Cheyenne River Youth Project
The Cheyenne River Youth Project (CRYP) was founded in January 1988 to address the community’s need for more services to support struggling children and their families. It's dedicated to giving Lakota youth and families access to the culturally relevant, enriching, and enduring opportunities to build strong, healthy communities, and a more vibrant future.
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The Community Foods Project is part of a movement that's building a local food economy on the Cheyenne River Reservation. Funding for this project was awarded through the USDA Local Foods Promotion Program in 2021. Our role was to assess the viability of bringing food grown in the Winyan Toka Win Garden into schools, local grocery stores, and convenience stores. The project aimed to grow CYRP's value-added processes, advance its food sovereignty internship, and expand its reach on the reservation.
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Conduct interviews with key opinion leaders, local organizations, and community members to help guide the expansion of CYRP's agriculture and food programs.
Review USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Census of Agriculture data.
Develop a narrative report summarizing findings and recommendations related to the local food system.
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The study found strong community desire to support local food producers and expand local food access. Building community food networks and expanding its programming will allow CRYP to build self-sufficiency on the Cheyenne River Reservation. The results provide CYRP with actionable recommendations to advance food sovereignty and support its goal of reacquainting Lakota children with the earth.
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May 2022–Jul 2023
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Mairi Creedon — Data collection and analysis, secondary research, financials, interviews, market analysis, and report writing
Michael Brydge — Data collection and analysis
