Helping Sicangu Youth Become Global Citizens
Imagine being 17 years old and holding your first passport.
Your first time on a plane.
Your first time leaving home.
Your first time traveling across the ocean.
When you land, you're nervous -- not sure what to eat, how to get around, or what the local customs are.
Yet you remain curious. You realize that the way you live isn't the way everyone lives. You recognize the beauty in that difference, and the strength in your roots. You imagine new possibilities for yourself, your family, and your community.
For the past few years, this has been the journey for our 7Gen interns, and we hope seven more Sicangu teens will be able to have that experience later this year.
Read more below about how our youth are representing not just Sicangu Nation, but the entire United States on the global stage -- and how you can help ensure that even more Sicangu youth have that same transformative experience.
Each year, our 7Gen Summer Youth Internship—a partnership between Sicangu Co’s Learning and Development Program and Sicangu Nation Employment Training Program (SNETP)—provides young leaders with hands-on experiences in economic and community development. The interns also design and implement a community impact project using the Design for Change framework.
Design for Change (DFC) is a global movement and educational framework that empowers youth to become changemakers by solving real-world problems in their communities. Through our partnership with DFC, we have been table to take 7Gen interns on international immersive leadership and cultural exchange experiences. Last year, our interns traveled to Japan and the year before that it was Dubai.
The trip is centered around the Be The Change Global Youth Conference. At the annual conference, the interns are the sole representatives for the United States of America! These opportunities build confidence, independence, and a broader sense of what’s possible.
They arrive as students and they leave as global citizens.
This year's conference will be in November in Athens, Greece. Although it is still several months away, the planning begins early since most interns will be traveling for the first time (Many have never even left South Dakota).
This year we are hoping to send seven interns, but we need your help. We need to raise just over $30,000 to cover the full cost of all seven interns, and two chaperones.
Your donation will help Sicangu youth grow from nervous first-time travelers into confident young leaders who know they belong anywhere their dreams take them.
If you've ever traveled before -- whether to an exotic location or a weekend trip to the woods -- you know that a picture is worth more than 1,000 words. To capture the incredible experiences that our staff and interns have experienced, we've put together a special photo gallery below -- including many photos we've never shared before!
If the idea of growth and transformation through travel speaks to you, we invite you to be part of it!
• Make a tax-deductible gift
• Share the campaign
• Help spread the word
Together, we can remind our youth: they come from somewhere strong, and they are meant to go everywhere.
Your support opens the world to Sicangu youth by funding first passports, first flights, and first global experiences for our 7Gen interns as they travel from Rosebud to Athens to attend the Be The Change Conference.
Many have never left the reservation; this journey expands possibilities, builds confidence and leadership, and shows them they belong anywhere their dreams take them. As they share Lakota language, culture, and identity on a global stage, they don’t just witness the world, they represent their people, their nation, and their future.
Your support turns a once-in-a-lifetime trip into a lifetime of courage, pride, and opportunity.
