Brentyn Peynetsa couldn’t wait to be in third grade. He knew that as soon as he was officially a third-grader, he would be allowed to attend ZYEP’s “Rooted in Healthy Traditions” after-school program, and the big day couldn’t come soon enough.
He’d been part of ZYEP’s Soccer League since he was 4 years old and its Basketball League since he was 7, so he knew all about the youth project and had heard about the RHT program. It looked like fun, and he wanted to be part of it.
“I wanted to go because I don’t like to be bored,” Brentyn says. “I’d rather be doing things. At RHT, they do arts and crafts, and cooking… I was so excited about it. But I had to wait.”
This fall, the eager 9-year-old finally got his wish. He joined RHT at Shiwi Ts’ana Elementary School for the fall session, which ran from Sept. 9 to Oct. 30.
Every Tuesday through Thursday from 3:30 to 5 p.m., Brentyn and the rest of the third- through sixth-graders learned about food sovereignty, enjoyed physical activities, created art, participated in knowledge sharing, and received help with their homework.
Guiding all of this were ZYEP staff and six RHT mentors. These young adults, ages 18 to 23, gain leadership and professional development experience through the program.
Brentyn says he loved getting to see and spend time with his uncle, DeVon Bowekaty, who was one of the RHT mentors. DeVon, 23, came to the program following a summer art internship with ZYEP.
“He really helped me with things I had difficulty with,” Brentyn says of his uncle, who is like a big brother to him. He quickly adds that he also had fun learning to make pancakes and lemonade with the group.
“He brought home so many recipes,” says his mother, Cleah Bowekaty. “Now he has a collection!”
At school, Brentyn says his favorite subjects are math, reading, and art. He enjoys drawing, coloring, and painting, and he especially likes drawing people and cats—but he’s quick to point out that he’s also allergic to cats.
Brentyn has lived in Black Rock, a community just north of the main village of Zuni Pueblo, all his life. When asked what he likes about living in Zuni, he smiles and says it’s a special place.
“I have a Navajo friend who came to Zuni for three weeks,” he shares. “I taught her a lot about Zuni, and I taught her Zuni words. I was sad she had to go back.”
Brentyn has spoken the Zuni language since he was small, and he says he liked having opportunities to use it during RHT. In fact, language learning was one of the best parts of the program, along with spending time with all of his friends, old and new.
“The Halloween party at the end was really fun,” he says. “We got to eat pizza, and we even got to take home what we didn’t finish! I was really sad it was over.”
Cleah says she appreciates all the activities ZYEP offers for children in Zuni, especially through the RHT after-school program. She describes it as a good balance between learning and fun, and she says it encourages children to build connections with each other.
“He gained so many friendships,” she says. “I definitely saw more confidence by the end, as well. He was more on the shy side, and he really blossomed. It was fun to see him so excited. He never got bored, and he was always happy to go.”
Brentyn says he would like to be an art teacher one day. But he has another goal in mind as well: As soon as he’s old enough, he wants to be one of ZYEP’s community coaches for basketball or soccer.
“They get to teach other people,” he says. “And they get to use a whistle.”