Julie Garreau

Julie Garreau, (Wicahpi Epatan Win- Touches the Stars Woman) is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and is the executive director of the Cheyenne River Youth Project. Julie has been the driving force behind the 28 year old organization’s exhilarating development, from a tiny one-room youth center in a former Main Street bar to a comprehensive youth and family services organization that includes The Main youth center for children ages 4-12; the Ċokata Wiċoni teen center for youth ages 13-18; Winyan Toka Win 2 acre organic garden; and the Waniyetu Wowapi Art Park. Julie is a dedicated youth advocate, and hopes that CRYP will become a model for other communities to follow as they develop effective, sustainable youth programming. A graduate of South Dakota’s Huron University, Julie was the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe’s education services specialist for 15 years, and during that time she served for five years on the CRST Police Commission – three of those years as chairperson. She also has served as a field coordinator for Running Strong for American Indian Youth®, a national not-for-profit organization that is an important CRYP partner. In her nearly two decades with CRYP, Julie has received the South Dakota Volunteer of the Year Award; the Presidential Points of Light Award presented by President George Bush; the Lakota Nation Invitational Tournament Public Service Award; the Father Hogebach Service to Native American Children Award; the North American Indian Women’s Association Fellowship “Among All Peoples” Award; the Garden Supply Company’s First Place “Garden Crusader” Award; and the Spirit of Dakota Award. In 2002, the South Dakota Coalition for Children named CRYP a “Champion for Children,” and Julie was named to an honor roll that recognized its 16 members’ outstanding dedication to South Dakota’s children. In addition to serving as a Suicide Crisis Referral Hotline Counselor, she testified before the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee Hearing on Youth Suicide Prevention in 2005. Her name appears on the Honor Wall at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. Julie served on Running Strong for American Indian Youth’s National Honorary Advisory Board and on the Fairy Godmother’s Fund Council. In 2010, she also ran as the District 28 candidate for the South Dakota State Senate. Julie completed Hopa Mountain’s Native American Nonprofit Leadership Program and is Bush Foundation Native Nations Rebuilders Fellow. She was appointed to the South Dakota Commission for National and Community Service by Governor Dennis Daugaard and is a member of the South Dakota Attorney General’s Indian Advisory Council. In March 2016 she received a Bush Foundation Fellowship. That’s not all. Julie has held a seat on the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Advisory Council is a founding member of the Native American Food Systems Alliance. Julie’s recent accomplishments include the establishment of the Keya Café and Coffee Shop, the regions first farm-to--table initiative in the region. She continues to spearhead sustainable agriculture initiatives through the youth project’s 2-acre, naturally grown Winyan Toka Win garden. Most recently, she and her staff launched the innovative, ground-breaking Waniyetu Wowapi Graffiti and Street Art Park at the CRYP campus.

I am passionate about serving my community through my work at the Cheyenne River Youth Project and building my community to create a better future for the youth of the Cheyenne River Lakota Nation.

Youth Development in Indian Country

Youth Development