ASU offers summer pilot program to Native American high schoolers living in the Valley
Arizona State University history alumnus Kino Reed regularly teaches O’odham cultural studies and social studies at Salt River High School near Scottsdale, Arizona. But this last week he was back at his alma mater, leading American Indian high schoolers from across the Valley in collaborative design, nation-building and futurism activities in a project called “Engineering the Homeland in 3001.”
"One of my goals was to start helping students to understand that Native knowledge is scientific," said ReedReed is a member of the Gila River Indian Community, Tohono O'odham and Shosone tribes. about his approach. "And at the same time help them understand the engineering field more and then make their own connections between the two."
Reed is one of several instructors and peer mentors involved in the Indigenous Imagination Initiative. The one-week, nonresidential summer program piloted at the ASU Tempe campus July 8–12 engaged youth in projects that asked them to imagine futures for themselves and their nations and connected them to the creativity and inspiration of indigenous people.
The initiative took almost a year to develop, said Jeanne Hanrahan, director of community outreach at ASU’s University College. She said a collaborative effort by ASU colleagues from K–12 outreach in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and the Department of English RED INK Indigenous Initiative along with donor support not only made the program a reality for the 27 participants, but allowed them to attend at no cost.
“The program offered students a choice between focusing on an engineering track and a graphic novel track,” Hanrahan continued. “The cohorts shared a common foundation of presentations on storytelling and indigenous futurism then branched out to enjoy a range of workshops to support their projects. We engaged ASU’s indigenous community, including alumni, faculty, staff and students as well as community members to make this happen.”
The jam-packed week included team-building activities, painting, ideation and brainstorming sessions, talking circles, engineering design challenges, 3D printing workshops and sessions on how to craft a graphic novel.
The engineering cohort was a nice fit for 17-year-old Koi Quiver.
“I have a very mathematic brain, and I like putting stuff together,” said Quiver, who will be a senior at Buckeye Union High School next month. “It incorporates engineering and indigenous stories. I want to learn how to mash those two subjects together.”