Champions for Change is the Center for Native American Youth (CNAY)'s longest running Fellowship program. Each year, CNAY selects a small cohort of inspirational youth (14-24) to serve as Champions for Change: young leaders from across the country with a desire to better their communities. This can be done in schools or programs, on reservations or in urban environments – anywhere there is opportunity to cultivate positive impact.
Application Overview
Thank you for applying to be a 2027 Champion for Change! This application includes 5 sections:
  1. Demographic Data
  2. Five Short Essay Questions
  3. Optional Uploads
  4. Option Video Submission
  5. Two Reference Letters
Essay Questions:
We ask all applicants to answer four short essay questions. These questions are designed to help us learn more about you and the platform you've developed (or are developing) throughout your leadership journey. Please be sure to answer all parts of the question in your response. We encourage you to be as authentic as possible. We are more interested in reading genuine ideas and passionate answers over well written statements. Use of artificial intelligence tools, text generators, or automated writing assistants to generate, draft, rewrite, or edit any portion of submitted work is strictly prohibited.

Each answer should include 250 - 500 words, please do not exceed 500 words.
  1. Tell us about yourself, your background, and the strengths, values and experiences that have shaped who you are.
  2. Why are you interested in applying to be a Champ and what do you hope to gain or learn by participating in this program?
  3. Provide clear examples of how you contributed to your community, and why is that work important to you?
  4. If selected as a Champion for Change, what change do you hope to advance during the program, and how would you use the CNAY community and platform to move that work forward?
  5. In your own words, what does it mean to be a Indigenous leader?
Reference Letters:
You are required to submit two letters of reference: one Professional Reference Letter and one Peer Reference Letter. Please keep both reference letters under 500 words. Letters should focus on the most relevant qualities, values, achievements, and examples to create a concise and impactful letter.

We are excited to learn more about you and your leadership journey. Please follow the instructions and complete all the required sections. A full list of the application questions can be viewed here.

For additional information, please review the FAQ.

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