The Cheyenne River Youth Project announced today that its 2025 youth programming is well under way at its campus in the heart of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. Staff and volunteers are busy with popular, long-running offerings such as Main University, Midnight Basketball and the Teen Internship Program, as well as special events such as a Lakota Winter Camp for young women at CRYP’s property adjacent to Bear Butte State Park.
Main University
Founded in 2002 by CRYP volunteer Tracie Farrell and a recipient of a “Champion for Children” award from the South Dakota Coalition for Children, Main University is one of longest-running programs at The Main, CRYP’s center for 4- to 12-year-olds. It is designed to give children opportunities to take short courses that allow them to explore subjects that might not be offered in school.
Main University’s winter 2025 session kicked off Monday, Jan. 6 and will conclude in late February with a graduation ceremony. In their first week, students engaged in ice-breaking, sensory activities and team-building games, learned Lakota language, created art and enjoyed physical activities in the gymnasium at the teen center next door.
“In the early years, Main University classes were taught primarily by volunteers because our staff was so small,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s chief executive officer. “Today, our older Lakota youth are teaching their younger relatives, which is really special. It helps to revitalize our traditional Lakota knowledge-sharing, and it empowers our young adults as they grow into their roles as leaders and culture bearers.”
Programs assistants Hayley Dupris, Inalei Reyes, Sarah Berndt and Nation Cowins are currently teaching the Main University courses. Now employed by the youth project, all four young adults participated in CRYP programs themselves, including the Teen Internship Program, Youth Advisory Council and Youth Employment Training Initiative.
Midnight Basketball
To help ring in the New Year, CRYP hosted its first Midnight Basketball event of 2025 on Friday, Jan 3. As always, the event ran from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., giving youth ages 13-18 a fun, healthy and safe space to socialize and play ball.
CRYP volunteer Blayne Sayed created Midnight Basketball in 1996, and it has succeeded well beyond the original vision. Over the years, local law enforcement has reported that community-wide crime rates fall on Midnight Basketball nights, as teens have something positive to do in an environment that offers mentors and role models, provides cultural connection and is drug- and alcohol-free.
“We will be hosting Midnight Basketball again on Jan. 17 and 31,” said Jerica Widow Jones, CRYP’s programs director. “The kids need a place to be active and have fun with friends that is out of the cold, ice and snow. We’re also looking forward to offering options for the kids who might not want to play basketball, such as games, food-making activities and movies.”
Teen Internships
On Monday, Jan. 13, CRYP is welcoming two new cohorts of teen interns. They will complete internships in Native Wellness and Art over the next five weeks, concluding on Feb. 14.
Ian Umphrey, CRYP’s teen internship manager, will be teaching the Native Wellness internship. Jones said that the curriculum has evolved since its original inception; instead of focusing strictly on fitness and nutrition, it also will incorporate functional fitness through activities that are grounded in traditional Lakota culture.
“We will be teaching the kids how to raise and dismantle a tipi, which are physically demanding tasks that require agility and strength, including core strength,” she explained. “We also will be teaching them about the benefits of participating in inipi, our sweat lodge ceremony.”
Arts Manager Wakinyan Chief will teach the Art internship. Core subjects include the seven elements of art, color theory, lines and shapes, lettering, acrylic painting, characters, watercolors, ledger art, flash tattoo design and portraits.
“We will be welcoming Hoksila White Mountain as a guest instructor, and Starr Chief Eagle will be with us as an artist in residence through the South Dakota Arts Council’s Artists in Schools and Communities (AISC) program,” Jones said. “Not only will they be working with our teen interns, they will offer two- to three-day art camps for all youth during their time with us. We’re looking forward to that.”
Fireside Talks
What’s more, CRYP will be hosting outdoor Phel’ ichagla Wounkichiyakapi (They Talk by the Fire) at 6:30-7:30 p.m. every Thursday. Hosted by Arts Manager Wakinyan Chief and Programs Assistant Hayley Dupris, these free fireside talks will be open to all teens ages 13-19; the first event is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23.
“We want to create a safe space for young people to express themselves and feel heard and accepted,” Wakinyan Chief explained. “We hope this space will foster healing and allow our youth to build new connections. During these weekly visits, we will have open conversations about topics and issues that affect our young people and our communities, but it also will be a place for storytelling, sharing dreams and ideas, laughing, playing games and having fun.”
During the fireside talks, CRYP staff also will provide hot cocoa and team, and participants will be able to roast hot dogs and s’mores over the open fire.
Lakota Camp at Bear Butte
This month, CRYP staff members will take a group of young women to Lakota Winter Camp at Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi (The Children Are Coming Home), the youth project’s nearly 40-acre property adjacent to sacred Mato Paha (Bear Butte / Bear Mountain). Scheduled for Jan. 24-26, the camp will offer robust cultural activities and intergenerational mentoring with Lakota matriarchs.
“We still have open spots, so if you are a teen ages 13-18 or if you have a relative who you think might be interested, please contact our office at (605) 964-8200,” Jones said.
CRYP purchased the land a year ago with the intention of restoring access to one of the Lakota Nation’s most sacred places, access that was severed generations ago with the breakup of the Great Sioux Reservation. The land serves as a safe, healthy space to share traditional teachings and engage in cultural and recreational activities; it also is a home base from which the youth can visit sacred sites throughout the region, including Heȟáka Sápa (Black Elk Peak), Maka Oniye (Breathing Earth/Wind Cave) and Mato Tipila (Bear Lodge/Devils Tower).
“Last year, we hosted multiple youth camps at the new property, and in their surveys, our teens indicated that they are excited about these opportunities,” Garreau said. “They understand, at a deep level, that connection with land is essential to their cultural health and long-term well-being.”
She also noted that the CRYP team is looking forward to sharing the story of this special place with a larger audience through its new short documentary film. Titled “Wakanyeja Kin Wana Ku Pi (The Children Are Coming Home,” the film will be unveiled to the public at the 2025 Beaufort International Film Festival in February, after which it will be available for free public viewing through Vimeo.
The trailer can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/1006353624
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, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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.