The Cheyenne River Youth Project® recently completed its third session of Wowapi Olakholkichiyapi, the book-to-movie club for local teens. Launched on April 3, the club met on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week at CRYP’s Cokata Wiconi teen center in Eagle Butte.
The club began with 10 participants. During each club meeting, the teens would complete questionnaires about the book’s chapters and discuss the book in-depth. Once the group completed a book, the young people would get together to enjoy a pizza party and watch a related movie.
This year’s book’s included “The Business of Fancydancing” by Sherman Alexie, followed by the film “Dance Me Outside”; “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Greene, followed by a special incentive trip to Pierre to attend the movie’s opening night; “Tweak” by Nic Sheff, followed by the documentary “American Meth”; and “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton, followed by the film of the same name.
Three teens completed the entire program, each earning a new Kindle Fire: Nathanial Fast Wolf, 14; Jordan Carter, 13; and Kasten Carter, 17.
“The idea behind our book club was to help our teens develop literary skills and broaden their minds, as well as teach them the importance of healthy discussion and debate,” said Tammy Eagle Hunter, CRYP’s youth programs director. “We carefully selected these books to give our teens great opportunities to engage in conversations relevant to their daily lives.”
She noted that staff knew that a creative approach would be critical when it came to encouraging literacy among teenagers, as well as encouraging those teens to share their own deeply personal thoughts about the characters.
“By discussing the characters’ unique problems, we were encouraging the teens to talk about issues that are very much part of their own lives,” Eagle Hunter said. “And of course it’s always a thrill to see the characters come to life on the big screen!”
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.