WHO WE ARE |
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"My name is Aiyonne Bryant. I was born on October 22nd, 2003 in Denver, Colorado. I aspire to be an archeologist and an activist. I am passionate about the education system and the right of all people to have a voice and be heard. I am passionate about these things because I was raised in a world of politics and protests. I saw the power of opinions, but I also saw how much better the world would be if people took the time to listen to each other. Unfortunately, the older I got the more I saw society try to silence the people, and I understood that the reason the world faces so many problems is because only a select amount of people are allowed to be heard. This is the reason I aspire to be an activist, and also one of the reasons I chose to join Tipi Raisers. The other main reason is because I am fascinated by the world, both the places and the people. This fascination, as well as need for adventure, is why I aspire to be an archeologist".
Aiyonne submitted an article about the Navajo Nation trip in June which can be seen here on our blog page. |
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"My name is Austin Kent. My mother is Judy Nixon Kent, and my father is Raymond Harrison Kent. For as long as I can remember I have loved creating and admiring visual art. The level of near infinite freedom for how to express oneself is both exciting and challenging for me. Within the past few years, I have developed a love for the environment, and the feeling that a connection with our Earth is something that has been lost within many cultures in our quickly industrializing world. My main goals in life are to create new things sustainably, and connect deeply with people and nature.
Gen7 has drawn me in with the mission; bringing together people of all walks of life for the purpose of creating genuine change in the world. I feel that more and more, individuals and groups of differing opinion fail to see eye to eye. We as a species must address our understanding and misunderstanding of one another, so that we can begin to trust each other. This is what Gen7 is about. Young people, native and nonnative coming together to grow, learn, and act under one common banner. That of the human race". |
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Hi! My name is Esmee Halsted. My mom is Jenni Halsted and my dad is Curt Halsted. I am a Colorado native. Being raised by two art teachers, I grew up with a strong sense of dedication and creativity. Additionally, my community had a strong spiritual connection to each other and the Earth. I really like watching people and I find culture to be fascinating. My hobbies include reading, enjoying the great outdoors, drawing, cooking, and much more. Tipi Raisers gave me the space to experience the greater world. I felt and still feel so connected with the community and land. I have worked with Tipi Raisers since November 2019. I am called by the need for action and youth movement in the Tipi Risers community. I look forward to continuing to make waves and work with other youth.
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"My name is Geraldine Victoria Grace White Magpie. My mother is Jessica Dawn Crow, my father is Steven Oliver White Magpie Jr. I come from the Oglala Sioux Tribe. I am 16 years old. I was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation. I enjoy playing volleyball, riding horse, traveling, and sleeping, like a lot. I have four sisters and three brothers. I have one older sister and three younger, and all of my brothers are older. I go to school at Pine Ridge High School and I will be a junior this fall. I used to love playing basketball growing up, but my sophomore year I was unable to play because of a knee injury, and i just outgrew the love for the sport. I also enjoy running. I enjoy meeting new people and making new friends. I can seem very stand off-ish when it comes to first meeting me but after getting to know me I’m actually a pretty nice person. Being apart of Gen7 is actually really fun, I met so much new people, I made so much new friends, It’s an all around great youth organization. I love the people I met through Gen7 they are all genuinely great people and have bright personalities. I’m proud to be an indigenous woman and I hope Gen7 will make an Impact on other youth to get involved! Han, Mitakuye Oyasin"
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"My name is Justina Pourier , my Lakota name is Iyapí Wín which translates to Women Who Speaks. I’m fifteen years old and I was born and raised in the Pine Ridge Indian reservation with my four siblings and two parents. I had a tough time growing up, dealing with many losses but as I see around me and meet more people I realize it has only made me stronger. I joined Gen7 with hopes and trust that it’ll bring good things to our rez and people. Though we are barely starting out I know the program is giving to us who are involved and seeing what this could bring us in the future.
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"My name is Oliver Miner, I am 18 years old, I am from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe(Lakota). I am Currently attending Northern State University to become a teacher. Before Gen7 I had done a couple things like boys Nation, and different mock legislation. I had even wrote an essay on the importance of native and non-native building. I was chosen by the tribe to attend a conference in Denver".
