Now that the fall harvest season is ending in the Cheyenne River Youth Project®’s 2-acre, naturally grown Winyan Toka Win garden, the “Power of Four” teen interns are turning their attention from produce and processing to assisting with preparations for CRYP’s Winter Kick-Off Event. Scheduled for Saturday, November 3, this event will encompass a broad range of special activities throughout the Cokata Wiconi Teen Center.
According to Megan Guiliano, CRYP’s youth programs director, a highlight will be the official grand opening of the new Fitness Center. The center is now fully stocked with a variety of cardio machines — including recumbent bicycles, spinning bikes, elliptical machines and treadmills — as well as strength-training equipment.
“We’ll be offering fresh, healthy smoothies to our teens and their family members, as well as to any members of the Cheyenne River community who would like to tour the new facility,” she said. “We’ll also have waivers available for the teens and their parents to sign, so the kids can start using the new Fitness Center and attending our special fitness classes right away.”
These classes include Zumba, Walking Club and circuit training. CRYP Wellness Coordinator Tammy Eagle Hunter, who earned her Cooper Fitness Specialist and CPR certifications earlier this year, will provide equipment orientation, instruction and supervision. The Fitness Center is open to ages 13-18.
During its Winter Kick-Off Event, the nearly 25-year-old, not-for-profit youth organization also will host a community basketball tournament, a board/video game tournament, a walking tacos dinner and an end-of-the-night dance.
“The ‘Power of Four’ teens will help us prepare for the big day, and they’ll help staff all the activities that make up this daylong event,” Guiliano advised. “Not only will it give them more opportunities to learn job skills and life skills, it continues to place them in leadership roles among their peers. And they’ll have fun.”
Afterward, November will take a more serious turn for the interns. They’ll work on resume-building and interview practice, attend an SAT/ACT prep workshop with long-term CRYP volunteer Jackson Hickey and develop their essay-writing skills by preparing pieces of writing for a Cokata Wiconi Teen Center winter newsletter. Other teens also will be invited to submit writing, art and photographs for the newsletter project.
“Again, we’re putting our interns in a leadership role among the rest of our teen participants,” Guiliano noted. “They’re really going to steer the project and encourage their friends to participate.”
In addition, CRYP staff will be working with the interns’ teachers to ensure that the teens
receive appropriate help with homework assignments while spending time at Cokata Wiconi after school and on the weekends.
“We’re eager to deepen our relationship with the Cheyenne River schools,” Guiliano said. “Together, we’ll be even more effective at addressing the needs of our young people, helping them achieve their goals now and as they pursue post-secondary education.”
CRYP’s Power of Four program was designed to give teen interns the necessary training and support to learn how to represent their peers and to serve as advocates for their needs and the needs of others in productive, meaningful ways. All activities and events fall under the umbrellas of four key modules — leadership, life skills, job skills and wellness.
Power of Four’s primary focus is to build a 10-member youth advisory board that will represent local young people among CRYP’s board of directors. The council will continue in perpetuity, long after the official three-year internship program has ended. This year’s interns: Cecil Baker, Sierra Bobtail Bear, Meta Charger, Madison Gripne, Allen Meeter and Romie Rabbit.
Each Cheyenne River teen in the Power of Four program serves 16 hours per month and, for this service, receives an $88 monthly stipend. The 16-hour service requirement includes regular meetings at the Cokata Wiconi Teen Center. And it’s not too late to get involved: To learn more about the Power of Four and to apply for an internship position, contact Guiliano at (605) 964-8200 or send email to megan.cryp@gmail.com.
To follow the progress of the Power of Four teens, visit their blog at http://cheyenneriveryouthprojectpo4.wordpress.com.
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.