What a night at Lincoln High. On Saturday [Dec. 6], our New Americans Youth Leadership Academy students brought the community together for the first-ever Baskets for Sudan hoops tourney.
The Academy, or NAYLA for short, is a Civic Nebraska program made up of students from Lincoln High, Northeast, and North Star. Students meet weekly to learn about, discuss, and plan activities around leadership, civic engagement, and service-learning.
That work was on full display Saturday – they coordinated tournament brackets, staffed community booths, welcomed student entrepreneurs, and shared why supporting humanitarian relief in Sudan matters so deeply to them. All proceeds from the event – just over $1,200 as of Monday – will go to the Sudanese American Physicians Association, which continues to aid families caught in a brutal conflict that has displaced millions. The students’ fundraising goal was $500.
The gym was busy, the energy was high, and the students led the way from start to finish. Huge thanks to everyone who attended, played, donated, or volunteered – and special recognition to Linda Kuku for coordinating this event across all three schools and helping make it a success.
NAYLA students proved what young leaders can accomplish when they act with purpose and solidarity: they set a goal, rallied their community, and exceeded it by more than doubling it.
You can support the students’ efforts here.
NAYLA builds leaders
The New Americans Youth Leadership Academy was established in 2023, born from a simple yet powerful idea: Young Nebraskans building new lives in our state should have a dedicated space to build confidence, strengthen leadership, and shape their civic futures. The first cohort of new American students laid that foundation in the 2024–25 school year, establishing a model of belonging, aspiration, and action that continues to expand.
This fall, NAYLA welcomed a third school, Lincoln North Star, which brought total participation to around 40 students attending at least one session, a remarkable jump from 12 the previous spring. Students have been diving into college planning, career exploration, leadership development, and the early phases of their civic action projects.
With guidance from Civic Nebraska, NAYLA has also launched a new partnership with Ph.D. students at the University of Nebraska, who led workshops on personal storytelling and early academic writing. These sessions have helped students connect their lived experiences to their future goals, giving them tools to articulate where they’ve been and where they’re headed.
This fall has seen several energizing field experiences, including a visit to Duncan Aviation on Oct. 14 to explore aviation, trades, and STEM careers, and a Nebraska Wesleyan University campus tour. Both outings offered students tangible connections to the college- and career-related conversations happening throughout the semester and, just as importantly, sparked new curiosity and ambition.
NAYLA continues to grow not just in size, but in purpose. Each session, each project, and each shared experience moves these young leaders closer to their futures and strengthens Nebraska’s civic life in the process.
