Ogichidaakwe of Ge-niigaanizijig (Warrior Woman of the Ones Who Will Lead)
CHEYANNE PEET IS LEADING THE WAY TO SHOW YOUTH THAT 'REZ GIRL' THINGS ARE COOL
By DIBIKWE, VALLERIE HARRINGTON-WIND
Cheyanne Peet, Miskwaanakwadookwe, is the District II Ge-Niigaanizijig Coordinator for the Aanjibimaadizing Program. Aanjibimaadizing, which means “changing lives” in our Ojibwe language, is operated as a division of the Mille Lacs Band’s Department of Administration. The goals of the program are centered on their mission statement: “To assist our fellow Anishinaabe with education, training, work experiences, cultural participation, and support services to be prosperous and change their life.” Cheyanne is part of the Ge-Niigaanizijig team and she currently coordinates the activities for the Ge-Niigaanizijig. Aanjibimaadizing combined youth programming with Niigaan January 1, 2020. Ge-Niigaanizijig works to develop skills in the four pillars of youth programming: Ojibwe culture, community, career, and education. Regularly scheduled activities inspire and motivate our youth to embrace a traditions-based lifestyle free of chemicals, anti-social behavior, and dependency. Youth mentors provide programming in all districts, as well as Urban. These activities are offered to all eligible Reservation service-area youth ages kindergarten through 20.
Cheyanne ensures the staff are able to carry out the activities with the youth and makes sure they’re having good relationships with them. One of the biggest reasons she wanted to do this job is because she has a chance to build from a foundation with the Aanjibimaadizing program and search for experiences that might light a fire or set off a spark in the kids. Her focus is about trying different things because you never know what‘s going to capture them. Cheyanne is constantly trying to figure out how to engage the youth in new things that may be scary and outside of their comfort zone and making sure day-to-day things are going well.
Cheyanne grew up attending youth programs, and when she was old enough to work in summer youth programs, she was placed with Community Youth Services, a similar program to Ge-Niigaanizijig. During her time, she recalls that she wanted to be like her aunt, who was the coordinator of the CYS program. When she was younger she said, “I’m going to be coordinator one day.” Even at a young age she knew her calling was to work with youth. Her aunt guided her to make her do things she didn’t want to and no matter how scared she was, she would guide her to do it . Every time she would do something new, she was proud of herself. Even today, she can hear her aunt telling her, "Just do it for me.” Cheyanne remembers those feelings all the time. She draws on her experiences of coming out of her comfort zone to bring that experience to the youth.
Cheyanne stated the leadership of Aanjibimaadizing is open to the activities that they want to provide. Her supervisors are very supportive of the vision of the coordinators and mentors. She is able to adjust the agenda to the engagement needs of the area. They prefer the districts sync the activities, and although the districts all serve youth and are the same, there are differences in the interests of the youth. She encourages the mentors and youth to work with other districts because those are the people who they will work with in the future and those relationships will already be built. She likes to be involved in the community and has joined various committees to build relationships and gain support. Cheyanne wants the youth to be able to have that, too.
Working in Aanjibimaadizing gives Cheyanne the opportunity to give back to Mille Lacs. She said she wouldn’t be where she is today without Mille Lacs, and this is her way of giving back and working for her Reservation. She’s always had the mindset of "What can I do for the community?" Growing up and having the same lifestyles as the kids in the program today, she wants to be where she can have the most impact with the youth. She’s worked in other positions but has always known she wanted to work with the community. Her goal when she was younger was to go to school and come back and do her part — wherever that is. She’s worked with adults, families, and treatment centers, but working with youth has filled her heart more than she ever thought it would. She knows that is where she is supposed to be. She loves it. She loves waking up in the morning and although she's not as hands-on with youth, she is involved with the planning of the youth activities. She knows she has a good crew to carry out the activities. She could work for hours so she has to cut herself off to get other things done. When she was younger she told herself that she would "never work a job I didn’t love. I always want to provide for my siblings and be a coordinator.”
Cheyanne values most knowing she is making an impact — even if it’s not something that is instant gratification, it’s a seed planting type of job. Sometimes that can be really hard but she knows the work she’s doing will have an impact in the future, whether she gets to see it or not. Being somebody the kids can turn to when they’re having a hard time, or they need that caring adult in their life, that’s what she values most about the job.
What motives her besides the youth and giving back to the community is her family, her daughter, and herself. Cheyanne was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (an autoimmune disease that causes muscle weakness) when she was 19 years old. Some of her family thought she shouldn't work and recommended she stay home and collect disability. But she didn’t allow the disease to take over her body. She found a way to coexist with it and she found strength and motivation to prove to herself she can live a productive life. She is the oldest of six, and although they’re all adults now, she is still their role-model, ensuring they stay on the path and she leads by example. She is a hero in our community and her family.
Currently, she is excited about the upcoming veterinary camp where the youth will get to experience hands-on how to care for an animal in various scenarios. There are not many clinics for animals on or near the Reservation, and she wants the youth to know the many types of jobs related to animals and what college and education is needed.
The biggest events that stick out for her are the healing events they provided. She helped have a healing-through-art event, and they had another event, Ginooji’izidomin, where she had facilitators come to discuss topics that relate to youth specifically. The event was all on cultural and healing.
Cheyanne is currently planning an upcoming event that will tie into the past events but also focus on mental health and suicide awareness. She recognizes the need for healing and the need for dealing and coping with mental health and suicide. Some topics are difficult, but are needed for our youth and community. We gain historical trauma from our ancestors, but we also gain strength and resilience from them as well. One of her goals is to work more and advocate more for the youth in the local public school to work through any past trauma and open up new opportunities to ensure our youth can identify with who they are and that they have a voice there.
For youth that may not know about the program, she would share that the program works to develop skills through activities that inspire and motivate the youth to embrace a traditions-based lifestyle free of chemicals, anti-social behavior, and dependency. She tries to stay under the four pillars and also have fun at the same time. The program is about getting youth involved and learning while going through all these different kinds of healing. That includes sometimes having difficult conversations that are uncomfortable for the youth but at the same time they’re healing, learning, and having fun. She hopes it is a place for youth to feel they have a purpose and that they belong.
Cheyanne recalls being young and having labels put on her that were not very positive. There was a stigma that if you live on the Reservation, you are no good. She would like the youth to recognize that there are good things that come from the Reservation and this is a good place to grow up. If all the youth went off to college and came back and worked as doctors, lawyers, and many good leaders in our community, that would be the most impactful. She hopes to use the program to help youth to be proud of who they are.
Cheyanne wants to make labels be conducive to who we are to have a more powerful positive impact on coming from the reservation. Oftentimes, we carry shame in our blood. Cheyanne wants to hopefully help erase that. It may take time, but it’s worth it. She said you can tell the hearts are really in the work of the youth workers and the program. She appreciates the leadership and the support of Carlos Merrill and Tammy Wickstrom; she says that’s a big part of what makes the job good, and enjoys being a part of a great team.
Miigwech, Cheyanne, for being such an amazing positive role-model doing “Rez girl things,” changing the labels, and making being from the Rez a positive statement.
