"The Bears on Pine Ridge"(short documentary) premiered at the esteemed Big Sky Documentary Festival in 2021. It was awarded a post-production grant from Vision Maker Media and the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, enabling the team to expand the project into a feature film set to release in 2023. Over the course of six years, "The Bears on Pine Ridge" chronicles the true story of a community united in their efforts to save lives and bring hope to the youth. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, located in South Dakota, is in a State-of-Emergency due to a severe shortage of mental health resources, suffering the highest youth suicide rates in the United States. Enter "Tiny," a respected female elder who leads a team of passionate residents who have formed their own suicide prevention organization. Tiny also serves as a mentor to a group of courageous and inspiring suicide survivors who, with her guidance, find their "voice" and advocate for hope and awareness on the reservation.

Canadian's largest Nationwide entertainment news network, eTalk spotlights 'The Bears on Pine Ridge' in an interview with Director Noel Bass.

The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and 'The Bears on Pine Ridge' filmmakers put together a special panel discussion with leaders in Native suicide prevention. This is a quick glimpse of some of the discussion. Watch the entire discussion to hear from leaders in Native youth suicide prevention: https://youtu.be/tb0Io_or9v4

This 5-minute sequence was put together as an extra for a festival screening to show some extra footage that was not featured in the film. (with Director commentary)

Tiny DeCory and Eileen Janis join John to talk about the Bear Program and its suicide prevention outreach initiatives on the Pine Ridge territory. Beginning as a youth education group, the Bear Program shifted its focus to suicide prevention after a wave of teen suicides swept across Pine Ridge. Tiny and Eileen discuss their ongoing efforts to tackle this mental health crisis. Want to support the Bear Program? Check out their Facebook page and make a donation today! https://www.facebook.com/Bear-Program-336607163039770/ patreon! https://www.patreon.com/letstalknative merch! - https://teespring.com/stores/ltnmerch spotify! - https://open.spotify.com/show/5qUuGA8QaOWaJHILLy8orp website! - https://www.letstalknative.com/ twitter! - https://twitter.com/letstalknative instagram! - https://www.instagram.com/letstalknativetv facebook! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/letstalknative/ podcast! - https://www.letstalknative.com/podcast #LETSTALKNATIVE #JOHNKANE

In this Native Hope podcast episode, we speak with Yvonne “Tiny” Decory, a strong Lakota woman from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. She has made it her life mission to aid in combating the issue of Indigenous suicide. As a member of the BEAR [Be Excited About Reading Program], she works to encourage the “celebration of life” through literacy, performance art, community outreach and counsel.

Director, Noel Bass, of The Bears on Pine Ridge has filmed many events over the years on and surrounding the Pine Ridge Reservation. On July 3rd, 2020, tensions were high in the community when former President Trump collaborated with SD governor Kristi Noem to hold a Trump rally with a large fireworks show on what is traditionally sacred lands. The area discontinued fireworks shows due to possible wildfire danger. This video captures the emotional confrontation between protestors and police.

WATCH THIS HUMBLE MOMENT FROM AN INDIGENOUS LEADER WATCH THIS BEAUTIFUL MOMENT! An Indigenous leader admits her own doubts in holding a leadership position, while youth suicides are on the rise. Watch as the other First Nations leaders bring her support! We heal together.