Empowering Youth Through Land and Community
The San Carlos Apache Reservation, established in 1871, spans over 1.8 million acres of alpine meadows, forests, and Sonoran desert in southwest Arizona. Here, plants and animals are at the center of their vibrant and diverse ecosystem and an integral part of Tribal culture.
Many youth who live on the San Carlos Apache Reservation struggle with substance abuse and violence, a common narrative in Tribal communities across the U.S. due largely to historical displacement, and lack of investment. A teacher at the San Carlos Detention Center recognized the injustice these youth faced and founded the Nalwoodi Denzhone Community (NDC) in 2012. The motivation behind NDC was to create a space for struggling youth and their families to transition from their time in detention and learn essential life skills.
With these community members in mind, NDC acquired approximately 90 acres of unused land on the San Carlos Apache Reservation to create the Nnee Nalwooldi Life Center. Appropriately named, Nnee Nalwooldi is Apache for “strong people” and the center focuses on community strengthening and resilience. Through education, farming, gardening, and animal husbandry they strived to create a space for the youth in their community to reconnect with the earth but first there was a lot of work needed to be done to prepare the land.
Students and professional mentors at the University of Arizona began collaborating with Community Engineering Corps and NDC in 2015 when NDC sought assistance in revamping its existing wells to help meet the community’s agricultural needs. Their initial projects focused on improving water infrastructure to support more agricultural development. First, the volunteers worked to deliver an alternative analysis for updating a well, which included recommendations for a drilling team to come out and deepen the existing well and advised that the well should be equipped with a new pump. Subsequent efforts involved designing an irrigation system for a one-acre community garden at the Life Center to support the cultivation of traditional crops.
Reflecting on this partnership, NDC Executive Director Eric Shin spoke with the Community Engineering Corps, sharing, "The work the volunteer team completed was a big first step in getting NDC up and running... Without water, you can’t grow anything, especially in the middle of a desert."
And grow they did. Today, the Nnee Nalwooldi Life Center is a hub where youth and families are empowered to take control of their health and future. Not only does NDC provide sustenance to an estimated 1,000 community members each year, but they also grow traditional crops that carry deep cultural significance. The Apache Giant Squash and Red Sugarcane, once staples of their ancestors’ diets, now flourish in NDC’s gardens, offering both nourishment and a link to the past for younger generations.
The partnership between the Nalwoodi Denzhone Community (NDC), Community Engineering Corps, and the University of Arizona has continued to develop new projects to address their ongoing infrastructure needs. In addition to improving their well and irrigation system, NDC is exploring the creation of a fishing pond and a soil revitalization project that would restore approximately 54 acres of land, allowing NDC to expand their agricultural work.
To learn more about the Nalwoodi Denzhone Community visit their website at https://www.apachendc.org/.
CECorps is celebrating over 10 years of Impact addressing U.S. infrastructure inequity.
Learn about the state of U.S. infrastructure and our work over the years on our Impact Page.