Gen7 Youth Leadership Conference - APRIL 9 & 10, 2021
In February the Tribal Council on Pine Ridge invited youth to a day they called the “Youth Link to the Legislature”. The intention was to give Tribal youth an opportunity to address the Council. The meeting concluded with the youth given a task: to identify three issues of most concern to them.
At the Gen7 April conference, we will provide the youth with a variety of opportunities to explore how they can use their voice to answer this call to action from Tribal Council while bringing youth from various cultural backgrounds together to discuss strategies for approaching their respective leaders in order to affect change.
As with all Gen7 gatherings, there will be a combination of work and play with community service, leadership skill building, cultural workshops and recreation- all in a multi-cultural, multi-tribal community.
Lakota Spiritual Leader, Chief Arvol Looking Horse, will be in attendance to open and close the conference as well as present on Lakota culture and history. Oglala Lakota Tribal Vice President, Alicia Mousseau will also be in attendance.
Gen7 Virtual Events and Social-Distance Opportunities
Due to the pandemic, our previously scheduled Gen7 gatherings for 2020 have been cancelled. However, Gen7 youth continue to engage in a variety of meaningful projects in alignment with our strict safety protocols for Covid-19 prevention. Some of those include:
Cutting and stacking firewood
Working with local vendors to place collection barrels for ongoing Food and Supply Collection
Joining a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women awareness raising cross country bike ride
Outdoor recreation activities
Raising plants from seeds
Planting gardens across Pine Ridge
Presenting about Gen7 and conditions on Pine Ridge at a Denver Rotary meeting
Hosting food and supply drives for Pine Ridge as well as the Navajo Nation and the Ute Mountain Ute reservation
Below is an example of a typical Gen7 schedule (pre Covid-19):
April 15th Youth Ambassador Community Impact Projects due
April 17 -20 Tipi Raiser’s on Pine Ridge- Open but not required for Gen7 Youth.
April 23 -26 Gen7 and CYL at PeaceJam Climate Justice Summit. A *Woksape Gathering
June 2 -6 Gen7, CYL and PeaceJam gathering on Pine Ridge- A *Woksape Gathering
June 11 – 17 Gen7 Retreat on the Navajo Nation- A *Woksape Gathering
July 11 – 31 LakotaRide 2020: A *Woksape Gathering
September 4 -7 Volunteer Group on Pine Ridge- Open but not required for Gen7 youth.
September 10 - 14 Youth Leadership Summit in Denver- A *Woksape Gathering
October 23 - 26 Race to Winterize on Pine Ridge- Open but not required for Gen7 youth.
November 6 - 9 Race to Winterize on Pine Ridge- Open but not required for Gen7 youth.
November 20 -23 Race to Winterize on Pine Ridge-Required for all Gen7 youth.
December 11 -14 Race to Winterize on Pine Ridge- Open but not required for Gen7 youth.
December 12 Winter Season Celebration on Pine Ridge- Required for Pine Ridge Gen7 Youth
*Woksape Gatherings (Woksape - pronounced wok-ksah-pay - means “Wisdom”). Our Woksape gatherings are deeper dives into leadership skill building. A Woksape gathering is typically a retreat or summit and includes workshops, working in cohorts, youth-led presentations and opportunities to help plan and lead the gathering.
Age, Membership & Participation:
Generally, our Ambassadors range from middle school to young adults in their early 20’s. There are no limits on the number of Ambassadors who can apply for membership anytime, however our Woksape Gatherings are offered through a separate application process and limited to fifteen Ambassadors. The opportunity to attend a Woksape Gathering will be based on your commitment to, and engagement level in Gen7. The Gen7 leadership team will review your participation in all activities, as well as your overall commitment and communication, as we determine which Ambassadors will fill the fifteen slots for the Woksape Gatherings. For a Gen7 membership application please contact Mary Weasel Bear or Lori Ventimiglia.
Cost:
Membership in Gen7 is grant subsidized so there is no membership fee or event costs! However, if you are not from the Colorado region (AZ, SD, ND, WY), you are asked to self-fund your travel to and from gatherings. If these travel expenses are prohibitive for you, please contact Lori for a travel scholarship application at Lori@thetipiraisers.org
