South Dakota Education Equity Coalition

In 2023, we launched a youth engagement program that prepares the leaders of tomorrow to be active and engaged in their communities. The program began at lakota tech high school on the pine ridge reservation. We hired a high school teacher, who is also the student council advisor, to serve as a consultant to help launch and oversee the program at lakota tech. Thus far, the program has accomplished the following: -successfully established the sdeec youth council on the oceti sakowin homelands with students from pine ridge reservation (lakota tech high school). Students are of high school age and represent the following districts: oglala, pine ridge, wakpamni, porcupine, lacreek, and medicine root. -planned and held two youth leadership events - oglala sioux tribe youth summit on october 16, 2023 and the rushmore region workshop on october 18, 2023. -conducted research about national and local youth civics and leadership curriculum. We are in the process of tailoring the needs and context to indigenous communities. -established partnerships to implement the curriculum. -built out our network by identifying the following: key constituents in rapid city, sioux falls, and oceti sakowin nations, oceti sakowin high school student council leaders for all nine South Dakota tribes, tribal government leaders, local agencies, staff, parents and students. -started a youth self-governance initiative in rapid city with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who participate in the ateyapi after-school program.