Mission Statement

As a result of a DEAP education, students will be able to use their cultural, vocational, and academic skills to analyze their surroundings in order to plan the transformation of their community and their world, live a healthy life and use the tools they were taught to achieve holistic wellness, use their understanding of identity, and its impact on local and global communities to promote the restoration and perpetuation of Diné culture, and honor the history and the legacy of the Dził Ditł’ooí area by consciously balancing the needs of the land with the needs of the people.

'Aak'ee gone' t'ááłá'di mííl yázhí dóó bi'ąą ashdla 'áadahgóó yoołkááłgo hastą́ą́ yołta'ígíí dóó tsosts'id yołta'ígíí shį́ bá 'ąą 'ádoolnííł t'áá niléi Ni’iijíhíidi.​

DEAP’s founders sought to create a school that is driven by community needs and hopes for empowering our youth and families. To identify community needs and hopes, planning team members conducted several planning meetings, a survey, and door-to-door conversations with community members. Through consultation with local youth, tribal leaders, educators, and elders, we believe we have developed a strong mission and goals to target community needs. DEAP will provide students with not only educational opportunities but also opportunities to transform the community through focused planning and action. The consultation with community members provided the foundational focus areas of DEAP. Many community members stressed the need for an education that would give students skills to transfer to the community. They identified a need for opportunities in interacting with the land and people through community service and action, land based learning, wellness and Diné culture revitalization.