who never finished school. Most kids don’t have the support they need when it comes to money.

Most Native youth don’t get enough support from families or others. Some families don’t encourage their kids. Native youth don’t get much support from families, either. Many Native families don’t have stable homes which makes it harder for kids to go to school and finish. Native kids don’t always have money for necessities that help ensure school success. Native youth are less likely to finish school and have a lower chance of being successful in life.

*Jorge hates snow but loves snowboarding. He’s proud of his Navajo heritage*

Why You Shouldn’t Tell a Native Youth to Stay in School

Posted on February 17, 2019February 17, 2019 by Thalia Davis

Have you ever had someone tell you to stay in school? How did you feel? According to a friend of mine, an adult told her to stay in school and it made her feel pressured. She had to push herself to work hard and improve her grades. When the adult told her to stay in school she felt that if she didn’t, she would be a failure.

Finishing school is great, but having the pressure put on you is too much. There are reasons why native youth don’t finish school. Some may have experienced abuse and some may have trouble keeping up with their education while caring for family members. Maybe other family members could help care for their younger siblings or grandparents then they could continue their education.

Native Youth need their education to succeed in the future. It really bothers me when middle-class white people tell me to stay in school. Especially when they don’t understand how education is on the Reservation, our personal problems, and the family responsibilities we have.

Reservation Schools

People don’t realize how hard it is to live on the Reservation and to get a good education. According to Rebecca Clarren in an article entitled “How America is Failing Native American Students says, “American Indian and Alaska Native students are more likely to be suspended then any other racial group, with the exception of African Americans.” If they are suspended they will miss out on some of their education. The longer the suspension, they more days they’ll miss. Suspension makes you feel hopeless and at risk because you are suspended and falling behind.

According to the same article, “The high levels of poverty on Native American Reservations do create barriers to educational success.” If the white people knew how hard it is to live on the Reservation, then they would understand. Instead of accusing us of not wanting to succeed, white people need to understand the reasons behind our behavior. Native Americans we are capable of proving wrong those who misunderstand our abilities to achieve.

Depression and Anxiety Create Barriers to Success

Most white people don’t understand how personal problems can keep Native youth from succeeding in the future. Thirty-nine percent of American Indians adolescent suffer from depression. According to Aisha Mays, MD UCSF Department of Family and Community Medicine, “A lot of teens don’t get help for the depression they have.” When teens don’t get help for their depression it can cause harm or lack of self-worth. They need support when going through depression.

Jerald G. Bachman, Patrick M. O’Malley and M. Brent Donnellan in a study entitled Adolescent Self-Esteem state that, “self- esteem relates to demographic characteristics such as race/ethnicity and, to a lesser extent, gender, and age.” Of course race/ethnicity causes lack of self-worth because of how Native youth are being treated.

Nobody should be feeling overwhelmed due to their ethnicity and race. In other words, People need to realize that Native youth feel sensitive about their stories and speak to them in ways that don’t condescend or make them feel put down.

Native Youth Caregivers

Taking care of family members can effect a Native youth’s education. What many people don’t realize is that Native youth feel pressure from their families to help care for younger siblings or older relatives while the parents work.

Here's why one student thinks you shouldn't tell a Native youth to stay in school. Her reasons and solutions might surprise you. #nativeyouth #nativeamerican #educaiton #success #graduation #mentorship

According to an article from the American Psychological Association, “as many as 1.4 million U.S. children age 8 to 18 are caring for a parent, grandparent or sibling with a disability or illness.” The article goes on to say that “Many of these young caregivers are from low-income, single-parent households.” For instance, young caregivers want to remain in school, but caregiving affects their education.

When young caregivers are in school their ability to concentrate drops, their mood changes, and they want to drop-out to care for their siblings or parents. Young caregivers might not achieve their goals or have a career in the future. According to Connie Siskowski, RN, PhD, of the American Association of Caregiving Youth, in a 2006 poll funded by the Gates Foundation, 22 percent of young adults who dropped out of the school for personal reasons cited family caregiving as their primary motive.

Youth should have support from other family members so they can keep up with their education. For that reason, people need to realize that Native youth are putting their lives on hold to care for their siblings or grandparents. People shouldn’t assume that kids just drop out of school because they want to.

We’d Like to Succeed: Here’s What We Need

Native Youth find it difficult when white people tell us to stay in school when they don’t really know how hard life is for us. Some say Native Americans can’t succeed, but we can prove them wrong. It would help if instead of people telling us to ‘Stay in school,’ they would ask us ‘What can we do to help make it possible for you to stay in school?’

Instead of telling Native youth to 'Stay in school,' adults should ask, 'How can we help make it possible for you to stay in school?' #education #nativeyouth Click To Tweet

White people don’t understand we put our lives on hold for our siblings and grandparents because we have that connection with them. If white people understand what we go through every day then it would be easier for us.

*Thalia loves to read and she hopes that her love of reading will help her when she finishes high school and studies to work in the medical field.*

Native Youth Shouldn’t Drop Out of High School

Posted on February 17, 2019February 17, 2019 by Marklynn Whitehair

Just because a kid doesn't know what they want to do when they grow up doesn't mean that they should drop out of high school. #graduation #success #nativeyouth #dropout

Native youth shouldn’t drop out of school and give up on their futures. Some kids think it is cool to drop out, but really they are making it hard on themselves. School may be hard, but leaving school will make it even harder to achieve what you want in life.

Parents should help keep their kids in school, they should talk to them and show them that they care. For example, my friends and I finished the same elementary school, and when the time came to move on to high school, they only went the first week or didn’t go at all. Yes, there are times they wished they had stayed in school, but now it’s way too late for them.

