For the past two summers, the West Coast CITs have ventured to Dupree, SD to visit the YMCA of the Seven Council Fires, the only YMCA located on a reservation. Members and staff of the Seven Council Fires graciously welcomed Coniston’s next generation of counselors and gave them the opportunity to meet and learn from the Lakota people.
Neither the history of the Lakota nor the reality of reservation life is easy to digest. There is pain, but more importantly, there is joy. Simple games like tag left everyone breathless with laughter.
“The connections that the CITs made with the campers there were so, so beautiful,” said West Coast CIT Director Ainsley Conroy.
CIT Caleb Meranus recalled, “The children I met while volunteering at the YMCA in Dupree were some of the most kind, respectful and thoughtful children I had ever met.” After working at the day camp, the CITs traveled to the town of Cherry Creek to distribute meals. Next, they volunteered at the overnight camp of the Seven Council Fires: YMCA Camp Marrowbone.
At Marrowbone, camp feels a little different. It moves at a slower pace, but the fun is the same. The smiles are just as bright – Camp is Camp.
“We should definitely be sharing what we’re learning in South Dakota with the greater Coniston community,” said Ainsley.
“We developed this program to show Conistonians how our camp fits into the larger picture that is the YMCA. I love sending young people to places like this because they are awestruck by the differences while simultaneously heartwarmed by the similarities. It is ultimately the sameness you feel with a person that leads you to understand your place in the world. Perhaps there is no better place to feel that than the Cheyenne River Valley Reservation,” said John Tilley.
After trips to California, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado, the next stop in our West Coast CIT program is the Pacific Northwest. We will send alumni to South Dakota to continue the work begun by the CITs, and to ensure the lessons learned there will be woven into Coniston for years to come.