{"id":6734,"date":"2020-06-29T14:28:30","date_gmt":"2020-06-29T18:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/covid19\/?p=6734"},"modified":"2020-06-29T14:31:46","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T18:31:46","slug":"cheyenne-river-youth-project-south-dakota-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/2020\/06\/29\/cheyenne-river-youth-project-south-dakota-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Cheyenne River Youth Project (South Dakota)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo courtesy Cheyenne River Youth Project<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <\/b><\/div>\n
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CRYP Keeps Teens Busy with Creative Classes at Cokata Wiconi<\/strong><\/div>\n
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EAGLE BUTTE, SD (June 29, 2020) \u2014 Although this summer isn\u2019t a typical one thanks to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it\u2019s still off to a busy start at the Cheyenne River Youth Project. The nonprofit organization, located in the heart of South Dakota\u2019s remote Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, is working hard to ensure that Lakota youth still have access to arts, culture, education, and inspiration with positive role models and safe spaces.<\/p>\n

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Not only is CRYP providing online \u201cdistance learning\u201d camps with accomplished guest instructors outside Cheyenne River\u2019s borders, it is inviting local Lakota artists to provide in-person instruction to small groups of teens in the Cokata Wiconi (Center of Life) gymnasium, which staff members have transformed into safe, socially distant learning center. The classes run the gamut, from mask- and moccasin-making to painting, mixed media, and native wellness.<\/p>\n

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According to Julie Garreau, CRYP\u2019s executive director, these camps and classes create valuable connections for the young people, and they foster healing.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFor just a moment, they can put the many stresses of the world, their daily lives, and their families aside, and think deeply without worrying about all those other things,\u201d Garreau explained. \u201cThese classes are so important to them, to lift the burden just a bit. Art heals, safe spaces heal, good role models heal.<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy Cheyenne River Youth Project<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAt CRYP, we are dedicated to providing the opportunities and resources that our kids need, in terms of creating, learning, and yes, healing,\u201d she continued. \u201cThat means big-picture program planning, but it also means details, like making sure each child has a Chromebook to use for these distance-learning camps. We listen to our kids, we respect what they need, and we are working very hard right now to reach them, in every way we can.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019ve had to innovate to meet the challenges presented by the pandemic,\u201d said Tyler Read, CRYP\u2019s art director. \u201cIn recent weeks, we\u2019ve implemented an online creative hub that offers an array of art lessons in video form, and we\u2019ve invited art instructors and culture bearers from across the country to offer distance-learning camps via Zoom, so they can connect with and guide our youth.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The first such camps took place in late May and early June, when Michigan-based native artist Michelle Reed taught multiple classes of Cheyenne River teens to sew protective face masks for themselves and their relatives. Reed\u2019s own masks have become wearable art, with each popular piece fearing intricate, beautiful appliqu\u00e9; she helped the young people with Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women-inspired masks as well.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOn July 14-16, we\u2019ll host our second online distance-learning camp, with is Moccasin Making with Black Hills culture bearer Jozee Campos,\u201d Read advised. \u201cThe class will be able to host a maximum of 10 students.\u201d<\/p>\n

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During the distance-learning camps, students sit in workstations that are spaced a minimum of 6 feet apart. They communicate with each other and the instructor through laptops at each table; the computers share video feed of each participant as they work through their project.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe miss the creatives who have funneled into our community to work hands-on with our youths and we value the bridge it creates between the kids and other communities, but our top priority right now is to keep our community safe,\u201d Read said. \u201cAdditional screen time is never ideal, but distance learning through technology is providing a path forward for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy Cheyenne River Youth Project<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Also helping to blaze that path forward are local Cheyenne River artists like Tammy Granados, who taught \u201cExpressive Mixed Media\u201d at Cokata Wiconi on June 23. In this art class, participants focused on the theme of sunflowers.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMy only direction was to tie ourselves together as a group with sunflowers,\u201d Granados said. \u201cI told them not to think, not to try \u2014 just to do! Even if it doesn\u2019t make sense or look right. Expressive mixed media means we aren\u2019t waiting for someone else to tell us what our art should look like. We get to decide.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey went to town!\u201d she continued. \u201cOne young lady named her piece \u2018Mixed Emotions\u2019 and talked about how amazing she knows she is. I loved her creativity. Another named hers \u2018Sunflower Queen\u2019 because although she\u2019s going through some problems, but she won\u2019t think less of herself; she\u2019s a queen who loves to sing and dance. We started with a room full of shy flowers, but by the end, we were looking to the sun \u2014 the kids started to understand how art can tell stories and emotions, and how we can draw strength from our artwork.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Also in late June, CRYP\u2019s teen interns enjoyed a special class with guest instructor Julia Williams. In this class, they made some good medicine for their families: hand sanitizer, lip balm, healing salve, and bath salts; the products were easy to make and featured all-natural ingredients.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe can\u2019t help what\u2019s happening at the present, as far as the pandemic is concerned,\u201d Read said. \u201cWe can, however, help our youth invest in themselves and their futures by providing whatever resources we have available. We\u2019re working hard to provide those resources, and the kids are responding well. They\u2019re inspired, and they\u2019re looking forward to what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n

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To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call (605) 964-8200 or visit lakotayouth.org<\/a>. And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook (\/LakotaYouth<\/a>), Twitter (@LakotaYouth<\/a>) and Instagram (@lakotayouth<\/a> and @waniyetuwowapi<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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The <\/i>Cheyenne River Youth Project<\/i><\/b>, founded in 1988, is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a wide variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities that ensure strong, self-sufficient families and communities.<\/i><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although this summer isn\u2019t a typical one thanks to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it\u2019s still off to a busy start at the Cheyenne River Youth Project.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[257,329,13,92],"class_list":["post-6734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-organizations","tag-cheyenne-river-sioux","tag-cheyenne-river-youth-project","tag-south-dakota","tag-youth"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6734"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6741,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6734\/revisions\/6741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}