Mission/Vision
Our mission at Friends of the Children–He Sapa (Friends–He Sapa) is to impact generational change through youth relationships with professional mentors—for 12+ years, no matter what. We intentionally build relationships with children and families facing the greatest obstacles to belonging and well-being, using our long-term mentorship model together with the cultural grounding of the Lakota culture to help children and families build a path to long-term stability and community.
Friends–He Sapa launched in summer 2022 as an independent nonprofit that is the first Indigenous-led, culturally specific location of the national Friends of the Children network. Our model has six distinguishing elements:
1. We intentionally serve children facing the greatest risk factors.
2. We hire full-time, highly trained professional mentors (who we call “Relatives”) with skills and knowledge to work with children and families with histories of personal and cultural trauma. Friends spend 3 to 4 hours per week with each child, including 2 hours in school.
3. We enroll children ages 4 to 6 and commit to them through high school graduation.
4. We are involved in all facets of a child’s life (school, home, and community) and are grounded in Lakota culture to provide holistic, wrap-around services.
5. Relatives develop trusting relationships with caregivers and elders, partnering to promote the child’s learning and development.
6. We combine our network’s 30 years of proven results with our leadership’s deep attachment to Lakota traditions and their expertise in educating and serving Indigenous youth and families.
Four stages of the Lakota Way of Life
This representation of the Oinajin Topa is based on the work of Rick Two-Dogs and Ethleen Iron Cloud-Two Dogs, and shared with their permission.
Friends of the children Values
At the core of Friends of the Children’s mission is our organizational value of putting children first—walking alongside youth who face some of life’s hardest challenges from kindergarten through high school, for 12+ years no matter what.
Put Children First
Putting Children First as a key value for the organization means that the youth we serve are the primary focus of everything we do at Friends of the Children. We intentionally serve youth who are facing great obstacles. We listen to youth and base decisions on their needs and dreams, as they write their own stories of success. We foster a supportive, consistent relationship between each youth and professional mentor—a relationship that grows through high school, and into their adult lives.
Build Relationships on Love
We nurture long-term relationships from a foundation of love and acceptance. Our practice is rooted in the wisdom of communities, tailoring support to honor each youth’s unique identity and shared heritage. We don’t give up easily and take a no matter what approach to our work. We intentionally develop collaborative relationships over time with trust, empathy and healthy communication. We build community through one-on-one connections that are authentic, respectful and meaningful.
Commit to Empowerment
We leverage personal strengths to take ownership of our futures. We build relationships within the communities of our youth and families to strengthen social networks and provide bridges to new opportunities. We consistently inspire possibility through empathy, hard work and fun. We model all of this for our youth, families and each other.
Pursue Goals Relentlessly
We celebrate all achievements, big and small. We are disciplined in our commitment to goals, while innovative in how we reach them. We believe that the definition of success requires intentional reflection and adjustment over time. We work together and hold ourselves accountable with data to achieve short and long-term outcomes.
Unlock All Potential
We believe everyone deserves the chance to reach their full potential, because where you start shouldn’t decide how far you go. We advocate to ensure every child, regardless of historical and present challenges, has the resources, support, and voice needed to thrive. We amplify and listen to the hopes and dreams of the children, families, and communities we serve. We harness different perspectives to overcome barriers and drive measurable change for every child. Together, we work to challenge and remove obstacles so potential isn’t limited by any circumstance.