According to an article in U.S. News and World Report, 23% of high school dropouts say that lack of parental support and encouragement, which made it easy for them to drop out. Yes, it’s true your parents still love you, don’t think they don’t. Parents want their kids to have the life they never had (or the one they turned away from). Now they try to help their kids, but they see their kids have followed in their footsteps. It’s very hard for my friends’ parents to see them struggling then they could have been in school.

Your Friends Can Drag You Down

Some kids drop out because they hang out with the wrong crowd of people. They don’t know what to do after they get out of high school, so they just don’t go. They never even think about graduating, but they think their parents are just going to keep giving them money. I wish my friends hadn’t dropped out; maybe they could have been sitting right by me and finishing high school in 2019.

It’s sad it all had to come to an end because almost all of my classmates from 8th grade have already had a child or two. They have no job, so they ask their moms or dads for money. I see my former classmates struggling and living in hardship because they chose not to go to school and they tried to live life on their own.

Too Late?

What’s going on in kids’ minds when they think about dropping out? Some friends told me that if they had a chance to go back to school, they would go for it. They realize now that they had potential. People don’t realize that they can do so much more than they think they can. They can push themselves harder than they thought possible instead of making the choice to lose out on opportunities.

Most of my friends talked about what they were going to do in high school, but they gave up on their goals. They had big dreams of becoming this and that, but because they dropped out of school, their dreams died.

It's important to stay in school because school can give you the tools you need to make a living. #nativeyouth Click To Tweet

When they dropped out they had to live with their parents and depend on their parents for money. It’s important to stay in school because it can give you the tools you need to make a living. Now my friends struggle more than ever trying to provide for their own kids and themselves. They had big dreams, but they have let their dreams die because of their choice to drop out.

Marklynn Whitehair is a proud member of the Navajo tribe. when she’s not sleeping or drawing in class, she thinks about home and her family. But most of all, she thinks about her horses. She’s in high school and loves to play sports and spend time with friends.

The Importance of Good Role Models for Native Youth

Posted on February 11, 2019February 11, 2019 by Aliandra Lopez

How Important Do You Think Good Role Models are to Native Americans?

Most people have heard about Ben Carson, the famous neurosurgeon. But not everyone knows about his early life. According to one article about Ben Carson, “The family was very poor and to make ends meet Sonya sometimes toiled at two or three jobs simultaneously in order to provide for Ben and Curtis.” He grew up in the ghetto but stayed focused every time he felt down. As Ben grew up, his mother played a great role of being a mother and providing what she could. She was always lifting her boys up when they needed it the most. His mother always encouraged Ben to do his best. Despite all they have gone through, Ben Carson became successful as a neurosurgeon.

Parents don’t realize how important it is to be good role models for Native youth. Teachers and parents need to be good role models because their kids watch what their teachers and parents do, more than they listen to what they say. Parents and role models need to be aware of the burden of poverty, family influence, and family involvement.

The Legacy of Poverty

Parents don’t realize that their life of poverty affects their children. For example, my grandparents only finished eighth grade and some of high school. They didn’t notice that their lack of education would set a poor example for my parents. My parents didn’t finish high school and it continued the cycle of living in poverty. Since my parents didn’t finish high school, it is very difficult for them to find steady work. Good jobs require high school diplomas and that was something my grandparents and parents don’t have. In other words, I am at risk to continue the cycle of poverty and dropping out of school.

Negative family actions influence kids to repeat the same behavior. For instance, some of my relatives act violently, make bad decisions, and drink alcohol. Their examples have affected us younger ones to act in negative ways. Seeing our older relatives act this way makes it difficult for me to resist acting the same way.

Teachers as Role Models

Family members have the opportunity to act as good role models for Native Youth. One high school student explains how. #ownvoices #nativeyouth #navajo #nativeamerican

As a Native American woman, I’ve experienced some teachers who wanted us to be successful and some who didn’t want us to succeed as a person. In the fifth grade, I had a Native American teacher who would put students down because they weren’t focused enough. I personally think older adults, like parents and teachers, should show good examples to kids who want to become better people. I’ve never been shown a good example from my relatives, and I could be capable of not showing good examples for myself and younger family members.

Families tell their kids to behave in a certain way, but their actions provide a different role model. For an example, my family has always told us kids to behave ourselves everywhere we went. When we’re in school, my siblings and I act in a good way because my family want us to do well, but sometimes they don’t act the way they expect us to act. They don’t realize that since their actions speak louder than words, it could affect our behavior everywhere else.

Relatives push us to do our best and to be really focused on what’s in front of us, but when they use alcohol, it drags us down with them. It affects my ability to stay positive and have a good mindset when relatives put me down because it hurts me. My personal opinion: I deeply feel like my relatives should be the ones lifting me up and encouraging me to keep striving for what is good for us. But sometimes they are the ones that make us feel worse by putting us down. Sometimes I put people down and continue the negative behavior that I have seen, but that’s not who I want to be.

Native youth need good role models in order to succeed. Their families need to lead the way. #nativeyouth #rolemodel Click To Tweet

Actions Yell, Words Whisper

Based on my examples about my family, I still think families should be more involved in their children’s lives and should be able to be there for them in many different ways. I believe family support is important for Native youth. My family has lived in poverty, therefore, I am at greater risk of living in poverty, as I get older. That’s something I want to change as a person. Due to family influence, I haven’t gotten the chance to see with my own eyes what good family role models looks like.

I have that power to show a great example to my younger siblings and show them what is good and to not act in a negative way. I also didn’t realize that God wants us to love everyone like he loved us, even if they are putting you down. Therefore, I want to become a better person and avoid the cycle of poverty. I want to provide a good role model for my younger siblings and avoid acting like the role models I’ve had in my life. I want to be the change in everyone’s eyes and show people that there is a bright side in life and that it’s not always about spreading negativity.

Voices of Native Youth

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