About The Lakota Youth Speak Project
Lakota Youth Speak is a restorative justice project on the Cheyenne River Reservation, in South Dakota. Since 2015, founders Ellie Storck and Marina Sachs have facilitated holistic enrichment programs designed alongside Lakota teenagers to amplify indigenous voices. Programs include weekends at sacred Lakota sites, health and wellness retreats, art and writing workshops, and community member-led activities focused on Lakota skills, foodways, and resilience. Initially funded by Davis Project for Peace, the Lakota Youth Speak Project continues through a partnership with Simply Smiles Inc., the generous support of private donors and other fundraising efforts.
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Lakota Youth Speak Quilt Square Statement
The Lakota Youth Speak quilt square shows a tipi with the words "Tipi Talks" inside. The Tipi symbolizes an important space for pre-reservation Lakota, as a place of agency and movement. In the context of our project, the tipi symbolizes a place where we met occasionally, but most importantly the brave space our project aims to support. "Tipi Talks," the teenager's nickname for the Lakota Youth Speak Project, directly speaks to the heart of the project, amplifying Lakota youth voices.