WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 15, 2015) - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) met with young Native leaders from Americans for Indian Opportunity's (AIO) Ambassadors Program. The program is a premier leadership initiative that encourages young Native and indigenous individuals to weave their traditional tribal values into a contemporary reality. The current class includes three ambassadors from Santo Domingo Pueblo, Laguna Pueblo, and Zuni Pueblo. AIO founder LaDonna Harris started the Ambassadors Program to foster value-based leadership, inspire stakeholder-driven solutions, and convene visionary leaders to address our nation's challenges.
"These young leaders with diverse backgrounds and professions are actively dedicated to making a difference in their communities," said Sen. Heinrich. "They serve as an inspiration for youth who want to make the lives of others better. I applaud the staff, advisers, and board members of Americans for Indian Opportunity for their tireless efforts to foster the next generation of Native and indigenous leaders. When our tribal communities succeed we all benefit."
The AIO's Ambassadors Program provides a creative combination of mentorship, personal reflection, and dialogue with national and international decision-makers, community involvement, communications training, and a discovery process into tribal values. The program selects up to 18 individuals to participate in the program for two years. The participants are Native American, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, and are between the ages of 25-35.
More information about AIO's Ambassadors Program is available at http://www.aio.org/.