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Successful
leaders operate according to a core set of principles on which they are
unwilling to compromise. A leader must have strong convictions and confidence
in the attainability of his vision for change in order to inspire others
to follow and share that same vision. McClellan Hall, founder and executive
director of the National Indian Youth Leadership Project, is such a leader.
Hall is Cherokee, Pawnee, and Euro-American, but as a boy growing up on
the road, he did not fully embrace his Native American ancestry. He describes
his childhood as "tough," and his home life as unstable. At age 15 he
ran away from home, and he spent his 17th birthday in jail. Hall says
the experience served as a "wake-up call," and he ultimately survived
his youth thanks to the intervention of a few caring people at critical
times in his development.
As he went on to college, began to deeply examine his life, and searched for a purpose, Hall became more aware of his Native American heritage. During this time, he went through a self-described "spiritual awakening" and came to embrace his ancestry. While in college, Hall volunteered as a tutor and says "something felt good about giving something of myself." Thinking he had discovered his purpose in life, Hall decided to become a teacher.
Even though he went on to become an educator, administrator, and director of two tribal schools, he did not feel that he was making enough of a difference. While serving as the director of the alternative high school for the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, Hall sought the counsel of a tribal spiritual leader and medicine man. This man is Hall's friend, surrogate father, and mentor. Hall confided in his friend about his frustration-that despite his best efforts and those of the school, there still remained a 70 percent drop out rate among Cherokee youth in the public schools. The outlook for these young people was not good, and Hall felt that he was running out of solutions. The Cherokee spiritual leader challenged him to find an answer that would incorporate traditional Native American values.
Hall accepted the challenge, and began to refine a vision for a youth leadership development program based on Native American beliefs. Hall explains that in Native American tribes, it was essential for each person to perform his or her task properly in order for the community to function and survive. He wanted his program to be guided by the fundamental Native American principle that each individual has a responsibility to the larger community. He also wanted his programs to have a positive approach, because Native Americans believe that there are certain negative topics that are most effectively dealt with indirectly through storytelling and the use of metaphor. It was also important to Hall that his program include intergenerational mentoring and that it allow children to experience the world around them, similar to the way children are nurtured and educated in Native American tribes. Additionally, Hall wanted to remain true to the matrilineal tradition of the Cherokee. 'Matrilineal' literally means that relationships are traced through the mother's lineage, but Hall also believes such a tradition reflects a profound respect for Mother Earth and profound respect for the role of women in leadership. Finally, he wanted his program to be based on a non-hierarchical model of leadership, and he was committed to seek consensus on issues.
Hall knew that once his vision was completely formed, he would have to leave his job in order to fully commit himself to the vision's implementation. He was passionate about trying to help Native American youth, but leaving the security and status of a full-time job for the unknown required taking a risk. He accepted that risk and relocated to Gallup, New Mexico. With the help of a small group of supportive educators and health professionals, the National Indian Youth Leadership Project (NIYLP) [http://www.niylp.org] was born.
In keeping with Hall's original vision, all of NIYLP's programs reflect traditional Native American values. For example, its National Indian Youth Leadership Camp teaches the values of community responsibility, experiential education, and intergenerational role modeling through a variety of outdoor adventure activities and hands-on lessons in Native American culture. The camp is held at the Sacred Mountain Camp in New Mexico, and the Summer 2001 session will mark its 19th year. Seventh and eighth graders from as far away as Minnesota and Florida attend the one week session. For most campers it is their first experience in the wilderness. Hall feels it is critical for the development of young people to experience nature in this way, because Native Americans have an innate connection to the Earth, which they express through their traditions. The camp is partly staffed by high-school students, many of whom attended the camp when they were younger; by returning, they serve as role models.
NIYLP's substance abuse program, Project Venture, is different than other similar programs because of its positive approach-it never mentions drugs or alcohol. In the beginning, Hall had a hard time convincing potential funders that this positive approach could be successful, but he was determined to stick to his principles. Today, Project Venture is a success, and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention has chosen it as a national replication model, which is now being implemented in at least 15 sites.
Hall was also interested in educational reform for Native American youth and wanted to devise a program that reinforced the Native American ideal of community responsibility. In 1995 NIYLP received funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Learn and Serve America (Corporation for National Service) to launch the Turtle Island Project. The name Turtle Island comes from a Native American creation story and is how many Native Americans refer to North America. The goal of the Turtle Island Project was to create a service-learning program that moved beyond the typical community trash pick-up and recycling programs. Its methodology was to infuse service-learning into the curriculum, as well as document and evaluate Native service-learning and experiential education projects in a K-12 setting. It is Hall's belief that experiential education and service learning can help to reconnect Native American youth to their cultural heritage and communities while improving academic performance and boosting self-confidence.
NIYLP has grown significantly since its inception in the mid 1980s. It now has a $2 million budget, 22 staff members, and numerous volunteers, and it serves over 3000 children annually. Its programs have expanded well beyond the original summer camp, substance abuse program, and the Turtle Island Project to include such events as Peace Jam - an annual spring three-day workshop conducted by a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, who comes to New Mexico annually to work with 200-300 youth for a weekend.
In recent years, Hall has adapted NIYLP's programs to work locally in the Gallup community. Specifically, NIYLP is piloting and promoting positive reforms within the Gallup public school system. Hall advises other grassroots leaders: "Stick with your principles. Look back to traditional values and follow the advice of elders."
He also suggests that anyone with a vision for change look for others with a shared vision. While acknowledging that the creation and evolution of the NIYLP has not always been easy, he says, "I would not change a thing."
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