In Pipestone, established community leaders are helping youth find their own leadership voice and it all begins with fostering pride in the culture and heritage of young people there.

From January through March of this year, about 20 American Indian youth in the Pipestone area learned an appreciation for their culture and, thus, themselves through taking American Indian Drum and Dance classes.

The classes were made possible through a $5,000 grant from the Blandin Foundation. Bud Johnston, a 2008 BCLP alumnus and president of the Keepers of the Sacred Tradition of Pipemakers applied for the grant after attending an American Indian alumni leadership gathering last year.

Johnston leveraged the Foundation grant to secure another $1,200 donation from the Pipestone Active Living Coalition. The active living coalition was interested in the project to help battle the growing problem of inactivity and obesity in today’s youth.

Although the funding was secured the bigger challenge was still ahead – getting young people to sign up for the dance and drum classes. Organizers found interest was high – 50 people (dancers and parents/guardians) came to the first community meetings.

The impact of the drum and dance classes went far beyond the exercise benefits of the 12-week regime. Johnston watched American Indian youth come alive in his community.

“Our tribal kids, I think, have an identity problem,” said Johnston. “With this class, the kids really blossomed.’

That “blossoming” was the result of two positive benefits of the classes. First, American Indian youth won the support of the larger community. Second, youth learned a little of their own history and “got to be a lot prouder of who they were,” said Johnston.

“I was so impressed with the public support of what we were doing,” continued Johnston. “It was a real turnaround for people to see what we could do.”

One week prior to a final graduation ceremony, dancers and drummers performed for the entire middle school and high school student bodies at the invitation of the local high school principal. The experience was positive for the drummers and dancers as well as the broader community.

“Personally, I think the class helped make it an ‘okay’ endeavor for Native American children to consider their heritage and roots,” said Jim Lentz, superintendent of Pipestone schools and a 2008 BCLP alumnus. “The class drew people from around the area, so its reach was larger than just Pipestone.  Even though the class was well attended, I am not sure the community has had an awakening to the wonderful cultural diversity our community presently has.  This was a great first step toward that end.”

“The classes were very well attended,” said Debra Fitzgerald, editor of the Pipestone County Star. “The participation suggests there’s a desire to learn about cultural traditions. A one-time class may help develop leaders within the American Indian community if the spark of interest the class lit can be kept alive, either through future classes or access to the practice of those traditions in other venues.”

Johnston hopes to keep the “spark” alive with another 12-week class next winter. He’d also like to see the program expand to year round. Ultimately, he believes the classes have and will help American Indian youth cultivate their own gifts so they will have more to bring to the community leadership table.

“Before you can become a leader you have to be comfortable with who you are. For a young person to get out in front of hundreds of people and perform is an important first step,” he said.