RAPID CITY, S.D. – A new culturally grounded literacy initiative is helping Native children in Rapid City and on the Pine Ridge Reservation strengthen their reading skills while connecting learning with Indigenous culture, identity, and storytelling.
Friends of the Children-He Sapa launched its first summer Literacy Camp in Rapid City and Rockyford with support from a Rotary Foundation Global Grant involving nine Rotary districts and several individual clubs in eight states and India.
Approximately 120 reading-fluency assessments were administered during the camp to establish a baseline for each student and measure progress. By the end of the camp, 20% of participating students had increased their reading fluency by a full grade level, while 57% demonstrated measurable growth in reading fluency, according to project organizers.
Students participated in reading, writing, observation, storytelling, and hands-on discovery in a culturally responsive learning environment. The broader initiative will provide culturally relevant reading materials, interactive learning technology, and welcoming learning spaces that honor Indigenous culture while encouraging educational achievement.
“At Friends of the Children-He Sapa, we believe that schools and caregivers should be equal partners in their child’s education,” said Tyresha Grey Horse, executive director of Friends of the Children-He Sapa. “Literacy is a powerful pathway to breaking cycles of generational poverty. When youth are stronger readers, they are better equipped to navigate systems, advocate for themselves and create the futures they deserve.”
The initiative also recognizes that a child’s reading development extends beyond the classroom. Friends of the Children-He Sapa is holding Family Engagement Nights to give children and their caregivers practical ways to make reading part of everyday life at home.
At the first event Aug. 13, families received “I Tell You That I Love You” by Indigenous author Tanaya Winder as the first selection in the Red Book Bag program. Board member Dr. Whitnee Coy and literacy specialist Stacy Cole led the event with the organization’s professional mentors. Additional Family Engagement Nights are planned.
“Our professional mentors build deeply supportive relationships with youth and caregivers to create lasting change in the lives of families and the larger community,” Grey Horse said.
Friends of the Children-He Sapa is the first Indigenous-led, culturally specific chapter in the national Friends of the Children network. It combines the organization’s evidence-based, long-term mentoring model with Lakota values and culturally grounded learning.
The program identifies children ages 4 to 6 who face significant obstacles and pairs each child with a professional mentor. Mentors spend four hours a week with each child – two hours during school and two hours outside school – and develop individualized plans with specific goals.
The literacy initiative’s long-range goal is to help Native youth graduate from high school or earn a GED and become scholars, leaders, and lifelong learners. It also seeks to empower parents and caregivers to take an active role in their children’s reading through the Raising a Reader program.
The Rotary grant was coordinated by Dr. Ashok Kumar, past president of the Rotary Club of Rapid City. The project grew from a vision shared by Kumar and Jeanne W. Clark, a Kentucky Rotary leader who had long sought an opportunity to support Native children and families.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their full potential,” Clark said. “I hope this Rotary Global Grant gives Friends of the Children-He Sapa the resources to inspire confidence, hope and a stronger sense of possibility for Oglala Lakota children.”
The project’s core committee includes Kumar, representing Rotary International District 5610; Grey Horse, an Oglala Lakota leader; and Clark, past governor of Rotary International District 6740 in Kentucky.
