Mvskoke Nation Youth Services holds 4th Annual Mvskoke Youth Awards
OKMULGEE, Okla. — The Mvskoke Nation Youth Services (MNYS) program held the 4th Annual Mvskoke Youth Awards on June 18, 2019 at Camp Loughridge in Tulsa, OK. The Mvskoke Youth Awards is designed to celebrate the accomplishments Muscogee (Creek) youth and adults impacting the lives of Mvskoke youth.
The Mvskoke Youth Awards are modeled after the Center for Native American Youth’s Champion for Change awards. MNYS created two awards in 2016. The Mvnettvlke Onaya (Youth Visionary) award recognizes Mvskoke Youth ages 12-24 making an impact and inspiring their community. In addition to recognizing youth champions, MNYS also created the Vculvlke Mvnettvlke Emvnicv which means “old who helps the young”. This award recognizes adults ages 25 and older who work to improve the lives of Mvskoke youth. In 2019, MNYS expanded the awards to include a youth and adult for each MNYS program goal.
“The Mvskoke Youth Awards began as a celebration of the accomplishments of the Mvskoke Nation Youth Council and all youth and adults affecting the lives of Mvskoke Youth. The people who do this work well, do it because it is just who they are as a person. The MNYS believes it is important to highlight the amazing efforts of these individuals.” Nancy Mason, Mvskoke Nation Youth Services Director said. “We normally award four youth and four adults. This year we decided to tie the awards to our program goals of fostering advocacy, promoting civic duty, creating support, encouraging wellness and providing resources. Our hope is that we will be able to partner with the award recipients to further develop our program.”
Awardees of the Mvnettvlke Onaya award include: Jasmine Buckley, Kintv Deere, Louisa Harjo, Brittany McKane, and Mahiya Ramirez. The Vculvlke Mvnettvlke Emvnicv awardees include: Jordan Harmon, Katie Kelley, Scott Robinson, Laurisa Soap, and Eddie Screechowl. To learn more about the Mvskoke Youth Awards and this year’s award recipients go to www.mvskokeyouth.com/mvkokeyouthawards. To learn more about the MNYS contact Nancy Mason at: 918-549-2557 or nmason@muscogeenation.com.