The Bears on Pine Ridge
The Bears on Pine Ridge
Preview: Special | 2m 33sVideo has Closed Captions
Residents join forces amidst a suicide State-of-Emergency on the Pine Ridge reservation.
A State-of-Emergency grips Pine Ridge Reservation amidst soaring youth suicides rates. With an urgent need for mental health resources, residents mobilize community-driven prevention efforts. A determined Oglala Lakota elder, named 'Tiny', inspires a group of resilient young suicide-survivors to unite, giving them a platform to raise awareness, in hopes of saving more lives.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
The Bears on Pine Ridge
The Bears on Pine Ridge
Preview: Special | 2m 33sVideo has Closed Captions
A State-of-Emergency grips Pine Ridge Reservation amidst soaring youth suicides rates. With an urgent need for mental health resources, residents mobilize community-driven prevention efforts. A determined Oglala Lakota elder, named 'Tiny', inspires a group of resilient young suicide-survivors to unite, giving them a platform to raise awareness, in hopes of saving more lives.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch The Bears on Pine Ridge
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Around the country.
Those who live on Indian reservations are struggling in so many aspects of life.
Nowhere is this more true than on the pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Their unemployment and poor housing are only a few of the issues that their residents are dealing with.
We've been through so much.
Our people has been through so much as we've had them as young as kindergarten with serious ideations.
We have had a seven year old first grader who attempted to hang himself.
Suicide took a lot of our young people, so people are afraid.
So our response team is small, not everybody wants to go into a house and find somebody that you couldn't get to.
Listen up now.
When we walk, we pray.
You're praying for him to have that journey, but he gets to the place where he needs to be.
I've been in the lives of these kids.
I knew what they wanted in life.
I knew the dynamics of their families.
We have to bring attention to the cause.
That suicide is not the answer.
Life.
Honoring life.
We cover a big area, so yo can't drive fast on your home.
You can work and do everything you can, but the time, the distance you can't do anything about it.
The only friend I had killed herself.
So I always thought, like, I'm most likely just going to take my own life.
Boys and girls the Bears.
It's how much energy you from yourself want to put into the costume.
And as Bears, we want to bring all the costumes to life and dance for the children.
I want to be able to be this person who like everybody, loves.
I want to be able to help other people, like, get that feeling of like, excitement and just joy.
It just kind of made me feel amazed by all of it.
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