Pine Ridge students strive to stop suicide on reservation
A group of students on the Pine Ridge reservation are trying proactive measures to save lives from suicide on the reservation.
By Hannah Baker
Pine Ridge, S.D. - In Pine Ridge there’s a woman determined to change the cycle of suicide. She is short, has curly black hair and wears black-rimmed glasses. She is forthcoming, energetic, and in comparison to the young kids she works with she fits right in.
Her name is Yvonne DeCory, but most people in the community know her as “Tiny.” She founded the Be Excited About Reading (BEAR) program in 2004. The program is made up of volunteers and runs completely off of donations.
It began as a program for younger children in elementary and middle school to get kids excited about reading, while also educating them about bullying and treating others with respect.
DeCory and her group of volunteers, a handful of middle and high school students, put on musical and dance skits while wearing mascot costumes of different animals such as: a tiger, frog, mouse, dog, skunk, etc.
“The performances are really interactive and a lot of fun,” said DeCory. “We get the kids laughing and then bring it back around to more serious issues.”
Along with the skits, DeCory said the group hosts a number of other events intertwining education and fun, such as math and reading jamborees. During the summer months, the group features “Music in the Park” where community members can come and listen to acoustic guitar and modern rap and hip-hop music.
After BEAR took off, DeCory said she and the group saw an unsettling amount of suicides happening within their community. The group felt compelled to take action rather than remain sitting idly by.
“We had a six-year span where we lost about 50 kids to suicide, domestic violence, alcohol—we wanted to do something to stop the cycle,” she said. “It’s a tough subject, but if we’re going to end suicide we all need to move together toward a solution,” she said.
DeCory said many families might have difficulty talking about suicide because they are embarrassed or ashamed. This parallels findings from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which said in a recent study that reasons youth reported for not seeking help include internal factors, such as embarrassment, lack of problem recognition, a belief that nobody could help, and self-reliance.
“If we’re going to stop the cycle of suicide we have to start talking about it—even if it’s difficult,” said DeCory.
Incidentally, many of the BEAR members are suicide survivors, have dealt with suicidal thoughts, or have had a close relative or friend commit suicide.
Caitlin Pilcher, an eighth-grade BEAR member, joined the group after she was contemplating suicide. She said when she was going through tough times Tiny reached out to her and helped her get back on the right track.
“Tiny said maybe my life would change if I joined [BEAR]. I tried it out and I’ve been happier and succeeding in school and not really having suicidal thoughts anymore,” said Pilcher.
The group not only targets schools in Pine Ridge. DeCory said because suicide is a widespread issue that does not discriminate according to race, class or region, the group travels wherever they are invited to spread their message, which has included Iowa and New Mexico.
The suicide skits BEAR performs are geared toward high school students for two reasons: the explicit content and several of the suicides were occurring in high school aged students.
According to the CDC, suicide was the second-leading cause of death for both males and females in 2009 between the ages of 10 and 34 with rates of 33.5 and 9.7 per 100,000, respectively.
DeCory said the skits touch on a number of other topics beside suicide. Deep issues such as huffing and cutting are also a part of their outreach, as those can be seen as preliminary actions leading toward suicide.
Erin Miller, a high school senior and BEAR member, said before she joined the group she would cut herself to release built up frustration. She didn’t want to kill herself, but she needed a way to release her emotions and cutting was her remedy for some time.
Now having moved passed those days, Miller enjoys helping other students on the reservations because she understands many have tough home lives.
“Kids grow up faster on the reservation because a lot of their parents are into drugs and alcohol and [they] have to come home from school and take care of brothers and sisters.,” said Miller. “They grow into the parental role early.”
Kiana Walking Eagle said many of the performances become emotional and students open up to the group.
“There are times people will start crying during our performances – maybe because it made them think of someone they lost,” said sophomore BEAR member Kiana Walking Eagle. “We have a lot of people come up to us after our skits who need to talk and we’re there for them.”
Shawn Keith, another BEAR member, said if students come up after the performances they try to instill one idea into their minds: hope.
“People come up after and talk about what’s happened in their lives and that’s when we know we hit them, we got them,” he said. “When you’re feeling down there are people out there who can help you so don’t feel that you have to kill yourself. The pain is temporary.”
The goal of the group may be primarily to reach young people in the audiences, but for many of the BEAR members being a part of this group is helpful for them as individuals, and at times, therapeutic.
“BEAR is my therapy,” said Miller. “I don’t think about cutting anymore, and it gives you good feelings to help other people.”
Although DeCory was the driving force behind the program, she attributes its success to the BEAR members and their drive to reach out to their peers.
“I’m just a facilitator and really it’s these kids that lead me. I’m blessed to work with these young people,” said DeCory. “Young people could solve everything if we just gave them the chance.”
BREAKOUT BOX:
To get in touch with Yvonne DeCory, call (605)454-0518.
Photos by Amy Nissen
Photos by Amy Nissen
