In conjunction with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Emergency Management Department and Partnerships with Native Americans, the Cheyenne River Youth Project will be offering Community Emergency Response Team trainings for 13- to 18-year-olds in April and May. The three-day sessions are scheduled for Apr. 29-May 1 and May 20-22; each evening’s program starts at 4 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m.
Harold Tiger, CRST emergency manager, will lead the youth trainings at CRYP’s Cokata Wiconi (Center of Life). The three-day sessions will include classroom time as well as hands-on instruction regarding learn how to properly use a fire extinguisher, how to shut off propane tanks in an emergency, removing a victim from the scene, accessing levels of injury, determining who is first priority for assistance, and so much more.
“We’re looking forward to giving our teens this important learning opportunity,” says Jerica Widow, CRYP’s youth programs director. “C.E.R.T. training gives them even more tools for serving as mentors and leaders among their peers—and in our community.”
CRYP will provide a paid stipend upon completion of the training. Participants also will receive bags filled with emergency equipment, courtesy of PWNA. For more information, call Widow or Deputy Director Meghan Tompkins at (605) 964-8200.
And, to stay up to date on the latest CRYP news and events, follow the youth project on Facebook (/LakotaYouth), Twitter (@LakotaYouth) and Instagram (@waniyetuwowapi).
The Cheyenne River Youth Project, 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.