Former AOPPYC Member Serves as New Youth Council Coordinator

Emma Hughes

Gila River Indian News

Joseph “Joe” Davis, District 5, is a former member of the Akimel O’odham/Pee Posh Youth Council (AOPPYC), serving when he was 16. He is now the new Youth Council Coordinator.

“I typically started with how everybody else does through the [Gila River] youth conference,” said Davis, discussing how he first joined AOPPYC. “So, when you go to the youth conference, they hold elections. So that’s a lot of people’s first time learning about what the youth council does and going through the election process.”

AOPPYC allows members to collaborate with different departments and organizations, providing opportunities for their peers. Participants in the program are challenged to learn new skills and apply them as they participate in local, state, and national events.

Davis served on AOPPYC for two years, first as a representative for District 5, then as vice-president. Once Davis completed his term, he took a break and graduated high school.

He shared that AOPPYC was a true positive for him. He called the council a good outlet, especially during high school, and said it gave him the confidence to go on to college. He explained that participating in youth council helped him grow more self-assured and to pursue other opportunities.

Davis rejoined AOPPYC in 2017, when he was 21 years old. He said he returned to offer what he could in terms of his experience, mostly traditional singing.

“I think that was really the role that I wanted to capitalize on,” said Davis. His commitment to preserving and promoting O’odham culture and values played a role in every project he undertook.

“It didn’t take long for me to feel passionate about what the youth council does and what our mission is, and more importantly, what my role is in it,” said Davis.

Michael Preston, the youth council coordinator for AOPPYC at the time and a former member in the early 2000s, said the program has evolved throughout the years.

He encouraged Davis to run for a national position with United National Indian Tribal Youth, Inc. (UNITY). Davis became the Western Region representative and eventually male co-president for UNITY, serving from 2017-2019.

“He was always respectful and worked well with all ages,” said Preston. “He was receptive to learning new concepts and immediately knew how to best apply them to projects and tasks.”

After completing his term with UNITY, Davis took on a new role as the Youth Council Coordinator for the Ak-Chin Indian Community. After nearly 10 years of representing youth, he assisted others in assuming their own roles and responsibilities.

“I was somebody who’s in charge of advocating on behalf of a youth council or being there to assist the Youth Council president, and that was a learning process for me,” said Davis.

Under his guidance, the youth council launched several successful initiatives, including community outreach programs and cultural and educational workshops. He prioritized fostering collaboration among youth council members, ensuring everyone had a voice and a role to play. Davis called the role challenging, but said he approached the job with determination and resilience.

“I think the biggest challenges were just trying to be as creative as we can during COVID,,” said Davis. “Trying to think outside the box … was pretty hard … because you can’t overcome the fact that people need to be safe but we tried to make do with what we could.”

Davis says he is excited to be with AOPPYC once again and looks forward to what they can accomplish together and to further developing different areas of the program. Most recently, the program successfully held a clothing drive for Earth Day, provided information and assistance at various Community events, and hosted a basketball tournament in District 4.

“I’m really happy to be home,” said Davis. “I feel like it’s a full-circle moment. Being a youth council coordinator was always my dream job.”

Next up for AOPPYC is the O’odham New Year and the 37th annual Youth Conference, which will be themed “Revitalizing the River.” For more information on AOPPYC and its events, contact (520) 562-1866 or email youthcouncil@gric.nsn.us.