As part of its ongoing youth diabetes awareness and prevention campaign, the Cheyenne River Youth Project® in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, has released a teaser trailer on its website that offers viewers a sneak peek at its upcoming, feature-length “Diabetes is Not Our Way” video. The full video is scheduled to make its premiere on Monday, October 1.
The half-hour documentary will focus on efforts to combat youth diabetes on the remote, 2.8-million-acre Cheyenne River reservation, home to four bands of Lakota. In conjunction with this video project, CRYP also is releasing a 10-part “Indigenous Perspectives” short-video series for social media, each of which highlights a tribal member’s views on the diabetes issue. Three of these short videos have been released to date, with the remainder to come in the weeks leading up to the October 1 release date.
Also to come: three public service announcements for TV and Internet distribution, as well as three audio PSAs for radio. These will encourage young people to exercise and pursue good nutrition to reduce their risk for developing diabetes.
All the videos are produced through a collaborative effort between CRYP, the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, Diabetes Action Research and the Lowenstein Foundation.
“It’s quite an extensive campaign, from the ‘Indigenous Perspectives’ series and the PSAs to the new, full-length video,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “Diabetes is one of the greatest threats facing our youth, and we’re doing everything we can to spread our message. We all need to be aware of how dangerous diabetes is for our young people, and we need to understand what we can do, today, to help them reduce their risk. Diabetes is preventable.”
According to Tia Oros Peters, executive director for Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, native communities have the tools they need to combat diabetes within their own traditions and history.
“Native culture and life ways, including our food systems, offer meaningful remedies for diabetes prevention and community well-being,” Peters said.
Mo Hollis, media director for Seventh Generation Fund, said he’s proud to be working on such an important campaign.
“We’re focusing on a huge issue that faces all tribes, and we’re doing it in a way that really digs into the tough issues surrounding diabetes,” he said. “And, we’re using multiple media outlets to distribute the information to as broad an audience as possible. Our hope is that other tribes will see how a multi-pronged media campaign can have a meaningful impact when tackling an issue like this.”
To view the “sneak peek” trailer and three of the planned “Indigenous Perspectives” videos, visit www.lakotayouth.org. The full-length documentary also will be available there, starting Monday, October 1.
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.