The Navajo Division of Children and Family Services (NDCFS) is hosting the Diné Action Plan quarterly meeting at San Juan College, Farmington, N.M., on December 18-19, 2025.
The DAP provides a road map for the Navajo Nation to address its biggest challenges, nayéé or modern-day monsters, including suicide prevention, substance use disorder, violence, and missing and murdered Diné relatives. The DAP utilizes the strengths of the Navajo people by drawing upon cultural teachings and methods to defeat the nayéé.
“The Diné Action Plan is a road map to address Nayéé that challenges our families across the Navajo Nation and border towns. These Nayéé at times lead our relatives to be unsheltered individuals in distant cities such as Phoenix, Albuquerque, Denver, Salt Lake City and other cities across the country.We’re reaching out to all advocates and our relatives to join our movement of healing our communities,” said NDCFS Executive Director Thomas Cody.
The Diné Action Plan was approved by the Navajo Nation Council and signed into law through Resolution CS-51-21, approximately five years ago. The Plan directs that the Advisory Group will compile, analyze and report performance data annually to the three branches of government. It also identifies a five-year timeline with specific goals and objectives to defeat the nayéé.
Each quarter, the DAP’s Advisory Group and task forces gather to report on progress toward the goals and objectives. The task forces on each nayéé meet more frequently outside of the quarterly gathering. Since the DAP was approved five years ago, the DAP Advisory Group is working to prepare a report to Navajo Nation leadership on the status of the goals and objectives.
The first day of the quarterly meeting includes Winter Navajo Wellness Teachings and review of the five-year timelines. The second day will focus on updates from the Navajo Epidemiology Center, the status of the DAP evaluation, and reports from the 19 representatives of the Advisory Group.
The members of the Advisory Group include representatives from the Office of the President and Vice President; Chief Justice; Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council; Peacemaking Program; and Navajo Government Development; members of the Health, Education, and Human Services Committee; Naa’bik’íyáti’ Committee; Law and Order Committee; Navajo Nation Youth Council, Navajo Nation Women’s Commission; and Aging Council; directors of the Office of Public Defender; Navajo Department of Public Safety; Criminal Investigations; Division of Behavioral and Mental Health Services; and Division of Social Services (now Division for Children and Family Services); and the Chiefs of Police, including Ramah; Chief Prosecutor; and Superintendent of Department of Diné Education.
Navajo Nation service providers and community partners are invited to join the meeting.
The Navajo Division for Children and Family Services is leading the effort to implement the DAP for the Navajo Nation due to its dedication to addressing the social ills associated with the nayéé. Chair of the DAP Advisory Group is Michael Henderson, Division of Public Safety Director, and Co-Chair is Sonlasta Jim, Deputy Director of the NDCFS. The programs and offices of the NDCFS are also members of the task force. Anthony Begay, Navajo Treatment Center for Children and Their Families Program Manager, is the lead for the suicide prevention task force.
For more information, please contact Sonlatsa Jim at sonlatsa.jim@ndcfs.org.
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