At ZYEP, we believe in the strength and brilliance of the Zuni people. Since our founding in 2009, we have been committed to shifting the deficit-based narratives often used to frame Native American youth as “at risk”. Instead, we use a strength-based paradigm that focuses on the strengths, resilience, and expansive potential that Zuni youth possess.

We believe that Zuni people — their knowledge and life-ways — have transformative power to help Zuni youth grow into strong and healthy adults. On a continuous basis, we meet with the Zuni Tribal Council, cultural bearers, artists, parents, youth, and partner programs to collaboratively design programs, spaces, and policies that cut across sectors to promote community health in a systematic way.