Nike believes that a key to reducing the impact of climate change is educating youth. To support this ethos, Nike hosted 80 reservation and village-based kids at its WHQ in Beaverton, Ore in June. The Native Youth Leadership Forum was organized by Jackie Blackbird, a Nike employee who is a member of the Native American and Friends Network (NAFN). NAFN partnered with a backyard organization, the Native Wellness Institute (NWI), which is a national non-profit organization serving Native American training and programming needs.
The theme of this year’s forum, “Sustainability for Future Generations,” was felt throughout the day in presentations, workshops and event collateral that showed sustainability in action. Footwear designer, Wilson Smith, shared the Considered ethos and showed off some of Nike’s favorite Considered creations, including the Nike Trash Talk. Nike’s US E-Commerce Sales Manager, Jack Burns provided insight into Nike’s Native American outreach— the sponsorship of the Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse team and the Nike Air Native N7 shoe, which combines Nike’s Considered design with an innovative blueprint for the Native American foot structure.
For the lunch hour, Nike employees, including two leads from the Nike Green Team, volunteered for a "Mentor Luncheon" where the kids and mentors discussed Nike’s commitment to sustainability.
To close out the day, Sarah Severn, Nike’s Director of Horizons, led a “Global Warming Café” workshop, which helped the kids to consider their carbon footprint, discuss their fears of global warming and brainstorm ways to minimize their carbon footprint.
To help reduce the Youth Leadership Forum’s carbon footprint, Nike donated re-usable water bottles in lieu of bottled water and participants were given t-shirts made from 100% organic cotton.
“Visiting the Nike World Headquarters is a huge deal! And seeing Indian people working at Nike is an even greater deal,” said Jillene Joseph, NWI Executive Director. “Part of the beauty of this collaboration, is the connectedness of Nike's corporate culture and NWI's mantra: Living the Warrior's Spirit- being positive, productive and proactive.”