| Shop at Cokata Wiconi! |  |
For those seeking memorable gifts that will support a worthy cause, check out CRYP's Cokata Wiconi Gift Shop, located within the teen center. The shop is overflowing with homemade food items, created with produce from the 2-acre naturally grown Winyan Toka Win Garden. These include corncob jelly, jalape�o jelly, spicy apple chutney, mild and spicy salsa, pickled jalape�os, dried corn, dried tea, apple butter, zucchini pasta sauce and dried jalape�os and chili peppers.
Making use of traditional Lakota foods, the gift shop also features wild plum jelly, wild grape jelly, chokecherry jelly, chokecherry syrup and dried turnips. The staff and volunteers are still hard at work preparing foods for the gift shop, so there is more to come - including strawberry and raspberry jam.
The youth project also sells postcards, ceramic coasters and CRYP T-shirts and sweatshirts through the gift shop, as well as shirts screen-printed on site at the youth project. In addition, the gift shop features prints of "Four Horsemen of the Lakota," a painting by renowned artist and Rosebud Sioux tribal member Lynn Burnette Sr. The prints are available in three sizes.
Every dollar goes to benefit our youth programs and services. To place an order, call (605) 964-8200 today.
Or, if you'd rather order online, simply call us so we can determine your shipping costs, and then make your payment via the "Help CRYP" link at www.lakotayouth.org!
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| Sponsor a Birthday Cake at the Main! |  | |
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 2013! 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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PRESIDENT Holly A. Annis VICE PRESIDENT Jeremy Patterson TREASURER Guthrie Ducheneaux DIRECTORS Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy Betsy Mitchell Peggy Gallipo Jeffrey Meyer For more info and bios, click here! |
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Support CRYP with
GoodSearch.com & GoodShop.com!
| 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?
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.
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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! |
| 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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From the Executive Director:
 Dear Friends,
Summer is in full swing here on Cheyenne River, which means much of our focus right now is on the great outdoors! In the last few weeks, our youth have hiked Bear Butte and competed in 1K and 5K events, they've enjoyed the annual Carnival, they're learning all about gardening through our Garden Club and garden internships, and they're helping out with our new Leading Lady Farmers Market.
Our community is getting in on the action too, through the farmers market and through our new canning classes, held in conjunction with the South Dakota State University's Cheyenne River extension office and funded in part by the Northwest Area Foundation.
Our indoor life here at CRYP also remains rich and interesting, however! A service group from Colorado Springs taught our young people all about mosaic glass and low-impact aerobic exercise, our first Culture Camp incorporated traditional arts and foods, International Night introduced a variety of cultures and cuisines, and more recently, our very own technology coordinator, Jonathan Stuart-Moore, engaged our teens with a new technology workshop that focused on digital video and editing. And of course Midnight Basketball and other sports activities continue to draw large, enthusiastic crowds of kids each week.
Summer is a happy time on Cheyenne River. Learn more about some of our highlights in this issue of our newsletter, and in the coming weeks, we'll continue to keep you up to date on progress in our garden, in our youth programming and in our ongoing family services.
We're so grateful for your friendship and support, and we wish you a happy, healthy and safe summer season!
Pilamaye,
Julie Garreau
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 CRYP Hosts Community Canning Classes This Month at The Main
CRYP held its first-ever canning classes on July 2 and July 9 at The Main youth center. Participants gathered in The Main's activity room and kitchen to prepare and can chokecherry jelly during the first session, and mild salsa from the "Ball Blue Book" for canning in the second session.
"Everyone went home with six or seven pint-size jars of salsa that they'd made from scratch and canned themselves," said Craig Martin, CRYP's summer garden coordinator, of the July 9 class. Martin received special training in Rapid City so he could lead the evening canning classes and teach additional workshops in the future.
"CRYP staff members also made jelly and salsa, so we're going to be selling the products at our Leading Lady Farmers Market on Fridays," he continued. "The classes were a lot of fun, and the participants were very proud of what they'd learned and accomplished."
CRYP is hosted the canning classes in conjunction with the South Dakota State University Extension Office and its representative,
 | | Tasina Smith, CRYP's youth programs assistant, learns how to make and can salsa. |
Marcella Gilbert. Funding from the Northwest Area Foundation also supported the program.
