OUTLAST ARTS AND EDUCATION:
Celebrating 10 Years & Ready For Our Next Chapter!
Outlast Arts and Education creates pathways for youth from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota to pursue self-determination and economic freedom through comprehensive programming, including film and media education, mental health workshops, community events, career readiness workshops, and college tours.
OUTLAST AT A GLANCE
OUTLAST AT A GLANCE
MISSION:
To celebrate, empower, and help Native youth in South Dakota advance through media arts, education, and community-building.
HISTORY AND IMPACT:
Founded in 2015 as an urgent response to the systemic inequities Native youth face, Outlast initially launched as a week-long summer film camp for up to 20 participants. Outlast is now ready to expand its programming. Outlast students increase their self-confidence and acquire skills and competencies in advanced filmmaking and project management, writing, media literacy, collaboration, and team-building. To date, 330 youth have participated in Outlast's core programming, with 60 of these students returning over multiple years.
LEADERSHIP:
Outlast is led by a diverse team of experts in film and media, education, culturally responsive mental health counselors, as well as Outlast graduates who return to teach their peers. The governing Board is made up of accomplished professionals and emerging leaders with expertise in education, media, mental health, business, and local community engagement.
COLLABORATORS:
Thunder Valley C.D.C.—a non-profit based on the Pine Ridge Reservation and Hollywood professionals, college educators, community members, and Lakota language speakers.
EXPANSION PLAN:
With additional funding, Outlast will be able to engage a total of 60 youth in three cohorts of 20 students each, who will be in the program for three years. This year-round model will include a summer film institute that progresses in rigor from beginner to intermediate to advanced. Students will learn how storytelling can be transformative, harnessing the power of personal and community narratives. They will also participate in ongoing monthly wellness groups and college and career preparation throughout the year. By the third year, students will be eligible to attend a college and career tour. In addition, Outlast will be responding to critical community needs by engaging the youth in meaningful community service, such as food, clothing, and toy drives.
OUTLAST ON-THE-GO:
Outlast will also continue to offer week-long pop-up film and media workshops on an annual basis to 120 underserved Youth of Color across South Dakota.
WHEN PROVIDED WITH SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES, NATIVE YOUTH ACHIEVE REMARKABLE SUCCESS DESPITE LIMITED RESOURCES, CHRONIC UNDERFUNDING, AND SYSTEMIC OPPRESSION.
WE GOT NEXT
In 2023, during Native Peoples’ Heritage Month, MTV Entertainment partnered with Outlast Arts & Education for a year-long collaboration with ten Lakota students at Outlast and other teenage residents of Pine Ridge Reservation (ages 14-19), to develop, write, and produce their short film, We Got Next. This beautifully rendered piece doesn’t shy away from the true-to-life issues many Indigenous communities face, but it deliberately counteracts these stereotypes with expressions of pride, community, and joy.
WATCH HERE
MEET OUR YOUTH
MEET OUR YOUTH
“I think other kids should definitely go to programs like Outlast Arts and Education and take part in film college tours like this. It gives us a chance to see what’s possible and makes us realize that we belong in these spaces, too. Being on these tours helped me imagine my future and showed me that our voices and stories are important. Programs like this open our eyes to new opportunities, and they can inspire more Native students to chase their dreams in film and other arts.”
-Marli
“In my experience with Outlast, the support they've provided helped me see the further potential in the path I want to go for in life, which is experimenting with various ways of showing our Indigenous creativity. My way of doing so has always been with music and writing, but it was thanks to Outlast for opening me up to film.”
-Shaundre
“I think it’s good for young people to take opportunities like this because it shows how much you truly care for your future and how much college means to you. I also think it’s good for people to take opportunities like this while you're young, because you can see what you want for your future and where YOU want to go, not where other people want you to go.”
-Ty
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