NVP FY26 Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance - Native Village of Paimiut’s project goal is to revitalize the Hooper Bay dialect of Yup'ik by restoring intergenerational language transmission through an Elder-guided, locally led program that develops dialect-specific curriculum, expands fluent speakers and language teachers, and builds lasting local capacity. The project will serve Hooper Bay, Alaska, surrounding villages including Scammon Bay and Chevak, and enrolled NVP members in Anchorage and out of state, where more than 85% of residents speak fewer than 15 words in the Hooper Bay dialect, no structured dialect-specific courses exist, and only 72 Elders age 65+ remain native first-language speakers. Over 36 months, NVP will hire a Lead Language Instructor and two part-time Support Language Speakers, establish operating systems, create an instructional framework, develop a two-level curriculum covering Foundational Vocabulary and Verbs & Conjugation, and design a teacher credentialing system; complete and Elder-validate 20 lesson modules, record pronunciation archives, conduct three professional development workshops for three instructional staff, and produce printed, bound, digital, and USB audio learning materials; and enroll at least 30 learners through in-person and hybrid instruction, administer pre/post oral assessments intended to improve proficiency by two levels, credential three local instructors, and finalize a sustainability plan. Expected outputs include the curriculum, audio archive, lesson modules, learning materials, workshops, trained instructors, credentialing system, and sustainability plan, with expected outcomes of increased learner proficiency, expanded local teaching capacity, and NVP ownership of materials for continued use with partners such as the Native Village of Hooper Bay and LYSD.
