Youth participants include, Dustin Red Cloud, Mathew Yellow Bull, Daniel Pawnee Leggins, Bradley Hussman, Phillip Bissonette, Alfonso Pawnee Leggins, Anthony Black Elk, Kendra Pawnee Leggins, Gordon Looks Twice, Spencer High Hawk and Deanna Martin.
WOUNDED KNEE, SOUTH DAKOTA — The Wounded Knee Community Development Corporation had an abandoned old school house on land it owns south of Manderson. It was the dream of the Board of Directors that this derelict building be renovated and turned over to the youth of the district as a place they could call there own, for out of school learning activities, special events, planning and initiatives to improve the District, created by young adults. Part of the idea was to involve local youth in all the work necessary to rebuild that old structure so they could also acquire a broad range of basic construction skills in a “hands on” learning setting. Michael Brydge a graduate student in Anthropology from Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins agreed to help the Center for Disease Control (CDC) by taking leadership role in organizing the actual construction phase. Michael -- originally from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia -- also happens to have worked in home construction before he started college some years back. Starting on June 13, with a combined effort by the Wounded Knee Community Development Corporation, the OST Summer Youth Program, and generosity from Village Earth an Non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Fort Collins Colorado, Knecht Lumber in Rapid City, LaCreek Electric in Martin, Rapid City Habitat for Humanity, Fort Collins, Colorado Habitat for Humanity, Butch’s Heating and Air, Martin, and Menards, that project is now well underway. Youth participants include, Dustin Red Cloud, Mathew Yellow Bull, Daniel Pawnee Leggins, Bradley Hussman, Phillip Bissonette, Alfonso Pawnee Leggins, Anthony Black Elk, Kendra Pawnee Leggins, Gordon Looks Twice, Spencer High Hawk and Deanna Martin. A house blessing was conducted June 23 by Gerald Ice dedicating the old school house to the youth of the Wounded Knee District and a meal served to the youth workers and visitors by the CDC staff. When the project is completed young community members will have learned how to work safely, set windows and doors, basic framing, sheetrock walls, repair roofing, basic home wiring and plumbing, floor refinishing and tile work, all skills useful throughout life and ones that might also lead to a trade. Stay tuned to this newspaper for images of the final result! (Mark St. Pierre can be reached at the Wounded Knee Community Development Corporation at woundedkneecdc@gmail.com)
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