ZUNI, NM (May 20, 2025) — The Zuni Youth Enrichment Project has announced that this year’s Wellness Week will take place June 23-26, and its 17th Annual Summer Camp is scheduled for June 30-July 25. Camp will be a full four weeks, with no camp taking place on July 4.
Registration is currently open for children ages 7-12, and it will remain open until all 120 spots are filled. Only hard copies of the application will be accepted; families may drop them off at ZYEP’s offices at Ho’n A:wan Park, 13 Chimoni Drive.
The theme for this year’s program is Hon Ya’yuwanik’do:wa, which means “We will give it our best.” According to Kiara “Kiki” Zunie, ZYEP’s youth development coordinator, the theme reflects the team’s dedication to incorporating even more Zuni language and core values into Summer Camp.
“Each summer is different from the last as we continue to build on this foundation of learning and discuss what else we can incorporate,” Zunie explained. “As coordinators, we are very intentional about how we plan a summer of fun for our kids. Their experiences and potential takeaways are always top of mind in our planning.”
At press time, Zunie and her team were engaged in selecting 20 counselors for this year’s Summer Camp, including two lead counselors who will serve full time. Counselor interviews are ongoing, and the ZYEP team also recently visited the Zuni High School Career Fair and presented at Twin Buttes Cyber Academy to ensure maximum community outreach.
“The counselor interviews have been great,” Zunie said. “It has been a full-circle moment more than once, as I’ve found myself interviewing a couple of my former campers from 2019.”
In early June, the counselors will take part in a three-day, two-night counselor retreat in partnership with Cottonwood Gulch Expeditions. They also will undertake intensive training that includes CPR/First Aid provided by Zuni Fire and EMS; “Question, Persuade, Refer” suicide prevention training; an overview of the ZYEP Youth Leaders Manual; food safety demonstrations; Cultural Competency and Classroom Management training; “Spending Frenzy” with First Financial Credit Union and more.
For the kids, summer fun officially will kick off on June 23 with the start of the four-day Wellness Week program. Participants will enjoy eight “mini-camp” activities: hiking with Danzel Edaakie and Michael Owaleon Sr.; mountain biking with Gallup-based Silver Stallion and Little Bellas, a mentoring organization out of Vermont; basketball with Tyler Sice, ZYEP’s physical activity coordinator; football with Kevin Bowannie; soccer with Patrick Nabozny; baseball with Zachary James, ZYEP food sovereignty leader, and Kalil Edaakie, a member of the ZYEP Youth Advisory Council; Shiwi Chefs (cooking) with the ZYEP food sovereignty team; and art with A:shiwi Tribal College.
“Baseball is new this year, so we’re excited about that,” Zunie said.
During the four-week Summer Camp starting June 30, campers will enjoy nine activities: traditional art with the ZYEP art team; contemporary art with Kalil Edaakie and Ryann Cornelius, members of ZYEP’s Youth Advisory Council; nutrition with the ZYEP food sovereignty team; greenhouse with the ZYEP food sovereignty team; physical activity with the ZYEP physical activity team; Wilderness Explorers with Michael Owaleon Sr.; social emotional learning with Keely Bobelu and Jasmine Bradley, ZYEP Youth Advisory Council members; traditional dance with Mangaysha Kallestewa and Cyrus Lutse; and Zuni culture.
Camp also will include Fun Fridays. Each Friday, this initiative gives children opportunities to enjoy arts and crafts and take field trips to the Zuni Senior Center, Zuni Public Library, El Morro National Monument and more.
ZYEP’s Wellness Week and Summer Camp are made possible with support from Blue Cross Blue Shield, McCune Charitable Foundation, National Recreation Foundation, New Mexico Department of Health’s Healthy Kids Healthy Communities, New Mexico Health Care Authority’s Behavioral Health Services Division, Newman’s Own Foundation, Nike, NoVo Foundation, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, Zuni Education and Career Development Center (ZECDC) and Zuni Public School District.
According to Tahlia Natachu-Eriacho, ZYEP’s executive director, the ongoing support of individual donors across the country also is essential for the success and sustainability of these programs. That support, she said, is going to be vital this year.
“In recent months, we have been facing the reality that ZYEP could lose as much as 60 percent of its current funding,” she explained. “It is a challenging time, and we are deepening our commitment to be here for Zuni youth — not just today, but for generations to come.”
Natachu-Eriacho’s first role with ZYEP was that of Summer Camp counselor. She recently crossed paths with a former camper, who reminisced about camp and how the youth project helped her realize her own potential.
“This is the impact of ZYEP,” Natachu-Eriacho said. “We are building vital relationships and networks of support for our kids that make a difference in their childhoods and their future trajectories. The positive impact ripples through their lives, their families, our community and even into the wider world.
“We are determined to remain a foundation that our Zuni youth can rely on,” she continued. “And we are deeply grateful to the larger community of people who care deeply about and invest in Zuni youth.”
ZYEP recently launched a nationwide fundraising campaign for this summer’s Wellness Week and Summer Camp programs. To make a contribution, visit https://www.zyep.org/join-us/donate/.
To learn more about the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project and its programs, and for information about making donations, partnering with ZYEP, and volunteering, call (505) 782-8000 or visit zyep.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest news and events, follow the nonprofit youth organization on Facebook (/zuniyouthenrichmentproject), Instagram (@zuniyouthenrichmentproject), YouTube (/ZuniYouth), and TikTok (/zyep09)
Founded in 2009, the nonprofit Zuni Youth Enrichment Project is dedicated to promoting resilience among Zuni youth so they will grow into strong, healthy adults who are connected with Zuni traditions. ZYEP fulfills its mission by providing positive role models, enriching programs, and nurturing spaces that contribute to the healthy development of Zuni youth. ZYEP strives to provide every child with the encouragement and opportunities they need to reach their full potential.
