July 2018 News

We need close to 200 local volunteers for our Kaboom Playground Build Week on July 26-28. Tribal program employees, community members, youth, parents, caregivers, teachers, youth workers, council members, business owners, friends and visitors - everyone is needed, regardless of age or skill level.  Join us, and help make this dream come true for our children! 

Thursday 7/26,  8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Orientation for leaders 

Friday 7/27,  8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Gathering supplies and issuing duties

Saturday 7/30, 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Playground Build Day @ The Main
Play Day for kids ages 3-14 @ Art Park
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony @ 2:30 p.m.

Click here and fill out our volunteer sign-up survey!

Thanks to Your Kindness and Generosity, We Recovered Winyan Toka Win

Mother Nature has been rough on Cheyenne River this year. The late spring and early summer storms have been violent, and as most of you already know, a devastating hailstorm wiped out 90 percent of our Winyan Toka Win (Leading Lady) Garden, the cornerstone of our Native Food Sovereignty initiatives here at CRYP.

But here's the great news. We were able to completely recover the garden, thanks to the kindness and generosity of Jack Dorsey, CEO of Square and Twitter; Running Strong for American Indian Youth; Hopa Mountain; the Larson Foundation; and numerous individual donors across the country. Our crops have been replanted and are growing beautifully, under the watchful eyes of our staff and CRYP's Native Food Sovereignty Interns.

We cannot put into words how much your support has meant to us. Without you, we wouldn't have a harvest this year. 

We are deeply grateful.
Wopila. 

Lauren Schad Leads Wakpa Wasté Volleyball Camp for 7th-12th Graders 

A couple of months ago, we profiled one of the five Lakota teens who have been participating in "Growing Into Wowachinyepi (One Who the People Can Depend On)," a special program we designed in conjunction with the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute based on its "Champions for Change." This month, we'd like to share the story of another one of our GIW Champions: Jaymalee Turning Heart, 17.

Jaymalee grew up in Cheyenne River communities of Bear Creek and Eagle Butte. While she did visit The Main a few times as a young child, her participation in CRYP programs skyrocketed when she hit her teen years-particularly when the youth project introduced its innovative teen internships.

To date, she has completed internships in art, wellness, native food sovereignty, social enterprise and indigenous cooking.

"The internships teach so many responsibilities, like coming in on time, having a great attitude, and always being ready to learn," Jaymalee says. "My favorite probably was indigenous cooking, because we learned about traditional Lakota foods. Through the teen internship program, I was able to complete my First Aid, CRYP and Food Handler's certifications, which I'll be able to use all in my life."

This past spring, Jaymalee got involved in "Growing Into Wowachinyepi," which has been designed to honor Cheyenne River's youth leaders in a culturally relevant and respectful way, while also giving them opportunities to continue their leadership journey. Through the GIW initiative, Jaymalee had the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C. and develop her own leadership platform: suicide prevention.

 

Read the rest of her story here!

Thank you so much for your interest in our youth project, and for your ongoing support as we pursue our mission in the community.

To learn more about CRYP and its programs, call (605) 964-8200 or visit www.lakotayouth.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Sincerely,