Established in 1961, the National Indian Youth Council, Inc., (NIYC) is the second oldest Native American non-profit organization in the U.S. Its founding members include: John Redhouse (Navajo), Clyde Warrior (Ponca), Shirley Witt (Akwesasne Mohawk Nation), Mel Thom (Walker River Paiute), and Herb Blachford (Navajo). This young group of students formed the first formally-organized Native American association in Gallup, NM; becoming one of the first Native-rights advocacy groups in the 20th century. For instance, NIYC lead the movement for the preservation of treaty-rights during the mid-1960s and halted a $6 billion coal extraction campaign on the Navajo Nation reservation in the late 1970s.

For over 50+ years, NIYC has evolved with the inclusion of a Workforce Development Program. Today, NIYC is committed to empowering our Native American communities in Albuquerque/Las Cruces, Farmington, and Gallup, New Mexico.