CHEYENNE RIVER YOUTH PROJECT

Green Bay Packer Tucker Kraft has chosen the Cheyenne River Youth Project as his cause through the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative! How absolutely special. Please read the article to learn more: https://lnkd.in/exeHVMG9 "Kraft will highlight the Cheyenne River Youth Project, whose work is dedicated to providing Native American youth in the Lakota community with the access, resources, and opportunities they need to have a successful future." Philámayeye to Tucker and the NFL! We are grateful.

As many of you are aware, we started a beekeeping project this year. Not only are our bees thriving, they actually gave us our first honey harvest much earlier than we expected. This fall, we harvested roughly 40 pounds of honey, which we are calling Wi?háya?ipa Othí Wín Wi?háya?ipa ?hanhánpi (Honeycomb Woman Honey). The honey is available for purchase if you call us — we can ship!

November is Native American Heritage Month, and here at CRYP the calendar is full of activities that celebrate Lakota culture and life on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. We recently held our Young Women's Healing Camp, and coming up are our annual “Thanks for Kids” community feast, a garden blessing ceremony, the wrapping up of multiple teen internships and robust cultural programming with artist-in-residence Dallas Chief Eagle. Learn more here:

??Drum roll please…?? Meet our 2024 #MidwestFrontlineFund grantee cohort! We are honored to introduce you to the #EJ organizations across the #Midwest who have received the 2024 #MidwestFrontlineFund grant. The organizations in this year’s cohort represent a broad spectrum of environmental justice work across the region: ?? food justice + sovereignty ?? air pollution + cumulative impacts ?? energy democracy + infrastructure ?? protecting our waters . . . . Please join us in welcoming our new and returning partners ?? A Red Circle || Blacks In Green || Calumet Collaborative || CHEYENNE RIVER YOUTH PROJECT || COPAL MN || Dakota Resource Council || Dakota Wicohan || DETROIT BLACK COMMUNITY FOOD SECURITY NETWORK INC || Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice || Dream of Wild Health || East Michigan Environmental Action Council || Frogtown Neighborhood Association (District 7) || Giniw Collective || Great Plains Action Society || Just Transition Northwest Indiana || LEAGUE OF UNITED LATIN AMERICAN CITIZENS, COUNCIL 307 || LITTLE EARTH RESIDENT ASSOCIATION INC || Little Village Environmental Justice Organization || Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition || Milwaukee Water Commons || Neighbors For Environmental Justice || North Dakota Native Vote || Owámniyomni Okhódayapi || People for Community Recovery || Petty Propolis || Rustic Roots Sanctuary || Southeast Environmental Task Force || TAMALES Y BICICLETAS || THE GREEN DOOR INITIATIVE || Ujima STL || Urban Native Collective || Victory Garden Initiative || We Want Green Too || Wisconsin Green Muslims

Main University, one of our most popular programs for Cheyenne River's younger children, returned for a new term this fall. For the first time, it was dedicated to cultural health and wellness. The four-week program concluded with a special ceremony and cake for our nine graduates. We are so proud of them all! https://lnkd.in/e9w4RByx

Through our Wo Otúh’an Wi (Moon of Giving Away Presents) Toy Drive, we serve more than 1,000 children in 20 communities scattered across our remote, 2.8-million reservation in north-central South Dakota. Winter holidays can be a stressful time for many families on the reservation struggling to provide for their children’s basic needs. Some children otherwise may not receive holiday gifts at all. So, each year, we fulfill deeply personal wishes from each child’s Winter Solstice Wish List, delivering carefully wrapped packages with that child’s name on them. We couldn't do this without you! Please join with us to help bring holiday joy to more than 1,000 children here on the Cheyenne River reservation —?you can learn more at https://lnkd.in/gPBjyHrt

JOIN US! When you join the team at CRYP, you aren't just starting a new job. You're becoming part of a family, and that dedicated, hard-working family is making a real difference in the lives of Cheyenne River's children. You will have access to ongoing educational, cultural and professional development opportunities; full benefits; and even housing if needed. What's more, you will play an important role in shaping the future of a nationally respected, award-winning organization that continues to grow as it starts its 37th year. We are currently seeking a chief operating officer, finance director, teen internship manager, seasonal gardener, and youth programs assistants. To learn more about the positions and how to apply:

CRYP will be closed on Monday, Oct. 14 to commemorate Indigenous People's Day, which is am important part of our indigenous holiday schedule. We will reopen our doors on Tuesday, Oct. 15!

This month, we are welcoming teens to CRYP for our fall internship programming. The Native Food Sovereignty internship starts today and runs until Nov. 15, while the Indigenous Cooking and Art internships start Oct. 14 and conclude Nov. 22. Not only will teens have opportunities to engage in hands-on learning, connect to their Lakota culture and build relationships with instructors, mentors and new friends, they each will earn $10 per hour during their 50-hour session. Our 11-year-old Teen Internship Program has graduated more than 2,000 teen interns to date — and has distributed more than $1 million to those interns in stipends!

We will be hosting our 12th annual Harvest Festival Dinner next Friday, Oct. 18 at 6-8 p.m.! This is a free public event, and we will be incorporating fresh local produce from our Winyan Toka Win Garden. To learn more about what's on the menu, why our garden is such an important part of our programming and what happened to one of our former teen interns, read on...