Introducing the 2025 Indigenous Youth Fellows Cohort
Youthful changemakers make their mark with Cultural Survival's 2025 fellowship
It's time to hoot and holler for the badass, trailblazing Indigenous fellows making a difference in 2025! Cultural Survival's Indigenous Youth Fellowship has dived headfirst into the deep end, supporting 157 young, fearless leaders aged 18-28 from around the globe since 2018. These kids ain't playing games - they're transforming their communities by taking on pressing issues like climate change, food sovereignty, decolonization, language revitalization, land protection, media and art, and reclaiming traditions.
Meet the fantastic five
- Quillay Mendez (Omaguaca), Argentina - Focusing on art, identity, and trans-Indigenous activism, Quillay is an expert dancer in folk, Andean, and African-American dances. Her art honors her territory and ancestral memory, blending ritual with neo-conceptual perspectives.
- U Khing Nue Chak (Chak), Bangladesh - Ukhing is an Indigenous rights advocate who champions environmental education and strengthening traditional livelihood practices. Through her grassroots initiatives, she strives to bridge economic empowerment and Indigenous heritage.
- Deniza Flores Orcko (Quechua), Bolivia - A journalist-in-training, Deniza has a passion for environmental and cultural communication and creates educational content. She's focusing on revitalizing the Quechua language and ancestral knowledge of medicinal plants through artisanal textiles that depict cultural symbolism.
- Poleo Calipso Painemal Castillo (Mapuche), Chile - As a Trans woman artist, Poleo creates striking murals, illustrations, and paintings that explore the Trans experience using both her own and others' experiences. Her art is deeply rooted in her Mapuche identity and addresses gender diversity in Indigenous cosmology.
- Gabriela Garibello Daza (Muisca), Colombia - Gabriela leads the revitalization of the native Bosa language and works to preserve and revitalize Muisca culture and language. She's also studying ancestral medicine and Muisca midwifery, and with a team, creates the School of Training in Natural Medicine and Traditional Muisca Midwifery to preserve ancestral wisdom in women's healthcare.
Our world needs their talent and dedication
Join Cultural Survival in celebrating these brilliant Indigenous youth, applauding their boundless creativity, and unwavering dedication as they pass on ancestral knowledge and ensure the continuity and vibrancy of their cultures.
[1] First Peoples Fund Fellowship Convening 2025 – [Link][2] AAL First Nations Scholarship 2025 – [Link][3] Southern Healers Fellowship 2025 – [Link][4] Groundbreaking Opportunity for First Nations Women Leaders – [Link]
In the pursuit of culture, art, and Indigenous rights, these young leaders shine bright. Quillay Mendez from Argentina, U Khing Nue Chak from Bangladesh, Deniza Flores Orcko from Bolivia, Poleo Calipso Painemal Castillo from Chile, and Gabriela Garibello Daza from Colombia utilize their talent and passion to preserve and revitalize their respective cultures, blending finance with leadership for the betterment of their business - their communities.
Together, these fellows are not merely rising individuals; they represent the future of Cultural Survival, channeling their dedication and creativity to pave a path of continuity for their Indigenous cultures, empowered by educational opportunities like the First Peoples Fund Fellowship, the AAL First Nations Scholarship, the Southern Healers Fellowship, and the Groundbreaking Opportunity for First Nations Women Leaders.
