EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF SERVICE AT THE OGLALA SIOUX PINE RIDGE RESERVATION
Learn about our trip to the Once again Rev Tom is partnering with Re-Member, the non-profit which serves the people of the reservation. This will be your opportunity to make new friends, experience firsthand the Oglala Sioux history, culture, traditions, successes, and challenges. Learn what it’s like to support and serve the reservation residents who live in one of the poorest counties in the United States. All while enjoying the rugged beauty of the arid and rolling countryside of Southwestern South Dakota.
You’ll be guided and supported by the Re-Member staff. You’ll be provided the necessary transportation, tools, and equipment to build, install, and repair structures, decks, outhouses, trailer skirting, and more.
You’ll enjoy community dining and Oglala speakers sharing their experiences and traditions, in addition to fellowship with others from across the United States. Bunk house style housing and community dining will be provided as part of the cost of your trip. You’ll be informed of specific details, i.e., clothing, safety equipment, bedding, and more that you’ll need during your stay in a series of information meetings.
Participants should anticipate a week of working outdoors in varying and sometimes extreme weather conditions.
Of utmost importance to a successful and productive service-learning trip is the safety of all volunteers. The nature of volunteer activities, i.e., construction work, entails manual labor with ever-present risk of injury. Most volunteers perform some activities that are unfamiliar to them, and many experience more physical exertion than that to which they are accustomed, and this tends to increase the risks.
Please be prepared for: Physical Exertion, Weather-Related Risks (Hot and Dry Weather, Cold Weather, Windy Conditions), Chemical Exposure (Cleaning Products, Paint), and Construction Projects (Lifting, Power Tools, Safety Equipment including Gloves, Goggles, and Masks). Given the wide range of volunteer skill levels, Re-Member endeavors to involve all volunteers in its projects.
It is Rev Tom’s suggestion that a reasonable level of physical fitness be maintained prior to embarking on this adventure.
Participants are responsible for their transportation to and from the reservation. Once the adventure begins, however, Re-Member will provide transportation in and around the reservation. While Rev Tom is the trip organizer, Re-Member staff are in charge once on the Rez. Liability waivers will be provided.
Please note that due to the onset of COVID-19, Re-Member must be fully compliant with the tribe’s guidelines for visiting volunteer organizations. Therefore all volunteers are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and wear face coverings when in public and when in the presence of residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation.
