Over the course of 12 weeks Lakota youth will learn how to use basic hand tools such as a hammers and saws. They will learn about materials that can be used for house building including conventional materials such as lumber and bricks as well as alternative materials such as clay, sand, straw and tires. Students will participate in a field trip to visit a house building project and or a natural house and will be challenged to plan and build a small model home made from scavenged materials.
With up to 30 people living in a house and utility costs of up to $700 per month in winter months, the Pine Ridge Indian reservation is in serious need of sustainable, energy efficient housing. Many people living here are accustomed to poverty and hold the belief that change is not possible. This project empowers youth to know that change is possible and gives them the skills they need to become change makers.
Educating youth at a young age about what is possible, where resources are available and how to plan and construct a project is an important component in Earth Tipi's overall mission to connect people with resources to create sustainable housing and local food for the residents of Pine Ridge. This project will teach children about different materials used in house building including local, natural and recycled. It will also teach them where those resources are located and how to acquire them.
Through this project we will see families constructing their own homes using natural and recycled local materials to build homes. We believe that Pine Ridge Indian Reservation has the potential to become a model for sustainability for the United States. This project will bring us one step closer to that vision. In it's first round, this project will directly impact 450 children living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in grades Kindergarden through 8th.
