Santo Domingo Pueblo
Grants Awarded
The Mountain Movers program empowers Santo Domingo Pueblo youth to become skilled explorers and advocates for their land and culture through outdoor adventures, knowledge exchange, and service projects. By fostering outdoor equity and igniting a passion for land advocacy, the program prepares participants to explore conservation careers and inspire positive change in their community and environment.
The Mountain Movers program, located in Santo Domingo Pueblo, offers immersive nature expeditions for youth under 18, fostering environmental stewardship and connection to ancestral lands. This transformative 18-month journey, supported by The Wilderness Society's Public Lands Curriculum, promotes community strength and future environmental conservation through youth-led service projects, outdoor workshops, and exploration of potential conservation careers. Furthermore, a community-sourced postsecondary student aims to mentor the youth, while the program overall strives to preserve culture, history, and nature, and nurture the youth's love for the environment as future land caretakers.
Nestled between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, Santo Domingo Pueblo pulses with a millennia-old heartbeat. This federally recognized community of 5,000 embodies resilience, its communal spirit a sturdy shield against hardships. Here, youth shine brightest, their resourcefulness and unwavering determination lighting the path towards a vibrant future. Santo Domingo thrives as a self-governing entity, its distinct government, laws, and cultural heritage woven into the fabric of its being. Yet, sustaining this vibrancy requires careful stewardship. Enter the Santo Domingo Education and Employment & Training Department, a beacon of opportunity, steadfastly committed to empowering tribal members. From kindergarteners embarking on their educational journeys to aspiring adults seeking their place in the world, the program caters to all. Its central location offers easy access to a wealth of services: academic advising, tutoring, adult education, financial aid, employability skills development, internships, and lifelong learning initiatives. Every step on this path empowers individual growth, weaving a stronger Pueblo tapestry. But the program’s strength lies not just in its offerings, but in its heart. Community-based staff, intimately familiar with the Pueblo’s needs and strengths, forge deep connections with residents. Their cultural competence ensures sensitivity and respect, recognizing and honoring the values, beliefs, and traditions that pulse through Santo Domingo Pueblo. This spirit culminates in a dedication to preserving natural landscapes, a legacy for future generations. One such initiative: sponsoring the Kewa Teens Reaching Unity Through Harmony Youth Council’s visit to La Cieneguilla Petroglyphs, a potential ancestral migration route. Day trips with families, intergenerational knowledge exchanges, and visits to ancestral lands – these are the threads weaving a vibrant outdoor tapestry. In recent group visits, White Sands National Park and Bandelier National Monument have welcomed Santo Domingo Pueblo youth, igniting their passion for exploration, environmental stewardship and career opportunities. Santo Domingo Pueblo stands as a testament to enduring spirit. It fosters its youth, empowers its members, and cherishes its lands. And through initiatives like the Santo Domingo Education and Employment & Training Department, it ensures that future generations not only inherit this proud legacy, but actively shape its next chapter, one transformative step at a time