When Dreams Take Root: The Enduring Impact of The Cheyenne River Youth Project
Ten years ago, when Block’s Dreams Films series asked, “What is the state of the American Dream today?”; the answer was found in the stories of independent business owners quietly reshaping their communities from the ground up.
One of those leaders was Julie Garreau, founder and chief executive officer of the Cheyenne River Youth Project (CRYP) in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Julie, whose Lakota name is Wičhaȟpi Epatȟaŋ Wiŋ (Touches the Stars Woman), is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and she was born and raised on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. The youth project's story was told through the film Lakota in America, and around the same time the film premiered, Block began what has become a decade-long partnership with CRYP — rooted in a shared belief that lasting economic development starts within communities themselves.
Today, we’re honored to share their continuing journey in The Children Are Coming Home, a film that explores how one organization’s vision — supported by sustained partnership — has transformed an entire community across generations.
The Julie who appears in The Children Are Coming Home has evolved from narrator to protagonist. Her story reveals why measuring small businesses and community organizations purely in profit and loss misses their true impact. Like a river carving through dry landscape, CRYP has created pathways that leave lasting, multigenerational marks.
Through our partnership with CRYP, we’ve seen firsthand what happens when community wisdom is matched with access to tools, technology, and long-term support. The work has never been about imposing solutions from the outside. Instead, it has meant supporting the vision and capacity that already exist within the Cheyenne River Reservation community, and helping remove barriers so that vision can grow.
Julie takes us through the organization’s expansion to the Bear Butte State Park area, where land has been purchased not just for today’s programs, but as a legacy for future generations of Lakota youth. This wasn’t merely a business decision. It was an act of cultural preservation and community stewardship that will benefit the region for decades to come.
The Fabric of Community
In the film, viewers will see how CRYP creates employment opportunities specifically designed to serve young community members and more importantly, how it creates pathways for genuine agency and ownership. When young people see themselves reflected in leadership roles, when they are empowered to reshape operations and innovate for the future, something transformative happens. They begin to see their community as a place to invest.
Block’s role in this journey reflects our belief that the most powerful economic development happens when communities have the autonomy to chart their own course. Over ten years, this partnership has demonstrated that sustainable impact requires patience, trust, and a willingness to listen.
Multigenerational Investment in Action
By securing land near the sacred Bear Butte site, Julie and her team have created opportunities that today’s children will one day inherit and reshape according to their own vision. This kind of long-term thinking is rare in today’s business landscape — and exactly what communities need to truly thrive. It marks the difference between extractive models that drain resources and regenerative ones that build lasting value.
Decades of sustained operations has given CRYP something invaluable: earned wisdom. This isn’t theoretical knowledge. It’s the deep understanding that comes from weathering challenges, adapting to community needs, and discovering unexpected opportunities for growth.
The film explores how that wisdom has enabled CRYP to make decisions that may seem unconventional to outside observers but are perfectly aligned with the community’s unique needs.