I was probably 11 or 12 at the time. And my uncle, Emmet, passed away. My mom got really depressed. She started drinking really bad
and she started treating us different. There was this guy,
he was just some kind of stranger. All of a sudden he started
staying around more and she left me
and my two brothers at home alone for days on end. One day that man,
he was in the back room with my mom. I heard them talking about
shooting up something. So I texted my grandma
and I told her what was going on, she said, "Hold on we'll come get you." So I got up my brothers
really, really fast. I just put, like,
any clothes on that I could find. And I packed a bag and we left. Ooh, look at that fly. I'm lightning speed,
that's why my name's Lightning. I don't know how to work these.
You just click play. Okay, cool. Oh, I'm off beat! Hold on. You always have to turn
when the double beats come in. My name is Genevieve Iron Lightning. My Lakota Name is Tȟokáhe Nážiŋ Wiŋ
or Stands First Woman. And I'm the descendant
of Chief Iron Lightning. I kinda was born dancing. It makes me feel connected, like, I'm in touch with my ancestors
and my culture. And this is when she first got Mini Miss. Ooh, you look like me in there. What does it say on the sash, 2006? It says Mini-Me. 2006. And this is her picture from last year. Is this last year's? Yeah, my freshman year
didn't turn out good. It's difficult living in Eagle Butte. It's difficult living on a reservation. The houses aren't very nice,
there's trash in the yards. Broken and busted cars in the driveways. Parents don't really
take care of their kids, unless, you know, I don't know,
unless they have a job. Cheyenne River has the unfortunate distinction of being one
of the poorest counties in the nation. That's overwhelming
when you think about it. How do we get by? Many of our people turn to alcohol. And most recently,
meth has become a really big issue in our community. But you know,
we didn't create the situation here. They put us on these reservations
to contain us, to control us, to keep us segregated. And so as a result,
we have a population of people who don't have access
to economic resources. When you have poverty and addiction, it's very easy to forget that there's little kid
sitting next to you that need to be acknowledged,
and hugged and talked to. Children are a reflection
of the surroundings that they're in. Children need to be seen. They need people guiding them,
loving them, and they need opportunity. My first summer here,
my grandma was reading the newspaper and she saw something about internships
at the Cheyenne River Youth Project. They were looking for people
to work in the cafe that just opened that same summer. So my grandma's like,
"Hey, I'm going to get you into that." The Cheyenne River Youth Project
is 100% about being a positive influence on the kids of our community. Within our facilities,
we offer internships, wellness programs, the arts. We have a teen center, a gymnasium,
dance studio, computer lab. We also have the Winyan Toka Win Garden. These are the wax beans, yellow beans... We're talking about their mental health,
their physical health, their education. All these different pieces
that help them grow. When CRYP first started,
there wasn't a youth organization here. And then over the years as we've evolved, we've learned from our kids
and from our community about what the needs are. It's important that we help them
to understand the history and who we are as a people,
as Lakota people. Moving us to reservations
and the assimilation of our people. All these things still impact us today. Every other nationality in America
were free to practice their culture in any way they saw fit,
but not us as Native Americans. It was against the law. "Kill the Indian and save the man."
We're still dealing with that today. [speaking in foreign language] Always remember that you're Lakota first. It's important for our young people
to remember where they come from. That's what our ancestors would want. We want them to impart that
onto their children when the next generation comes. When you have poverty
added to the historical trauma, it's just a kind of big mess. A problem with a lot of our kids is that you just reach a breaking point
when you don't know what to do. And if there's nobody there to support you
to get you through these tough times, then sometimes things happen. In the last month,
we had at least two completed suicides. There were something like ten attempts. It's like we have room for death,
but we don't have room for life. You have to step into places
that are uncomfortable in order to do the work
that we're trying to do with our kids. They deserve more. The picture I want to paint is that
we have our challenges but we are lifting ourselves up. Our internships at CRYP
provide a way out for our young people. You know, we're teaching them about
the business, they're learning their interpersonal
communication skills and how to manage money. They also learn about writing resumes. All those pieces that help a kid
to prepare for the future. Job opportunities
are limited on the reservation, so Keya Cafe and the other internships set you up for different job experiences. We're giving them confidence
in how to go find a job or maybe they can have their own business. We want them to imagine the possibilities. Oh, my gosh, I'm spilling it. I come over here at 7:00
and I get done at 2:00, and that was like tiring for me. But earning your own money, it makes you feel like
you're growing up... It makes you feel independent. The internships help you prepare
for life after high school. I am definitely going to go to college and I will come back and help my community
in any way I can. Because it's a struggle here,
but it's my home. My grandma, her dad is
Grant Iron Lightning Jr., her grandpa is Grant Iron Lightning Sr., and then I can't remember his dad's name, but it's five generations back
is Chief Iron Lightning. He could walk anywhere
and he could just come back with horses. And that made him a leader
to the Lakota people. And this is where my great-grandpa
Iron Lightning was buried. This is Dale Iron Lighting,
he was one of my uncles. That's who I was named after. Knowing that I come from
these great people, I feel like I have to do big things,
you know? [singing in foreign language] I want to set a good example
for the younger generations, you know? To show them that I did struggle here, but I did the youth internships at CRYP. I did anything in my power
to make something of myself. I like that feeling
of doing something right, you know? It makes my people proud
and I like making my people proud. Our dream and our idea of success
and wealth is just different. I think we see family
and culture and tradition and singing and dancing as wealth. Being Lakota, we've had this oppressive weight
for all these years. But this generation of kids is different. They're proud of who we are. They're proud to be Lakota. They're not afraid to speak up. To change what's happening for us. And let the worlds know
that we are still here. They are the next culture bearers,
the next leaders. They're a powerful new generation. Hold on. I got it. I got it, we're connected! There's so much they've overcome. Imagine the possibilities
if we can help them grow and give them the skills
to go out into the world and thrive.