Wambli Ska Society

Results: The best way to stay up to date with the activities and community impact of Wambli Ska is to visit our website https://www.wambliska.org/in-the-news or our facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/5022878997784292

Target demographics: meet the needs of the people and build a community of resilient and powerful relatives.

Direct beneficiaries per year: Emergency Shelter Impact: 100 additional shelter beds provided Meals served three times a day to at least 200 people Connected participants to services

Geographic areas served: in Rapid City and the surrounding area

Programs: Wambli Ska’s Teen Center programs empower Native youth with the skills to revive their communities by connecting to their history, culture, and traditions. Our youth navigators welcome each individual, help determine needs and explain available services. They also facilitate life skills training, suicide prevention programs, and Talking Circles. Wambli Ska facilitates Oyate Court, a juvenile/young adult diversion and restorative justice program. Wambli Ska recognizes that restoring our Lakota core values is a vital and integral part of our identity and the healing process. We strive to connect people to their culture, something urban Natives have historically lacked access to. Our spiritual leaders facilitate ceremonies on site based on the Lakota values. Inipi (Purification Ceremony) Wopansi (Spiritual Assessment) Woapiye (Healing Ceremony) Wopankinte (Spirit Purification from trauma, grief, loss) Lakota/Spiritual Naming Ceremony Rite of Passage or Coming of Age Ceremony Local elders also teach the Lakota language, medicinal practices, and traditional cooking. Traditional arts and crafts as well as drum, dance, and song are at the core of all we do. These activities both engage and create community among the Lakota people. Our street outreach efforts in Rapid City, SD offer human connection as well as basic necessities (food, water, clothing, blankets, hygiene products, etc.) to our neighbors experiencing housing insecurity, behavioral or mental health instability, or personal crisis. They find those in need by foot or van during the times and in the areas they are known to congregate. Recipients include youth, adults, and families. It is not just about what we do, but how we do it. The process of building a personal connection can play an important role in helping a person improve his or her situation. By meeting people where they are, we can build the positive relationship necessary to gain trust. Through these relationships, individuals may be able to see a different path and find the encouragement to pursue it. South Dakota winters are extremely harsh and we have lost many local relatives to the unbearable conditions. The current shelter capacity within Rapid City cannot support the number of neighbors in need. During the winter of 2021, Wambli Ska opened a temporary emergency shelter using the church located on campus. Outreach staff and volunteers not only provided for the basic necessities, but also assisted participants with connecting to services that could offer longer-term solutions. Wambli Ska has been working with gang-affiliated youth since 2014 by offering diversion programs and opportunities to build a successful future. Based on this work, Wambli Ska became involved in the White House Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Collaborative. The goal of the initiative is to connect community resources to the people who need them most, addressing the root causes of violence in a holistic way that cannot be done by law enforcement or local government alone. Related programs employ collective strategies that prevent and disrupt cycles of violence to include gang activity, bullying, gun violence, racial tensions, drugs or alcohol-related violence, and domestic violence.