CRYP and the Sacred Heart Center in Eagle Butte will be co-hosting a special Open Mic Night for community members of all ages at 4-7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22 in CRYP’s free, public Waniyetu Wowapi (Winter Count) Art Park. The evening’s festivities will include open mic performances starting at 5 p.m., a chili and cornbread dinner at 6 p.m., free coffee and lattes from CRYP’s Keya Cafe, and live music from the Kickin’ Free Band, which will play at 4-5 p.m. and during breaks.
The two nonprofit organizations created the event to commemorate Suicide Prevention Month, seeking to provide a safe, nonjudgmental, drug- and alcohol-free environment where guests can express themselves. Open mic performances will be five minutes each.
“Each year, more than 41,000 people take their own lives, leaving behind countless loved ones, friends and colleagues who are deeply affected by suicide loss,” said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director. “So many are reluctant to talk openly about this, but we know that the process of sharing those feelings of pain and loss is critical to healing. We encourage our guests to step outside their comfort zones during our Open Mic Night and share a poem, a story, a song — whatever feels right and appropriate for them.”
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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.