For Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, this Community Center is a 21,000 foot state of the art Center place where imaginations and dreams can thrive.
…Where excited children can shoot some hoops in state-of-the-art gymnasium for the very first time for the many years to come.
…Where adults and tribal elders can use the classrooms and teaching kitchen facilities to teach arts, language, beading, and traditional cooking classes they could soon teach.
…Where all in the community can feel welcome in a safe, healthy, accessible space for all.
For Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, this Community Center is a 21,000 foot state of the art Center place where imaginations and dreams can thrive.
…Where excited children can shoot some hoops in state-of-the-art gymnasium for the very first time for the many years to come.
…Where adults and tribal elders can use the classrooms and teaching kitchen facilities to teach arts, language, beading, and traditional cooking classes they could soon teach.
…Where all in the community can feel welcome in a safe, healthy, accessible space for all.
In spring 2021, Running Strong for American Indian Youth® proudly announced our vision for the Oyate Ta Kola Ku Community Center to be constructed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
The 21,000-square-foot center, named Oyate Ta Kola Ku – Friend of All Nations – in memory of the late Running Strong co-founder, Gene Krizek, is now providing more than triple the amount of programming space previously offered by our partner on the reservation, the Oyate Teca Project.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Oct. 14, the 58th anniversary of Running Strong co-founder Billy Mills’ historic gold medal win at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, he stated: “Our elders have the vision our youth have the dreams.”
Teaching and community kitchens at the Center are each equipped for classes in Indigenous food preparation and preservation, while also providing easy access to healthy meals for residents living on the reservation. The 362-square-foot teaching kitchen has four cooking stations and a center island to accommodate lessons. Combined with the 1,400 square foot commercial kitchen, with walk-in freezers and coolers, double ovens, double sinks, and more, healthful cooking will be a cornerstone of the center. The produce used at the kitchen, and directly supporting the families and community at large, will come directly from the gardens at Oyate Ta Kola Ku. The Center’s greenhouse, hoop house, and gardens will provide the basis to changing the nutritional lifestyle of youth, families, and the community.
Our organic gardens and food programs strive to tackle malnutrition by providing healthy meals and fresh produce to Native American children and their families. Medicine Root Garden is the community growing and teaching garden with tons of produce are grown each year.
The education classrooms are the site for after school mentoring, financial literacy classes, and so much more. The sewing room helps promote the preservation and renewal of traditional sewing craft, including traditional regalia, star quilts, and shawls. The sewing classroom accommodates up to 12 students stationed at sewing machines, and more on a longarm quilting machine, with a separate instructor’s stations, as well as 30 feet of floor to ceiling cabinets holding dozens of bolts of fabric and ample supplies. Youth and adults can take sewing and beading classes, practice their skills using our sewing and quiliting machines. Some will even be able to create enough of their handicraft to sell and generate much needed income!
The community center includes a full high-school size indoor gymnasium/multipurpose room to host sports, powwows, events and more to provide a safe and constructive environment for youth and their families, and build a vibrant community through sports and exercise.
Farmers’ market year-round to provide healthy food access points and income for seasonal growers
Warehouse and expanded storage for distribution of food, medical, educational, and clothing needs
Public Wi-Fi and computers help students succeed with reliable Internet connections
Teaching kitchen and cannery for home economics and mass food prep
Indoor gymnasium and multi-purpose room to host sports, powwows, events, and more
Multiple arts, music, and sewing classrooms allow for simultaneous classes
Outdoor area supports gardening, sports, social events, and more
8301 Richmond Highway
Ste. 200
Alexandria, VA 22309
Toll Free: 1-888-491-9859
(703) 317-9881 | Fax: (703) 659-6231
info@indianyouth.org
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Congratulations!
Sara’s dream is to engage Native youth in her community with traditional food systems and teach them how to use their cultural practices to address food security issues.
Through the Three Sisters Garden, Native students can grow indigenous plants, learn traditional recipes, and have access to fresh and healthy food.
Learn more about Sara and the rest of the 2023 Dreamstarters at www.IndianYouth.org/2023Dreamstarters
*photos courtesy of Sara Powell
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Corice’s dream is to strengthen tribal sovereignty and support tribal emergency management systems by using drone technology to increase accessibility to disaster relief funds.
The Soaring Eagles Project will strengthen the tribes' self-governance, making them more self-sufficient in conducting preliminary damage assessments and declaring disasters.
To learn more about Corice and the rest of the 2023 Dreamstarters, please visit www.IndianYouth.org/2023-Dreamstarters .
*photos courtesy of Corice Lieb
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Tillie’s dream is to elevate the voices of young Apsáalooke women, reconnect them with the land, and strengthen their participation in environmental justice work.
The Biawaatchaache (Good Woman) Collective is a group of young Apsáalooke women who are dedicated to uplifting and strengthening their voices, learning about the connection between culture and environment from knowledge-holders, increasing environmental literacy, and developing scalable solutions to the environmental injustices around them.
Learn more about Tillie and the rest of the 2023 Dreamstarters at www.IndianYouth.org/2023-Dreamstarters
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Our youth are so wise. We must follow their lead & protect them. <3
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McKalee’s dream is to see sovereign tribal nations reclaim their lands and natural resources, and to see the future for Native youth secured through increased representation of Natives in academia and support for young Native advocates in their own “Landback” initiatives.
Indigenous Youth Perspectives and Action on Landback will bring together youth from various communities in the U.S. with the goal of sharing experiences and practical lessons regarding Landback efforts within our communities.
To learn more about McKalee and the rest of the 2023 Dreamstarters, visit www.IndianYouth.org/2023-Dreamstarters.
*photos courtesy of McKalee Steen
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Gracie Mae