Dalai Lama Fellows
Milena Rodriguez (Mentorship Fellow ’23)
Leadership Vision
Love is the universal energy that nurture us all. As leaders, we are inspired to embrace our interconnectedness to all our relations, to our ancestors, and to this planet, our Mother Earth. As leaders, we serve our communities and work towards a shared mission with the greatest joy that is living and celebrating our values.
Project Description
The Mayauali indigenous youth leadership program aims to revitalize identity and to bring the community of Salinas de Nahualapa together by promoting positive leadership, self-determination, and cultural expression in our youth. The program integrates experiential workshops on native traditions, communication, research, and leadership skills, seminars on world indigenous cultures’ wisdoms and values, and practices on mindfulness through physical, mental, and emotional self-care. The project is focused on the use of community’s assets to encourage autonomy and enthusiastic participation. Mayauali is a multicultural word from “Maya”, which means love in Nepali, and “Yauali”, circle in Nahuatl. Mayauali is a growing circle of love to co-create, learn from, and cherish each other, our ancestors, and our Mother Earth.