For most people, when they think of their teenage years, the memories are filled with excitement, laughter and carefree fun. For many teens on our remote reservation, however, that fun and frivolity is in short supply. Young people have to grow up fast on Cheyenne River, where unemployment hovers around 75 percent. There’s little money for basic household needs, much less for dresses, shoes and accessories for the prom.
Yet for American teenagers, there is perhaps no greater rite of passage. The prom marks teens’ formal entrance into adulthood, allowing them to don tuxedos and elegant gowns for a night that shines with friendship, hope and promise. The future should never seem brighter than it does on prom night.
But what happens if the prom lies out of reach due to financial constraints? Enter us.
“We believe that our kids should have access to the experiences and lifelong positive memories that other American kids enjoy,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “Everyone should feel beautiful, special and important for that one magical night of the high school prom.”
To that end, CRYP created Passion for Fashion in 2001. One of the 25-year-old, not-for-profit youth organization’s most popular and long-running programs, the one-day event provides support for teens who need all the prom essentials. More importantly, it’s designed to foster intergenerational exchange, bonding, self-esteem and positive body image.
This year’s Passion for Fashion will take place on Saturday, March 9 at CRYP’s Cokata Wiconi teen center. And for the fifth year in a row, the daylong event will feature a special theme; past years’ themes included “Old Hollywood Glamour,” “Juicy Couture,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Fashion Week!”
This year’s theme: “The ‘80s – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”
“Everyone’s already hard at work brainstorming the possibilities with this theme,” said Megan Guiliano, CRYP’s youth programs director. “From ‘80s clothing, to ‘80s karaoke, to old-school MTV videos and possibly a classic John Hughes movie, this Passion for Fashion really will be all about girls letting loose, forgetting their troubles and having fun together.”
That theme will be carried throughout Cokata Wiconi, from the Keya Cafe to the full-size gymnasium. As in past years, guests will enjoy a formal luncheon upon arrival and listen to a special presentation from a keynote speaker. From there, they’ll head to the gym to shop for their dresses, shoes and special accessories; select special treatments that include makeovers, hair-styling, manicures, pedicures and facials; and then strut their stuff on a real catwalk.
The evening will conclude with a special Passion for Fashion cake and fun activities such as karaoke. All participants will receive gift bags and may include their names in drawings for prizes.
The keynote speaker for this year’s Passion for Fashion will be Lise Balk King, a media and communications expert who has worked for more than 20 years as a producer, publisher, advocate, consultant, event organizer, writer, editor, filmmaker and photographer. In 1992, she moved to the Pine Ridge reservation, where she shifted her focus to indigenous human and civil rights, political and social advocacy, community education and economic development. She also got involved in independent media and grassroots education.
King cofounded Native Voice Media, the independent national newspaper The Native Voice and The Native Voice Film Festival. The Native Voice is best known nationally for its Get Out The Native Vote work, and it was credited by Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) as being instrumental in his successful re-election campaign in 2002. In 2004, The Native Voice created the first national GOTV product specifically created for native voters. The Native Voice worked to engage native voters in policy debates, helped recruit American Indians to run for public office and developed special editions for mass distribution at the 2004 and 2008 elections. King also served intermittently as traveling press on the Obama presidential campaign.
A graduate of Harvard Kennedy School with a Master in Public Administration degree, King also has worked on projects for the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, South Dakota Alliance for the Mentally Ill’s Native American Advocacy Project, Houghton Mifflin Publishing, the Grameen Foundation, the National Indian Gaming Association, the Bureau of Indian Education, the South Dakota Governor’s Office, South Dakota Public Television and the National Congress of American Indians.
“We’re so excited to have Lise with us for Passion for Fashion,” Garreau said. “She is a truly inspirational leader when it comes to cross-cultural communication and advocacy. As a non-native with so much experience in Indian Country, she’s what we call a ‘bridge builder,’ someone who can meaningfully address reconciliation in our communities. And, she can talk to our girls about defining their goals and working toward making those dreams and aspirations a reality.”
All high-school girls on the Cheyenne River reservation will receive personalized invitations to Passion for Fashion; however, Cheyenne River’s junior-high girls may attend as well. CRYP also welcomes teens from the Standing Rock reservation and from border communities such as Faith, South Dakota.
Best of all, family members of all ages are encouraged to accompany their teens for this memorable day at Cokata Wiconi.
“Passion for Fashion has become so special to us largely because multiple generations of Cheyenne River women attend the event,” Garreau said. “Grandmothers, mothers, aunties, sisters and cousins celebrate with the girls as they prepare for prom night. We’ve also been delighted to see how the teens support each other as they address such difficult issues as low self-esteem, poor body image and bullying.
“We have fun with the dresses and accessories, it’s true, but Passion for Fashion is about much more than that,” she continued. “We give the girls important messages that we hope they’ll retain for the rest of their lives. It’s so rewarding to see these young women transform over the course of a single day. Words can’t describe seeing such inner beauty and confidence emerge — and watching new friendships develop that carry over into the teens’ everyday lives at school.”
To bring the 2013 Passion for Fashion event to life, however, CRYP needs prom dresses and accessories. Lots of them. “We need new and gently used dresses in sizes four to 26, but we especially need sizes 16 to 26,” Garreau said. “The same goes for shoes. We need shoes in all sizes, but especially in sizes 9 to 12.”
CRYP also is asking for jewelry and hair accessories; makeup and bath sets; gift cards and cash donations. Staff and volunteers will take any contributed funds and make additional purchases based on need.