4239 W. Ina Road Ste. 101
Tucson, Arizona 85741
Ph: 520.744.9595
Fax: 520.744.2127

Communities

For the 14th year, Pima YOUTH Partnership continued to work in rural communities to facilitate activities and foster opportunities that build and sustain community climates that promote healthy youth, families, and communities.

Ajo | Catalina | Marana | New and Old Pascua Yaqui Reservations
Southern Pima County | Tohono O'odham Nation | White Mountains-Navajo & Apache Counties

Ajo

The word “Ajo” comes from the Spanish word for garlic (ajo) and the Tohono O’odham word for paint (au-auho). A tri-cultural, multi-ethnic community of 2,700 full-time residents. Winter visitors swell the town’s population to 4,000 to 4,500 residents. Ajo is located in a geographically isolated desert environment, 125 miles west of Tucson and 115 miles southwest of Phoenix.

• 11 youth participated in the Youth to Youth™ program.
• 55 youth participated in Teen Night activities, held in partnership with county parks and recreation, local businesses, and organizations. The goal of Teen Nights is to provide fun, safe, alcohol, tobacco, and drug-free activities.
• Over 130 youth and adults participated in Family Fun Nights.
• 38 youth attended the After School Program.
• 19 youth participated in the Youth Advisory Council.
• 26 youth received Life Skills Education.

Two mural projects this year highlighted Ajo youth’s creativity. The first was a mural depicting Ajo which is hung in the PYP office in Tucson. The second mural depicts the dangers of alcohol and drugs. This mural will be presented to the principal at the start of the 2004-2005 school year and will be hung in the school.

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Catalina

Catalina is located 20 miles north of Tucson, it is nestled in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. SaddleBrooke Rotary, Elks Club and Lions Club of Catalina have taken an increased interest in youth, contributing time and resources.

• 38 youth participated in Life Skills Education.

• 25 youth participated in Youth to Youth™.

• 16 youth participated in the Youth Advisory Council. Activities included: working at the Catalina Heritage Days Festival, organizing and working at the Teen Dances, assisting the Catalina Food Bank, and volunteering with the Catalina Recreation Center.

• 17 adults participated in community mobilization activities, including the local coalitions and resource networks.

• The PYP Youth & Family Resource Network Coalition created a resource guide for the community of the resources and services available in Catalina.

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Rural Marana (west of I-10)

Composed of several “pocket” communities and located 24 miles northwest of Tucson, Marana is a community with unique and varied characteristics reflected in the composition of its people. The area is so large and widely dispersed that district school busses travel as much as 10,500 miles each day to transport youth to and from school within the district.

The ancestry of Marana has included the Hohokam Indians, the Spanish, Mexican, Mormon, and Yaqui, with a majority of these influences still evident today. For all the progress and growth though, Marana still maintains a spirit of the old west nature, evident by its ranching, farming, and in the independent attitude of its people.“I am most proud of the work of the Coalition for Drug/ Alcohol/ Violence Awareness. The group started in January, but has already undertaken the steps to complete a strategic action plan. Though small, the group is dedicated to improving their

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New and Old Pascua Yaqui

The Yaqui people origins date beyond written record, and for centuries they lived in the valleys around the Rio Yaqui River in Sonora, Mexico. The Yaquis were formally recognized by the federal government as a tribe in 1978 and were deeded 202 acres 15 miles Southwest of Tucson, the beginning of the reservation now known as New Pascua.

To understand the Pascua Yaqui people, one may look to the colors and symbols that compose their flag. Each color is historically significant to the Yaqui culture. Blue represents the sky, the home of the sun. White represents purity. Red represents the bloodshed of the Yaqui people. The symbols on the flag are the chokim – stars, ahai taa’s – Father Sun, and maala mecha – Mother Moon. The Kus represents the beliefs of the Yaqui people.

• 97 youth participated in Life Skills Education in the Circle of Life Project.
• 10 community service projects were completed, including community clean-ups, assisting with Tribal events, decorating the Senior Center for a party, and doing arts and crafts for charity.

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Southern Pima County

The 610 square miles of Southern Pima County include the town of Sahuarita, 24 miles south of Tucson, as well as the communities of Arivaca, Amado, Green Valley, Continental, Elephant Head, Helmet Peak, and Lakewood. Surrounded by picturesque mountain ranges, early Spanish missions, frontier outposts, and old mines, Sahuarita has direct access to Tucson and Mexico and provides a semi-rural setting ideal for family life. The primary industries of historical Sahuarita were mining and the vast pecan orchard that comprised much of the area south of Tucson. While poised for growth, the majority of full-time workers still commute to Green Valley or Tucson due to limited opportunity in the area.

During 2002-2003:

• 6 Sahuarita youth participated in the Youth to Youth™ program from August through December 2002. Youth in the Youth to Youth™ program reported high scores in measurements of pro-social norms, self-concept, self-efficacy, and cooperation.

• 12 youth participated in the Changing Scenes: Teen Outreach Program life skills education project

Youth in Youth to Youth™ and life skills education participated in a community service project. They solicitied local businesses for stuffed animal donations to be sent to the pediatric oncology patients and staff at the University Medical Center in Tucson.

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Tohono O'odham Nation

Tohono O’odham There are 11 districts on the Tohono O’odham Nation, an area of land the size of Connecticut. The PYP program area contains the districts of Sells, Pisinemo, Gu Vo, Gu Achi, and Schuk Toak.

In the Tohono O’odham tradition, youth learn important values through I’itoi Ki (Man in the Maze). These teachings show the importance of each stage of life and the need to understand these stages in order to give meaning and purpose to life experiences. The strength of the culture and rich heritage is what gives the O’odham youth, families, and communities stable roots of identity. PYP supports the belief that community and youth development work on the Nation must be strongly based in the incorporation, participation, and preservation of the Tohono O’odham culture. These concepts are woven throughout the programs and activities being provided.

• 164 5th grade youth completed Life Skills Education.
• 26 youth and adults attended community prevention training workshops, including suicide prevention and conflict resolution.
• 94 youth and 48 adults participated in the Ropes Program.
• 89 adults and 13 youth participated as partners in community development efforts, including coalitions and resource networks.
• 8 youth completed in youth leadership programs.
• 250 youth and adults attended Safe and Sober celebrations. Community members contributed prizes, snacks, and donated their time and effort. offenders and it gives me great joy to know that most of them.
• Over 50 youth and adults worked together to make the Annual Truck of Love Leadership Training and Camp, a huge success for the 161 youth participants.and safer decisions when it comes to alcohol and drugs.”
• 32 youth and 17 adults worked side-by-side to accomplish community service and leadership activities throughout the year. They included: a photovoice project, two murals, and the Elder and Youth Community Garden. Coordinator, Wake Up! Drug and Alcohol Education Program.

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Pima YOUTH Partnership (PYP) was incorporated in 1990 by a group of concerned citizens that wanted to connect rural communities with the same programs, services, and activities available to youth and families living in the metropolitan Tucson area.

As a prevention agency, PYP works with youth and families in rural and Native American communities to reach its mission, "In partnership with communities, develop resources to promote the positive growth of their children." Since 1990, PYP has grown from its original three (3) communities of Ajo, rural Marana, and Sahuarita, to include Catalina, Flowing Wells, New Pascua Yaqui Reservation, and the Tohono O'odham Nation.