Rural America Initiatives

Programs: Ateyapi teen pregnancy - committed to helping native american teens abstain from sex until marriage.

headstart-the organization is the grantee with the american indian programs branch of headstart and operates two centers in rapid city and two centers in crow creek. The purpose is to operate a headstart program for native american children 4 to 5 years of age, and their parents, helping with the transition of moving from the reservation; as well as an early headstart program for children 0 to 3, and their parents.

ateyapi children giving back is a three-year program offered in five rapid city elementary schools (knollwood, horace mann, general beadle, wilson and canyon lake) that provides financial literacy education and services to 160 4th and 5th grade students and their families. Priorities include culturally appropriate sustainable life skills training in financial literacy, job, and entrepreneurial skills provided to students and their families. The goal is to provide skills training to inspire students to stay in school, achieve post-secondary school success, obtain and hold a job, advance to a higher paying job and move out of poverty. Students and their families will receive money planning and management skills and address other issues related to intergenerational poverty. Students have also written business plans, implemented them, and reflected on what worked and what didn't and why.

ateyapi (fatherhood) mentoring - the ateyapi project matches sober adult role models with at risk native youth to promote pride in their culture, educational opportunities, and a drug free lifestyle. The ateyapi program also promotes abstinence in middle and high schools and uses the trail program to promote obesity reduction and diabetes prevention. Lakota language program - the organization offers a three-year lakota language program to 450 middle school students using curriculum from the lakota language consortium. In addtion, 300 parents, 60 staff and at least 100 community members also received training at no cost. This program was developed to retain the lakota language and culture by increasing self-esteem, identity, and ultimately achievement for low-income american indian children and their families.