The Walking In Beauty Program (WIB) is an adaptation of Project Venture for adolescent girls. The program supports the transition to womanhood through cultural teachings, skill building experiences and service learning, based on the Navajo Kinaalda’ ceremony.

During the past year WIB participants prepared traditional foods such as tamales, stew and oven bread for religious ceremonies at the Zuni Pueblo.

WIB participants also traveled to the Hopi Reservation where they  learned about the Hopi rites of passage ceremony for girls, where the Hopi maiden grinds corn for four days and does not see the sun. The young women appreciated and celebrated the similarities of their own culture as well as the differences.

In addition, the young ladies of Walking In Beauty are challenged to develop resiliency and inner strength and life skills through outdoor activities such as mountain biking, camping, hiking, rock climbing, rappelling and backpacking.

The young women are also encouraged to reconnect with their community and develop a life long ethic of service. This past summer WIB plastered a traditional Hogan at the Na’Nizhoozhi Center so that individuals can utilize the Hogan for healing purposes.

Walking in Beauty has been funded by several sources, including the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), the new Mexico Behavioral Health Services Division, the W.K. Holt Foundation, the Ohrstrom Foundation and others.