I recently visited Itom Mahtawa’ Apo, a tribal education center and Travois New Markets project, on the Pascua Yaqui reservation in Tucson, AZ.
In addition to the many culture and technology programs offered at the center, it also houses a comprehensive education department called YES, or Yaqui Education Services, and an adult education program for GED certification and ongoing training.
The program currently has 100 students ranging in ages from 16 to 55. There are two tutoring rooms, computer labs, ample classroom space, eight staff members and eight curriculum programs. I was lucky enough to speak with two current students, Aydeluz and Nicolas, about the GED program and their future goals.
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe intends for the education center to not only educate tribal members about their culture and history, but also combat the local poverty rate of nearly 38 percent and the 19-percent unemployment rate. During construction, 60 jobs were created, and since opening, the center provides 40 permanent jobs. As students graduate and enter the workforce or start new businesses, they will continue to grow and strengthen the economy and their community.
Michael,
Good job! We are very proud of our new Education Center and students are doing really well in the different programs. Thanks for the acknowledgement!
Hello, Pete – We are very proud to work with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe on this project and others! We hope to share more updates about the Education Center and its students in the future. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.
Our family is Yaqui and Apache. How can we get our kids involved in their culture? We live in Los Angeles. Thx!
Hi, Sheri – Thanks for reading! A good place to start would be to contact the tribes you claim ancestry from. You can find more information about tracing and researching your ancestry here: https://www.doi.gov/tribes/trace-ancestry
Or, if you already know that information, we’d suggest contacting the tribe directly. For example, with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, you could reach out to the tribe’s enrollment department (http://www.pascuayaqui-nsn.gov/index.php/eligibility-overview) or cultural department (http://www.pascuayaqui-nsn.gov/index.php/culture-home).
Hope this helps!