FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Flagstaff, AZ — The Grand Canyon Regional Intertribal Intergenerational Stewardship Expedition (RIISE) is accepting applications from young people ages 16-20 who identify as members of one of the associated tribes of the Grand Canyon for its third annual free nine-day Colorado River rafting trip through the Grand Canyon July 15-23, 2024.
Hosted by the Grand Canyon Trust and Grand Canyon Youth and supported by Arizona Raft Adventures and Grand Canyon Expeditions, the trip is designed to connect Indigenous young people with their ancestral homelands. Interested applicants should be comfortable camping for nine days, hiking, and being outdoors, and must apply at grandcanyontrust.org/riise by Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
Up to 18 young leaders will be selected for this immersive cultural journey to experience the Grand Canyon with Indigenous knowledge holders, river guides, and environmental advocates. All transportation, meals, rafting equipment, and camping gear will be provided. Six weeks of pre-trip online education will help participants prepare for the expedition while also learning about environmental justice issues in the Grand Canyon region.
"Our goal is to bring young Native leaders back to their ancestral lands to learn from their elder tribal relatives the histories and stories of the Grand Canyon," said trip facilitator Amber Benally of the Grand Canyon Trust, who cofounded RIISE. "Our people were forced from their homelands to make room for Grand Canyon National Park, and too often I hear our young people say, 'there’s nothing there for me' or 'I don’t belong here.' But we do belong here. We are still here. And sharing knowledge and connecting with the canyon and with each other is an important way to remember who we are as Indigenous people."
Through storytelling and discussion, participants will learn about the canyon’s past, present, and future. "While the trip will be fun," Benally continues, "one goal of the trip is to provide an opportunity for Native youth to determine the ways in which they can most effectively shape the future of the Grand Canyon."
In places like the Grand Canyon, Native peoples have been left out of land management decisions and economic opportunities. RIISE aims to help change this by supporting the next generation of Native American conservation leaders.
"The canyon has taught me that challenges are part of the journey," said 2023 RIISE participant Tryston Wakayuta (Hualapai and Hopi). "Locations and situations constantly change but the mission has always been the same, to keep changing and growing and learning different perspectives…Trips like this remind me to be great through our cultures and traditions."
Applications for RIISE 2024 are open until Wednesday, May 1, 2024. More information and a link to the application may be found at grandcanyontrust.org/riise. Accepted applicants commit to six weeks of pre-trip online learning as well as the full river trip July 15-23, 2024. Questions can be directed to risingleaders@grandcanyontrust.org.
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