About The Next Generation Gala

Please come celebrate 10 years of Outlast providing high-quality summer media arts education to youth from Pine Ridge Reservation and in rural communities in South Dakota on November 8, in Los Angeles . As part of this special evening, Outlast youth will present an award to Mato Wayuhi, long-time Outlast mentor, for his Exceptional Advocacy for Native Youth.

Evening Highlights

Sterlin Harjo, Keynote Speaker, Seminole and Muscogee filmmaker, creator of Reservation Dogs and The Lowdown
Mato Wayuhi, Honoree, celebrating his Exceptional Advocacy for Native Youth, Oglala Lakota musician and composer for Reservation Dogs (tribute led by Outlast youth)
Román Zaragoza, Host, filmmaker and actor, CBS’ Ghosts, Akimel O’otham and Mexican descent on his father’s side, and Japanese and Taiwanese descent on his mother's side
Performance by TwoLips, Lakota, Dena’ina, Black singer-songwriter
Reflections and stories from Outlast youth, alumni, and Elders, who will be in attendance

Outlast youth have created award-winning short films, documentaries, and music videos. In addition, they’ve traveled with Outlast across the country to visit colleges and universities, including UCLA, Chapman University, Cal State LA, NYU, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Lives have been transformed through the community we’ve built. Outlast youth have gone to college, into professional filmmaking, and returned to Outlast programming as youth leaders to support and inspire the next generation.

With ten years of experience and consistently high student retention, Outlast is now ready to grow, expanding from a summer program to a year-round model that will reach up to 150 youth annually.

Outlast-at-a-Glance

Outlast seeks to celebrate, empower, and help advance Native and BIPOC youth in South Dakota through media arts, education, and community building. Formed in 2015 and run by Native and BIPOC experts and Outlast graduates, Outlast was designed as a direct and urgent response to the systemic inequities Native youth face. Outlast empowers youth to pursue self-determination and economic independence by equipping them with the skills necessary to succeed academically and professionally.

In supporting the holistic well-being of Native and BIPOC youth, Outlast programming explores themes of social justice, mental health, and climate change, ensuring that students are equipped to navigate the significant issues impacting their lives and their communities.

After almost ten years of perfecting its holistic three-year model, Outlast is ready to expand and support more South Dakota youth, especially at this time in our history.

What We Offer

As Outlast celebrates its 10th anniversary, it has refined its successful summer program model and is poised to expand its reach to a larger audience. The expanded program will include year-round, project-based film and media education, intergenerational wellness and community workshops, academic tutoring, and college and career readiness sessions.

Outlast Arts and Education will engage 150 youth at Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced levels in a 3-year, year-long curriculum centered around storytelling and the transformative power of personal and community narratives. Each cohort will participate in a summer film and media institute, ongoing counseling, and monthly wellness groups. By the third year, students will be eligible to participate in a college tour, where they will further explore career and educational opportunities.

In addition to our cohorts, Outlast provides pop-up media arts workshops to up to 100 additional underserved youth throughout South Dakota and beyond.

Celebrate 10 Years of Outlast!

Join us in empowering Native youth through storytelling, wellness, and education.

Team Leaderboard

Team Members