Congratulations Rose!
A hearty congratulations goes out to Running Strong for American Indian Youth® field staffer Rose Fraser, executive director the Oyate Teca Project, who is one of the six inaugural Oceti Sakowin Solve Fellows who will each receive a $10,000 grant.
The Oyate Teca Project, located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, operates the Medicine Root Garden Program which increases the availability of fresh, healthy, locally-produced vegetables and fruits grown by and for children and teens. The Medicine Root program also teaches practical cooking techniques and canning skills.
Solve, an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, announced the six 2018 MIT Solve Fellowship recipients on April 25 who will work closely with Solve to broker partnerships within MIT and beyond to advance the Fellows’ projects.
Solve Executive Director Alex Amouyel said they are excited to embark on this mutual exchange with Native communities.
“Through the MIT Solve Fellowship with the Oceti Sakowin (Sioux nation), we are leveraging the existing talent and ingenuity of local innovators, while engaging MIT students, faculty, and staff as well as the Solve community to support their projects,” said Amouyel.
The Fellowship was designed to support outstanding members of the Oceti community who have tested projects that bring food, water, renewable energy, or green infrastructure to the community and contribute to economic prosperity and sovereignty.
Solve will support these community members to expand and accelerate their projects and their impact, building a strong foundation for the Oceti Sakowin community from within.
Each Fellow will attend Solve’s annual flagship meeting at MIT, where they will have the opportunity to find partners among more than 350 cross-sector attendees, MIT faculty, staff, and students. Together, Fellows will craft a plan of action to support their project, and MIT Solve will leverage relationships within MIT and outside to broker partnerships and find resources to uplift the Fellows’ projects.
For Rose, “just being awarded my very first Fellowship is very humbling and makes for a very exciting time for the Medicine Root Garden Program.”
“We have worked very hard and tirelessly to have this program succeed,” she said. “My staff and I will do our best to continue educating families on food security and sustainability.
“This has been a passion of mine for a very long time, so to see it being recognized and succeed is very rewarding,” she added. “We are very excited to share our knowledge and experience with others.”
For more information about Oyate Teca’s Medicine Root Garden Program click here.
