Volunteer with CRYP
This Summer!
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CRYP is actively seeking volunteers to work in our Cokata Wiconi teen center and The Main youth center.
If you are interested in applying for our volunteer program, please visit our website and click on the volunteer link for more information.
You also can read our recent article about our volunteer program here.
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| Sponsor Enrichment Activities for CRYP Youth
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The Main youth center and Cokata Wiconi teen center are looking for sponsors to support art and athletic enrichment activities for our after-school and summer programs.
CRYP works hard to introduce the youth who attend our centers to the fundamentals of a healthy lifestyle. As part of these efforts, we will be offering weeklong lacrosse workshops in the upcoming months for both children and teens. In order to hold these classes, we will need to purchase lacrosse balls, sticks, padding, and goal sets.
The art program at CRYP is also looking to expand in the upcoming months. We are looking to introduce kids to many different forms of artistic expression, including graffiti art, pottery, and painting. To allow the kids to experiment with these new art forms, we will have many diverse needs including canvases, paint, paint brushes, clay, glazing supplies, pottery supplies, acrylic paint, spray paint, exterior paint, and sealant.
We are actively looking for people willing to make monetary or in-kind donations to fulfill these needs. You can donate online by clicking the link below or by mailing donations to the Cheyenne River Youth Project, P.O. Box 410, Eagle Butte, SD 57625.
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Sponsor a Birthday Cake at The Main!
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Few days in a child's life are as precious as his or her birthday. Unfortunately, for far too many underprivileged children, that day passes with little celebration - if any at all. CRYP wants to make sure that the young children who attend The Main youth center have the birthday festivities they deserve.
Each month, The Main hosts a birthday party for the children whose birthdays fall during that month. To offset the cost of each party, CRYP seeks monthly sponsors to contribute $40 for the birthday cake. Please consider sponsoring a birthday cake in 2014-15! Every dollar makes such a difference in the lives of Cheyenne River's children.
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Meet Our
Board of Directors
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VICE PRESIDENT
Jeremy Patterson
TREASURER
Guthrie Ducheneaux
DIRECTORS
Peggy Gallipo
Jeffrey Meyer
Karla Abbott
Lonnie Heier
For more info and bios, click
here!
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Support CRYP When You Shop Online!
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What if CRYP earned a donation every time you searched the Internet? Or, what if a percentage of every online purchase you made supported our cause?
Amazon, for example, will donate 0.5% of your purchase price to CRYP when you shop at smile.amazon.com. To make shopping even easier, you can add the AmazonSmile 1 Button to your web browser.
Then there are GoodSearch and GoodShop.
GoodSearch.com is a Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up.
GoodShop.com is an online shopping mall that donates up to 30% of each purchase to your favorite cause. Hundreds of great stores have teamed up with GoodShop so that every time you place an order, you'll be supporting your favorite cause.
And, if you download the
"GoodSearch - Cheyenne River Youth Project - CRYP toolbar," our cause will earn money every time you shop and search online EVEN if you forget to go to the GoodShop or GoodSearch sites first! Click here to add the toolbar.
While you're online, you even can make a secure donation with your Capital One credit card. Simply click here. You even can add an easy-to-use widget for future contributions.
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| Needs List |
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CRYP relies on in-kind donations as well as funding to continue our mission. If you'd like to help, please check out our
Needs List. You also may contact us at (605) 964-8200 if you'd like a copy of our most up-to-date list and price quotes for particular needs. Thank you for your support!
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| Our Mission |
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The Cheyenne River Youth Project is dedicated to providing the youth of the Cheyenne River reservation with access to a vibrant and secure future through a variety of culturally sensitive and enduring programs, projects and facilities, ensuring strong, self-sufficient families and communities.
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RedCan Graffiti Jam Seeks to Inspire and Empower Native Youth-
Especially Young Women
Indian country's first-ever graffiti jam is just six weeks away, and according to Julie Garreau, CRYP's executive director, RedCan will allow art enthusiasts and supporters of native communities to come together to join an unprecedented international movement.
"Most people don't know that graffiti is the largest and longest-running art movement in human history," she explained. "But it's more than that. It's truly a revolution, because graffiti art is a great equalizer, and it's a source of meaningful empowerment for young people.
"In this country, native youth face enormous obstacles," she continued. "We're finding that if they have a positive, creative outlet to express themselves, tell their stories and share their life experiences, they develop and nurture a strong, unique identity. They find their voice, and this fosters healthier, more well-rounded individuals as they grow to adulthood."
 Headline graffiti and street artists for RedCan include East Foster from Denver, and acclaimed female artists Meme (above), from northern California, and Kazilla (left), who hails from New Mexico but currently lives and works in Miami. Garreau said she is especially excited to welcome these accomplished women to Cheyenne River.
"I want to show our girls that they can be anything," she said. "So much of what we do here, including Passion for Fashion, the art internships and RedCan, are about female empowerment. You can be a doctor, a lawyer, a veterinarian, a skateboarder, even the executive director of a not-for-profit. You can do anything. At CRYP, we want to show our kids the options and the opportunities available to them.
"We are committed to our art initiatives because we want our youth to fill themselves up with positive, creative, nourishing pursuits that celebrate who they really are inside," she continued, "and to celebrate that special, precious divine light shining within each one of them."
