On Wednesday, March 13, the Cheyenne River Youth Project® in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, will kick off its 2013 "College Night" program with a presentation from Madison, Wisconsin-based Edgewood College. The free evening program will take place at 5-6 p.m. in the Cokata Wiconi teen center’s Keya Cafe, and CRYP staff is encouraging Cheyenne River middle- and high-school students to bring their parents and other family members.
The nearly 25-year-old, not-for-profit youth organization started hosting College Nights in 2007. The program allows visiting "Alternative Spring Break" volunteer groups from schools around the country to help educate local teens and applying for and attending college. Now in its seventh year, College Nights are still a mainstay of the spring calendar at Cokata Wiconi.
"The College Night program has given us a wonderful opportunity to work more closely with Cheyenne River’s schools and other community organizations that support our local youth," said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. "We’re all eager to expose our kids to the many options that are available to them after high school. Through College Night, the teens get to learn more about different colleges and universities, they can ask questions about the issues that concern them, and their families learn more about how to best support them as they embark on the application process and eventually leave home."
She also observed that the College Night program gives visiting volunteer groups an opportunity to serve as goodwill ambassadors for their schools — and learn more about reservation life and Lakota culture in the process. "At CRYP, we’ve always believed in the power of our project as an exchange program," Garreau explained. "Our volunteers have as much to take away from their experiences here as our young people do."
During its visit, each ASB volunteer group makes an evening "College Night" presentation about its school and about college life to Cheyenne River’s middle- and high-school children. The presentation includes information about the application process, degree programs, financial aid and social activities; a lengthy question-and-answer session; and distribution of college literature that guests may take home with them.
In addition to Wisconsin’s Edgewood College, this spring’s ASB and College Night calendar includes visits from Iowa State University, University of Kansas, Virginia’s Tidewater Community College, Tribal Colleges, Black Hills State University, Utah’s Brigham Young University and the University of Michigan. In a new twist this year, the roster also includes England’s Middlesex University and Germany’s University of Koblenz-Landau.
"We’ve always had volunteers come to us from other countries, which provides yet another exciting opportunity for intercultural exchange," Garreau said, "but this is the first time we’ve incorporated international volunteers into our College Night program. We think it’s so important, because many college students do choose to study abroad for a semester or even a full year. We want our teens to learn what that experience might be like, and what it might have to offer them academically and personally."
All College Nights will take place on Wednesday evenings at 5-6 p.m. in the Cokata Wiconi teen center’s Keya Cafe (see sidebar). And while the program is tailored to high-school students, Garreau said middle-schoolers are welcome to attend College Night events with their families. Many tweens and young teens, she noted, already have their sights set on higher education.
"We believe that exposing children to the realities and benefits of higher education early can have a powerful impact," she explained. "That’s why we have our Main University program for the young children who attend The Main youth center.
Once those kids hit 11 or 12 years old, however, we need to do something else to inspire them. College Night does a great job."
While the College Night program is relatively new, the youth project has enlisted the volunteer support of ASB programs around the country for years, hosting each student group for a week. The volunteers organize special activities for the children at The Main Youth Center and Cokata Wiconi Teen Center; help clean and repair facilities and equipment at the CRYP campus; prepare the 2-acre, naturally grown Winyan Toka Win Garden for planting; conduct creative — and frequently entertaining — local fundraisers; and much more.
“The ASB groups have really become an important part of CRYP,” Garreau said, "and we are so grateful for their help. With a small staff and limited resources, we really depend on our volunteers.” In return for their service, the volunteering students have opportunities to experience Lakota culture through activities at both youth centers, lunches at the Cheyenne River Elderly Nutrition Center, guest speakers and other special events.
“Again, the Alternative Spring Break program — and volunteering with CRYP in general — really is a cultural and educational exchange,” Garreau explained. “When the volunteers and kids spend time together, their interaction becomes a major step toward mutual understanding — and, more importantly, toward reconciliation.”
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, visit the youth project’s Facebook “Cause” page. All Cause members will receive regular updates through Facebook.
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.
Upcoming College Nights at Cokata Wiconi
March 13: Edgewood College, Madison, WI
March 20: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
March 20: University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
March 27: Tidewater Community College, Norfolk, VA
March 27: Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
April 3: Tribal Colleges
April 10: Black Hills State University, Spearfish, SD
April 17: Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
April 24: University Koblenz-Landau, Germany
May 1: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
* All College Night programs take place at 5-6 p.m. in Cokata Wiconi’s Keya Cafe