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My name is Kalon Shepard. I am the youngest daughter of my father David Shepard and my mother Desiree Lurie. Through Gen 7 I look forward to developing my communication with native youth and other non-native youth in order to better understand the struggles and joys that they experience on a day to day basis. I want to be able to use what I learn from this ongoing communication to become an active advocate for the changes that need to be seen in our country and our world.
Professionally, I aspire to be an engineer. I hope to use my skills to bring practical solutions and tools to communities that need them. On a day to day basis my goal is generally to build community. I have found that once a community is established and there is mutual respect and love between all of the members, the foundation is built for institutional growth. Mutual understanding allows members of a community to challenge the way that they think, in order to promote change. This is my goal when I enter new spaces: encourage the building of community to promote dialogue and social change. I feel incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to participate in Gen 7 and The Tipi Raisers. This is a community that from my first moment being involved I knew it was special. There is truly no greater joy for me than to be able to engage with such loving, dedicated, solution oriented people. |
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"Hi, my name is Skyla Joy Gabriel. My mother is Melanie Rebecca King Sheets, my father is John David Gabriel. I was born in Colorado, and I lived here until I was 8, when I moved to Georgia. After about four years there, I moved back home to Colorado where I have lived since. The greatest joys have been brought to me by spending time in nature and with friends, adventuring, helping, reading, and writing. My main goal in this life is to live in service of others, and the Tipi Raisers have made that possible in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I have been going on volunteer trips to the Pine Ridge Lakota Oglala Reservation for about two years now, and to be a part of the Tipi Raisers and their mission has become my passion. To be among such a strong and beautiful people, to learn from their culture and their wisdom, to make the most incredible friends is something that has changed me forever. As Dave reminded us all on my first trip to Pine Ridge, now that I’m aware, I have a responsibility to do everything I can to be involved and to make a difference if I can. I can’t wait to see what happens next, and I’m so proud of my involvement with the Tipi Raisers and Gen 7. This is the generation that will change the world and I am so proud that I was born at such a time as this to make a difference".
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"Hello! My name is Sasha and I was born on March 8, 2003. I was born and raised in Erie, Colorado. I lived and studied in Limpopo, South Africa for a year before moving back to Colorado. I enjoy being outside hiking, backpacking, or horseback riding as well as meeting new people and doing new things! When I first went up to Pine Ridge, I learned and experienced so much. This experience inspired me to become the person I am today and inspired me to continue and expand my community service because I want other people to have the opportunity to experience the magic of the reservation and the people of the reservation. I am not sure where exactly I am going in the future, but I hope to be helping people/communities and having the opportunity to meet new people, learn new languages, and learn new cultures. Mitakuye Oyasin".
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Hello my name is Exodus, I'm Oglala Lakota from Pine Ridge SD, My mother is Jessica. I'm 14 years old in the 8th grade at wolf creek school. I enjoy Math, basketball and I have a passion for Horses, whether it's riding or taking care of them.
one of my goals is to get more youth involved with Gen7, one kid at a time!!! help them set goals and encourage them to achieve them. I also want to make my community a better place to live and bring back our old traditional ways. I'm very happy and proud to be a part of Gen7 and would like to thank everyone who made this opportunity available for me. |
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"Hello, my name is Wacey Cottier. I am Oglala Lakota. I am 15 years of age going on to 16. I am from a small town named Pine ridge, located in South Dakota.
I have been apart of tipi raisers/Gen 7 for almost one year. I enjoy attending these groups, Making new friends, and learning new things. I am so grateful for having such a big opportunity, and I hope to continue attending"! |
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I grew up in a lot of places because at a young age I was orphaned and I was very nomadic so I never really stayed in the same place and that probably contributes to me never being home and taking every chance I get to go some where and see something new, I’m a song holder for my people and I dance our Lakota style of dances that include traditional,grass,fancy and chicken, I’ve come up from nothing in life but I’ve managed to make something from nothing. That something is the strength to live everyday healthy and happy and being apart of Gen7 warms my heart because the little amount of time I’ve been apart of Gen7 has made me feel more at home than I have ever felt and it’s all thanks to my best friend Miya and I couldn’t thank her enough for this amazing opportunity.
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