Please consider donating funds to support this exciting inaugural event!
In addition to East, Meme and Kazilla, a variety of native and non-native artists, hip-hop groups, native drum groups and native dancers will be on hand as well.
"Not only will RedCan be a source of inspiration for our youth, it will be a source of pride for the entire Cheyenne River Lakota Nation," Garreau said. "It will be for all ages and all cultures. It will be a gathering that celebrates storytelling, reconciliation and healing, in all their forms."
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CRYP Hosts Hopa Mountain
Youth Programming Conference
Late last month, CRYP hosted a special edition of Hopa Mountain's ongoing "Strengthening the Circle" training conferences at its East Lincoln Street campus. Twelve not-for-profit organizations attended the invitation-only April 27-29 event, which specifically focused on year-round, not-for-profit youth programming initiatives in South Dakota.
According to Julie Garreau, CRYP's executive director, the goal for the
Strengthening the Circle Youth Programming Conference was to bring together not-for-profit organizations that are pursuing similar missions in the face of similar challenges, and give those organizations a valuable opportunity to share information and best practices with each other. The conference also included a grant-writing element.
 Conference participants participated in two webinars, shared their feedback and their thoughts on how to become stronger, and then completed grant applications. As Garreau noted, there were many teaching opportunities, but even more important was the event's participatory, collaborative spirit.
"Really good things came from this gathering, and I think we all will be even more collaborative going forward," Garreau said. "We were honored to invite fellow South Dakota-based, not-for-profit organizations to our campus here in Eagle Butte, and of course we wanted to share our story, our inspiration, and what has worked for us over the years in terms of what guides our work and how we center that work in shared community and cultural values. But it certainly wasn't all about CRYP. We came together to learn from each other's experiences."
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CRYP Receives First Nations Development Institute Mini-Grant
CRYP has received a Native Arts Capacity Building Initiative mini-grant from the First Nations Development Institute in Longmont, Colorado. This $2,000 professional development grant, made possible through the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, will ensure that the youth project's staff receives critical arts training this year to support its ongoing youth arts programming.
In the next two months, six staff members will learn graffiti and street art history and techniques, and they will work with local artists to learn traditional Lakota beading styles and quill work. They also will work with local pottery artists to become more familiar with basic pottery techniques and all the necessary equipment.
"We're thrilled to receive this grant from the First Nations Development Institute," said Julie Garreau, CRYP's executive director. "These funds will allow us to continue building our arts initiatives here at our campus, from our summer arts program to our many arts-related activities and events throughout the year.
"I really like this grant, because it invests in staff who are, in turn, invested in helping our kids," she continued. "We certainly can bring in outside artists and instructors to assist us, and we do, but when they go home, we want the learning and opportunities to continue. This grant helps us do that. Honestly, it's the smart way to approach all youth programming - if you invest in your staff, you invest in your children. And that's a huge win."
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Hall of Fame: Mary Mitchell
Mary Mitchell, 21, was born and raised in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, and she is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. A 2011 graduate of Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School, Mary just graduated with honors from Black Hills State University with a degree in elementary education.
"Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a teacher," Mary says. "It's all I've ever wanted to do! Right after graduating from high school, I started substitute teaching in all grade levels, K-12; during every break from college, I would subbing on Cheyenne River. During the summers, I taught summer school. All this experience only amplified my desire to be a teacher."
As a child growing up in Eagle Butte, Mary also grew up with the Cheyenne River Youth Project. Her mother, Betsy Mitchell, was a CRYP board member for for more than 17 years, and she would take young Mary to work in the Winyan Toka Win ("Leading Lady") garden, attend Passion for Fashion, and volunteer in the annual Christmas Toy Drive. Learn more about Mary
here!
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Partner of the Month:
Child Fund International
Child Fund International exists to help deprived, excluded and vulnerable children have the capacity to improve their lives and the opportunity to become young adults, parents and leaders who bring lasting and positive change in their communities. The organization, originally founded in 1938 to support orphaned children in China, promotes societies around the world whose individuals and institutions participate in valuing, protecting and advancing the worth and rights of children.
CFI has been a CRYP partner for several years, and its support has allowed the 26-year-old, not-for-profit, grassroots youth project pursue some of its most important, and creative, youth programming. CFI funding has supported initiatives such as teen leadership, junior volunteer and community service programs; Book Club; book distributions; summer and after-school literacy programs; and a variety of cultural activities that celebrate Lakota tradition and heritage. Learn more about our partnership
here!
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NOW HIRING:
Deputy Director (Focus: Development)
The Cheyenne River Youth Project? has announced that it is seeking a deputy director to join its staff full time. The salaried position will include benefits, with salary dependent on the select candidate's qualifications.
"For us to continue pursuing our mission and long-term vision for CRYP as a holistic wellness facility for youth and an authentic gathering place for our community, we need a deputy director with a specific focus on development and growth activities," said Julie Garreau, CRYP's executive director.
Learn more about the position here. And check our Employment & Internships page in the coming days for a more detailed position description and a downloadable/printable PDF.
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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 the Cheyenne River Youth Project and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, 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, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Sincerely,
All of us at the
Cheyenne River Youth Project
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