Wednesday 1, October 2014

Contact: Jared King
Communications Director
Navajo Nation Washington Office
(202) 200-0625
jking@nnwo.org

For Immediate Release

Navajo Nation joins tribal nations in White House community challenge

WASHINGTON— On Sept. 27, President Barack Obama announced that more than 100 mayors, county officials and tribal nations, including the Navajo Nation, have accepted the My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge, the next step in organizing and building upon the work of community leaders to improve outcomes for youth in America.

The White House announced the MBK Community Challenge to ensure that all youth can achieve their full potential, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or the circumstances in which they are born. The challenge is an effort to encourage communities to implement a coherent cradle-to-college and career strategy aimed at improving life outcomes for all young people.

The challenge is not a new federal program, but a call to action for leaders of communities across the Nation to build and execute comprehensive strategies that ensure:

• All children enter school cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally prepared;
• All children read at grade level by third grade;
• All young people graduate from high school;
• All young people complete post-secondary education or training;
• All youth out of school are employed; and
• All young people are safe from violent crime.

The challenge calls upon mayors, tribal leaders, town and county executives to take action within 45 days of accepting the challenge.

Details regarding the Navajo Nation's MBK Challenge event will be forthcoming.

In July, Shiprock High School graduate Justin Begay was selected by President Ben Shelly to represent the Navajo Nation in a town hall meeting with President Obama as part of the MBK initiative.

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Social Media: Use the hashtag #MBKChallenge to follow the discussion on Twitter and Facebook.

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