"NWAF is dedicated to reducing poverty and achieve sustainable prosperity, focusing on organizations that are doing innovative, cutting-edge work," explained Julie Garreau, CRYP's executive director. "We're honored that they feel CRYP is such an organization, and we're deeply grateful for their support.
"We're thrilled to finally be offering garden-related workshops and classes at our facility that are open to the public," she continued. "Our relatives had these skills just two generations ago, but they've been overshadowed and even lost in recent years. So we're committed to sharing those skills and this knowledge with as many people as we can - it's another important step toward food security, sovereignty and sustainability in our reservation communities."
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Want to Try the CRYPers' Salsa?
Make It at Home with This Recipe!
So you want to try the salsa recipe that the CRYPers used in their first canning class? No problem... check out this easy recipe from the Ball Blue Book for canning: Ingredients3 garlic cloves, minced 1t hot pepper sauce (optional) 2-1/2c hot peppers, chopped 2T cilantro, chopped 1-1/4c cider vinegar 1T salt 5c green peppers, chopped 10c tomatoes, peeled and chopped 5c onion, chopped Ball Blue Book Salsa Preparation Mix everything together in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into hot pint canning jars, put on lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Makes 6 pints. NOTES : Prepare to use about 6 pounds of tomatoes, 2 pounds green pepper and 1 1/2 pounds of onion. Depending on your tastes and how hot your peppers are, you may want to use less hot pepper. For a mild to medium salsa, use 3/4 cup finely chopped jalapenos, with no hot pepper sauce added. If you want a thicker salsa, try using at least half Roma tomatoes (or another paste tomato). You also can drain some of the tomato juices before mixing everything together. The recipe officially makes 6 pints, but you can expect up to 8 pints from one recipe. |
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CRYP Launches "Tech Week" Programming with Special Workshops
 Also this month, CRYP invited youth to attend its first-ever "Tech Week" workshop, which focused on digital video. Led by Jonathan Stuart-Moore, CRYP's technology coordinator, the workshop allowed two teams to produce basketball-themed videos.
"Elijah Brown Wolf interwove an interview about his interest in basketball with shots of him playing," Stuart-Moore said. "Kaysonia Bartlett (pictured above) made a highlights reel of a game between three other kids."
Coming up next: a game programming workshop, scheduled for July 22-24, from 3 to 6 p.m. each day. During this three-day workshop, youth will learn how to build a simple game that runs in a web browser using the Javascript programming language.
"After the class builds one game together, youth will create their own games by designing their own images and game-play details," Stuart-Moore explained. "On the last day, students will demonstrate their projects to each other."
All the tools used to build the games will be free, so youth may download them at home and continue their creative work. The group will use Chrome to run the games, SublimeText to write the code, and Adobe CS2 and Inkscape to design the images.
 "We're really excited about this workshop, because the kids will leave with their own finished games that are playable online," Stuart-Moore said. "And, they'll have more understanding of how basic programming works."
The game programming workshop is open free to 10 youth, ages 12-18.
"We're hoping to continue offering 'Tech Week' workshops throughout the year," said Julie Garreau, CRYP's executive director. "We want to give our young people an opportunity to develop skills that will support them throughout their higher education and even into their careers. Skills like digital video, graphic design, website development and even game programming are essential to today's hottest jobs, and often, those jobs can be done from home - whether you're self-employed or telecommuting to a larger organization. And that's great news for kids who seek ways to build their careers while also remaining part of their community."
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New Farmers Market Takes Place Weekly, Includes Community Vendors
 For several years, our 25-year-old, not-for-profit organization has hosted its own small, weekly farmers market. But on Friday, June 5, we relaunched an expanded version of that market, thanks in part to a grant from the Northwest Area Foundation. Now called the Leading Lady Farmers Market in honor of CRYP's 2-acre Winyan Toka Win ("Leading Lady" in Lakota) garden, the market provides a venue for CRYP to sell its own produce and canned goods. It also incorporates booth space for 10 community vendors. Each Friday, the public may visit CRYP's East Lincoln Street campus to peruse the bountiful selection of naturally grown, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables, homemade preserves, hand-crafted jewelry and artwork. One beadwork artist, 19-year-old Meta Charger, attended CRYP's The Main youth center and Cokata Wiconi teen center for many years; she recently graduated from high school. Charger was excited to share her beadwork with her community.  | |
Beadwork artist, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School graduate and CRYP alum Meta Charger.
