Youth Project also Announces Summer Youth Programming — CRYP Culture Camp, Fit College, Midnight Basketball, "Dinner and a Movie," Sports Camps and So Much More
The Cheyenne River Youth Project® in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, has announced that it will host a “School’s Out!” summer kickoff event at its Cokata Wiconi teen center on Friday, May 17. Scheduled for 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., the free event is open to youth in grades 7 to 12.
The eight-hour extravaganza will include a 5-on-5 basketball tournament, a trivia game show, a “Scene It” competition, board games, video games and movies on the Cokata Wiconi big screen. Staff and volunteers also will provide snacks and an evening meal to all participants.
“We’re excited to welcome all the kids to the summer kickoff event, and not only because it gives them a great way to blow off some steam at the end of the school year,” said Tammy Eagle Hunter, CRYP’s youth programs director. “It’s also a fun way for us to celebrate the beginning of our summer session, and we have some great programs lined up.”
One highlight will be the CRYP Culture Camp, scheduled to take place the first week of every summer month. The camp will include art classes that focus on beading, bone jewelry, dream catchers, hide tanning and painting, and contemporary painting, sketching and drawing.
Cooking classes will teach preparation of traditional foods such as wasna and papa soup; sewing classes will allow participants to make regalia, shawls and pillows; Lakota language classes will include language “bowls” and a teen-only quiz show; and traditional sports and games will include hand games and lacrosse. Youth also will learn to pick and wrap sage; gather and prepare tipsila, chokecherries and ceyaka; and practice traditional dancing and music, including hand drums.
After the first Culture Camp week concludes in June, participants will have a special treat: International Night. On this one special evening, volunteers and staff members will cook foods that are native to their countries and regions, offering a unique and memorable opportunity for cultural exchange.
“We’re also looking at incentives for camp participants who complete the program, such as a trip to Bear Butte or Harney Peak,” said Tammy Eagle Hunter, CRYP’s youth programs director. “Community powwows might be another fun way to end a camp session.
“We’re excited to offer innovative programs like the CRYP Culture Camp this summer,” she continued, “and we’re especially grateful to partners like the 7th Generation Fund, which has supported us for the last year in our efforts to develop engaging youth programs that center on leadership, sustainability, the arts and culture.”
Another exciting addition to the summer calendar is Fit College, which will take place throughout the summer. Participants will earn “Healthy Bucks,” which they can put toward a hiking trip to the Badlands, Bear Butte or Harney Peak. Activities will include Zumba, circuit training, fitness challenges, cooking classes, nutrition classes, Walking Club and a “Fit and Healthy Week Challenge.”
According to Eagle Hunter, CRYP staff also are planning regular events such as Midnight Basketball every Friday night except July 26; a weekly Summer Literacy program and summertime Main University classes at The Main; Date Nights in June and August; Water Fun Days once per month; an outside DJ Dance in June; Dance Camp in mid-July; a Skate Park Jam on July 20; Basketball Camp in June and July; a T-Ball Clinic in June; a Hiking Club from May to July, with camping trips as incentives; and special “RezDev” classes that will include video production, music production and web design.
In addition, CRYP has added programs for families this summer. Not only will the youth project host a special Family Day in June and in August, it also will invite children, teens and their family members to attend “Dinner and a Movie” at Cokata Wiconi once per month.
“The families will have a chance to make dinner together, then they’ll enjoy their meal while watching a movie on our big screen,” Eagle Hunter explained.
For updated program schedules and final dates for special events and incentives, contact Tammy Eagle Hunter at (605) 964-8200 or tammy.cryp@gmail.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 visitwww.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.