Last month, the Cheyenne River Youth Project brought back one of its longest-running and most popular teen programs: Midnight Basketball. The nonprofit organization hosted teens ages 13-18 at its Cokata Wiconi (Center of Life) Teen Center from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Jan. 3-4, Jan. 17-18 and Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
Roughly 40 teens attended the first event. Word got around, and by the third, nearly 70 teens converged on the Cokata Wiconi gymnasium for a night of sports, games, friends and fun.
According to Jerica Widow Jones, CRYP’s programs director, teens growing up on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation need a program like Midnight Basketball for more than one reason. For starters, high school students who play after-school sports cannot take advantage of the youth project’s open gym hours after school due to their practice schedules.
“Midnight Basketball is really convenient for those kids,” Jones said. “It gives them opportunities to play ball with their friends and enjoy the teen center, which they wouldn’t otherwise have time to do.”
She also noted that young people in Eagle Butte don’t have many options for socializing and having fun on a Friday night, especially in winter. The city’s outdoor basketball courts are not appealing in the cold and snow, and while the local movie theater offers evening films, tickets and refreshments are not free.
“Not only is Midnight Basketball free, we have plenty of complimentary snacks and beverages for the kids,” she said. “And, families can feel comfortable knowing that we guarantee supervised activities, positive mentors and role models, and safe, drug- and alcohol-free spaces.
For Midnight Basketball this year, CRYP’s programming staff has added a variety of activities for teens who aren’t interested in playing basketball. In January, those activities included board games and cornhole; Jones said she and her team were surprised and delighted with the reaction to the new offerings.
“We’ve been getting quite a few younger teens, and they were excited to play games together,” she recalled. “We also put out some stuffed animals, and it was nice to see how they still like these things. They’re trying to grow up so fast, and yet they also are holding onto their childhoods just a little bit longer. We are grateful that we can provide a nurturing, healthy outlet for them.”
Created by CRYP volunteer Blayne Sayed in 1996, Midnight Basketball originally took place at the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Upper Elementary School’s outdoor courts from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. The action moved to Cokata Wiconi when the teen center opened its doors at the CRYP campus in 2006, and program hours shifted to 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
When each Midnight Basketball event concludes, local law enforcement gives teens a grace period to get home, as they are out past the city’s 10 p.m. curfew. For nearly 30 years, this understanding between community partners has allowed the program to flourish and succeed far beyond the youth project’s original vision — and it is now serving its second generation of kids.
The next Midnight Basketball will take place Friday, Feb. 21, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at CRYP’s Cokata Wiconi teen center.
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.