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"We're encouraging our young people to participate in the farmers market, whether they have crafts or produce to sell or simply want to help out," said Julie Garreau, CRYP's executive director, "and we're hoping even more local vendors turn out in the coming weeks. The market is a great way to share fresh, nutritious foods grown right here on Cheyenne River, to enjoy beautifully handmade arts and crafts, and to gather with friends and neighbors to celebrate our traditions and our community. It's also a wonderful opportunity to earn a little extra income." In his book "The Omnivore's Dilemma," author Michael Pollan writes: "The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world." "If that's true, then our farmers market is yet another way to feel even more connected to this place we call home, to Mother Earth and to the sustenance she can provide," Garreau reflected. "It's a way for us to gather, share our successes and find the inspiration to do more to care for our land and the long-term health and well-being of our community." |
 Five Teens Travel to Bear Butte & Rapid City for Memorable Day
On Saturday, June 22, CRYP staff members took five teenage boys on a special trip to South Dakota's Bear Butte State Park as a reward for participating in a community service project and assisting in CRYP's 2-acre, naturally grown Winyan Toka Win garden. Anthony Potter, youth programs assistant, and Laura Copeland, social media strategist, accompanied Miles Phillips, Kyle Buffalo, Naden Joaquin, Cooper Pretty Weasel and Tyreik Garreau on the daylong excursion.
The teens' first activity was to hike Bear Butte, which Potter said took approximately an hour and a half. "The kids were really enthusiastic about climbing the butte, and each tried to be the first to beat everyone else up the trail," he recalled. "We finished the hike just as a big storm rolled in, so it was exciting."
The group brought hearty appetites to lunch at the Golden Corral in Rapid City, then went on to browse the mall, play games in an arcade and see a movie. Teens and chaperones returned to Eagle Butte just after midnight. Learn more about this exciting trip and its significance for CRYP here. |
 Summer 2013 Marks Inaugural "Run of the Turtles" at CRYP!
Eager children, staff members and volunteers congregated at CRYP on June 15 for the first-ever "Run of the Turtles." Sponsored in part by the Four Bands Healing Center and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Commission, ROTT incorporated a 1K walk and a 5K run.
CRYP Youth Programs Assistant Tasina Smith designed this exciting new summer event to promote courage, perseverance and friendly competition, as well as diabetes prevention and the pleasure of sharing healthy exercise with family and friends. ROTT kicked off with a light breakfast at the youth project's Cokata Wiconi teen center on East Lincoln Street, then it was time to make tracks for the starting line.
 | | 5K winner Kendron Bowker. |
Twelve-year-old Kendron Bowker won the 5K, running the entire 3.1 miles himself in 30 minutes rather than participating in a relay team. He won Adidas track wear, an MP3 player and a "Run of the Turtles" T-shirt, which CRYP staff created in-house.
Seven-year-old Janessa Eagle Horse and younger sibling Quinn, 5, competed in the 1K walk. They reported that the course included some steamy weather, farm animals, and intrepid CRYP volunteer Dan Woods, who was clad in a turtle costume.
Ten-year-old Dessa Scares the Hawk and big sister Destiny, 12, signed up for the 5K and were eager to test their skills against their competitors. After the race, Dessa expressed her gratitude to CRYP volunteer Karen Reed. "I had fun, and Karen did the 5K with me too," she said. "I'm happy because I didn't have to finish alone."
 The 2013 ROTT event concluded with a healthy lunch, prizes and a much- deserved celebration. Speed-racing Kendron Bowker received his special Adidas grand prize, and all participants earned the youth project's special "Run of the Turtles" T-shirts and MP3 players to take home. And, although the CRYP turtle did faint after the race due to heat and exhaustion, he recovered quickly. "It's amazing how much our volunteers and staff will push it to the limit to achieve something great for the kids," Smith said. "We had so much fun. It was a modest turnout, but given that this was our first year, we learned a lot and definitely are hoping to bring the turtles back next year. All in all, it was a great day, and I'm so proud to have been part of it." Learn more about this year's Run of the Turtles, and what the kids had to say about their experiences, here! |
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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.
Sincerely,
All of us at the
Cheyenne River Youth Project | |
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