YOUTH TAKE TRAINING DURING SPRING BREAK
Some young students took time out of their spring break to learn valuable life lessons with the Department for Self Reliance (DSR) Education and Career Services (ECS) section.
The ECS conducted three Youth Event Trainings for young DSR members at the Navajo Nation Museum on March 10, Dilcon Community School on March 12, and St. Michaels Chapter house on March 17, 2026.
The training gave the youth the opportunity to hear presentations on Anti Vaping, Healthy Choices for a Healthier You, Injury Prevention, Hastiin Bidziil (Strong Man), and Staying Safe on the Rez.
“Our goal is to promote self-reliance, self-sufficiency,” Lousha Hubbell, Employment Development Specialist, said.
At the conclusion of the event in St. Michaels, one 18-year-old boy said, “I really like it. I’m hoping to inspire other people just like the people did here today.”
A 17-year-old participant said, “I learned a lot of stuff, things that can help me out.”
The youth who attended learned about what the Department for Self Reliance does.
“They get a perspective on Navajo Nation programs, statistics, and life stories,” Hubbell said. She added that the staff focused on prevention and intervention strategies in developing the agenda.
Yvonne Lee, Prevention Specialist with the Center of Harmony and Recovery, educated the students and parents in attendance about opioids on the Navajo Nation, including the dangers, symptoms of overdose, and what to look for in order to avoid the dangerous drugs.
Randy Lynch’s presentation on, “Hastiin Bidziil, Strong Man,” engaged the audience, He asked participants about their perspectives of what makes a tough man. He contrasted those perceptions with the audience’s feedback on what makes an honest man. “All of these things you can do and it’s just going to make you a better man, a better boy, a better son,” he said about the list of attributes of an honest man that the participants generated. Lynch is a Facilitator with the John Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health.
Alberta Curley with Department of Behavioral and Mental Health Services gave an informative presentation about making healthy choices, including not drinking alcohol.
Presentations incorporated Diné teachings, with reminders of consequences of decisions and actions.
DSR is a federally funded program that assists eligible individuals in obtaining the knowledge, skills, and experience to become self-reliant. Monthly assistance and necessary resources are provided to eligible families to meet their basic needs while they prepare for self-reliance.
DSR utilizes the Navajo traditional teaching of T’áá hwó ájít’ éego – taking responsibility for your life – as the basis for the services provided to empower members to take personal responsibility for themselves and their families.
DSR is an integral part of the Public Law 102-477 plan that the Navajo Division for Children and Family Services is implementing. The purpose of the P.L. 102-477 plan is to consolidate the NDCFS’s federally funded programs to address employment and training needs.
For more information, visit the DSR website at www.nntanf.org.
Presenters at the St. Michaels event included Ashleigh Bennett, ECS; Alberta Curley, Department of Behavioral and Mental Health Services; Yvonne Lee, Center of Harmony and Recovery; and Randy Lynch, John Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health.
Employment Development Specialists Lousha Hubbell and Linda Sombrero of the Education and Career Services helped to organize the Youth Training Events. Bennett also helped organize the events.