For Indigenous business owners and aspiring Native entrepreneurs in Portland, it often feels like there is a continuous stream of programs, resources, events, and networks to connect with to launch and run a successful business. This is no coincidence. It’s a direct result of an ongoing partnership between the Oregon Native American Chamber (ONAC)—a Portland non-profit thatView Article >
By Many Nations Academy Principal Lisa Otero One thing is for certain, we will never forget the year 2020. For staff at NAYA’s high school—Many Nations Academy—it has been a year of adapting, building, creating, and coming together in service to our students and their families. March 13th hit us hard. It was the lastView Article >
Have a dream of starting your own business? Perhaps you have an idea for a side source of income? NAYA is currently enrolling new participants for our fall Microenterprise class, starting in September and running through November. Class graduate and business owner of Golden Tradition Saffron Tanya Golden shared her thoughts on the course, stating, “I absolutely amView Article >
In just a few short years, Troy Douglass, Grand Ronde, has cemented his place as one of Portland’s most visible Native-owned business owners. Influencer, entrepreneur, and innovator, Douglass and his Cultural Blends line of clothing have become fixtures in the Pacific Northwest Indigenous community. Douglass has participated in NAYA’s Microenterprise Program as well as theView Article >
The NAYA Family Center campus will be closed to all essential staff that had been reporting to work until Wednesday, July 29, 2020. One of our essential staff has tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, NAYA developed a plan for such an incident months ago, and implementation of that plan is underway. The center is undergoingView Article >
A silver lining during this time of COVID-19 is the launching of BaDundle Baby, an online shop featuring sustainable second-hand baby clothes shipped like new in a reusable tote without any disposable packaging! The brainchild of twin sisters Nisha Supahan and Elaina O’Rourke from the Karuk Tribe in California and their husbands, the company offers delivery of baby clothes, sized 0-2T,View Article >
Portland’s Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) announced during a virtual press conference Tuesday, July 7, 2020, that it has been designated an EnVision Center by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler joined representatives from HUD and HomeForward Executive Director Michael Buonocore in making the announcement. EnVision CentersView Article >
NAYA Statement of Intention in Commemoration of Pride Month 2020 At the request of our Board of Directors—and in commemoration of Pride Month 2020—NAYA is honored to issue this statement of support and solidarity with our Two-Spirit community. Recognizing that the work to expand and improve our service to the Two-Spirit community continues far beyondView Article >
On a 32-acre working farm on Sauvie Island, Jennifer Rose Marie Serna has created a business inspired by the teachings of her grandmother and in line with strong principles of ecological responsibility. Her company, Wapato Island Farm, offers farm-grown and ethically wild-crafted herbal and mushroom medicines. We also provide traditional plant medicine making education and skillView Article >
Last night, Portland witnessed a historic demonstration of unity as 10,000 people came together to peacefully protest against injustice. The Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) stands in unwavering solidarity with our relatives in the Black community whose grief, frustration, mourning, and justifiable outrage is at the heart of these demonstrations. The systems ofView Article >