Poemas de la Pradera: Transnational Identity Development Through YPAR and AI-Assisted Mayan Language Preservation

This study examines how transnational Mayan youth in rural Nebraska preserved and developed their linguistic heritage through the Kematzib’ Project while maintaining digital connections to Guatemala. Using Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) methodologies, K’iche’ and Q’anjob’al-speaking adolescents served as co-researchers, creating trilingual educational materials through poetry workshops and digital storytelling. Digital technologies facilitated both language preservation and transnational family connections, as participants utilized the same tools to create educational materials and maintain contact with their relatives in Guatemala. The collaborative creation of digital books that integrated Popol Wuj elements with contemporary transnational experiences helped students overcome linguistic shame, develop cultural pride, and build advocacy skills applicable across U.S. and Guatemalan contexts. This research illustrates how youth can activate transnational funds of knowledge while developing identities encompassing multiple national, cultural, and linguistic affiliations.