Genevieve Iron Lightning has seen hardship.

When the young Lakota dancer was just 11 or 12 years old, her mother began battling depression and alcoholism, causing her to treat her children differently and compromise their safety. So Iron Lightning made a brave decision, and took her two younger brothers to live with their grandmother in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, on the Cheyenne River Reservation—one of America's poorest counties.

Lakota in America follows Iron Lightning as she interns at Eagle Butte's only coffee shop through the Cheyenne River Youth Project (CRYP), a grassroots organization that helps lead young people toward a more secure future.

Read the full article by Matt Petronzio on Mashable