July 2025

The past few weeks in Deer River have been a beautiful blend of culture, tech, and creativity.

In one room, youth were fully focused on sewing and ribbon skirt making—learning traditional skills, choosing their fabrics, and bringing their designs to life with care and pride. On the other side of the Hub, it was all tech: 3D printing projects, Canva design work, and Adobe Premiere video editing sessions filled the air with focused energy and quiet excitement.

This balance of hands-on heritage and digital creativity came together through our collaboration with SNAP-Ed on the Niimidaa: We Dance campaign.

Youth from both Deer River and Grand Rapids are participating, using design and media tools to tell stories about powwows, dance, and Indigenous celebration. But this project goes deeper—it’s also teaching students how to open and reply to emails, take in feedback, and refine their work into something thoughtful, intentional, and powerful.

Their final pieces will be used in a full marketing campaign by SNAP-Ed, giving the youth real-world experience and a meaningful platform for their voices.

‍

‍