Uprising

10/01/2026

Want to do more than attend the party? Help make the impact possible.

Sponsorships for the Ball of the Wild Bayou are officially available—but this year, they go far beyond one incredible night.

Our 2026–27 sponsorships support Uprising programming throughout the year, including youth prevention education, professional training, community education, and outreach across Wyoming.

Sponsors receive Ball of the Wild Bayou benefits PLUS year-round recognition, with opportunities at select levels for customized professional training or a VR experience for your team.

👑 Sponsorships begin at $500.

Want to join the krewe? Contact [email protected] for the sponsorship packet.

09/28/2026

There are so many hands—and so much heart—behind this project.

A huge thank you to Dan Lee of Destiny Kid Labs, who brought these stories to life through his incredible illustration and animation work, and to Cody Haar of Haar Media, who helped us thoughtfully film, produce, and edit these videos.

Projects involving lived experience require more than technical talent. They require people who understand the responsibility that comes with being entrusted with someone else's story. We are so grateful for the care, creativity, and intention Cody and Dan brought to this process.

And above all, our deepest gratitude goes to Ashley and Charlie.

Sharing deeply personal experiences publicly is no small thing. They chose to share parts of their lives so that others might better understand trafficking and exploitation, recognize vulnerability differently, and perhaps see the person behind the statistics.

Thank you, Ashley and Charlie, for your trust, your courage, and your continued commitment to helping others learn.

This project was made possible through grant funding from Wyoming Humanities.

09/27/2026

Meet Charlie.

Today, we're sharing the second story from Based on a True Story: Survivor Narratives from Wyoming.

Charlie has spent years using his lived and professional experience to help others better understand human trafficking, exploitation, vulnerability, and the realities survivors face.

Now, he is sharing part of his own story with us.

One of the reasons we wanted to create this project was to make space for stories that complicate the way we think about trafficking. There is no single trafficking story, no single path into exploitation, and no single picture of what a survivor looks like. Listening to lived experience helps us move beyond those assumptions.

We invite you to listen to Charlie's story—and to carry what you learn into the way you see and respond to exploitation in your own community.

Watch his story here: https://youtu.be/fSEQzy4OUS0

Please be aware that this video discusses trafficking, exploitation, abuse, and other difficult experiences.

This video was created for educational and awareness purposes as part of a project funded by Wyoming Humanities, with production and creative support from Cody Haar/Haar Media and Dan Lee/Destiny Kid Labs.

09/26/2026

Meet Ashley.

Today, we are honored to share the first video from Based on a True Story: Survivor Narratives from Wyoming.

Ashley has been part of Uprising's work in many different ways over the years, bringing both lived experience and professional experience to the fight against human trafficking. In this video, she is inviting us to understand this issue in a different way: through her own story.

Trafficking is often discussed through numbers, warning signs, and definitions. Those things matter. But behind every statistic is a person, a set of circumstances, and a story that rarely fits neatly into the assumptions we make about what trafficking looks like.

We hope you'll take a few minutes to listen to Ashley.

Watch her story here: https://youtu.be/-93u-BPpDjI

Please be aware that this video discusses trafficking, exploitation, abuse, and other difficult experiences.

This video was created for educational and awareness purposes as part of a project funded by Wyoming Humanities, with production and creative support from Cody Haar/Haar Media and Dan Lee/Destiny Kid Labs.

09/25/2026

A story can reach people in ways statistics never will.

Over the past year, Uprising has been working on a project very close to our hearts: Based on a True Story: Survivor Narratives from Wyoming.

With support from a Wyoming Humanities Community Culture Grant, we set out to create something that would last beyond a single training or event—professionally produced videos that center lived experience and allow survivor voices to become an ongoing part of how we educate our communities about human trafficking and exploitation.

These videos will now become resources we can use in trainings, classrooms, community conversations, and awareness efforts across Wyoming and beyond.

We are incredibly grateful to Wyoming Humanities for believing in the value of preserving and sharing these stories, and for making this project possible.
Over the next several days, we’ll introduce you to the people who helped bring this project to life—and, most importantly, to Ashley and Charlie, who trusted us with their stories.

09/24/2026

Something WILD is coming to the Bayou. 💜💚💛

Uprising is partnering with Nola Catering & Private Dining to bring a whole new flavor to the Ball of the Wild!

Join us Saturday, January 23 at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds for the first-ever Ball of the Wild Bayou—a Mardi Gras-inspired night of incredible & authentic food, live music, dancing, games, interactive experiences, and plenty of surprises.

🎟 Tickets are $99 per person, with Early Bird pricing available through October 31.

And the best part? Every ticket helps fuel Uprising’s work preventing human trafficking and exploitation across Wyoming.

Grab your krewe. We’re going to the Bayou.

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

09/23/2026

Another upcoming conference that Uprising will be speaking at! We are going to be sharing information about our project with the WGCDD to develop a training series about grooming and exploitation of individuals with IDD. Hope to see you there!

CASPER — WE’D LOVE TO SEE YOU AT THE CONFERENCE!

The Wyoming Developmental Disabilities Conference is coming to Casper October 14–16, and we noticed very few people from the Casper area have registered so far.

We know there are people, families, professionals, employers, advocates, and community members right here in Casper who have a lot to contribute to this conversation. This conference is for you, too!

Come learn from inspiring speakers, discover new ideas through presentations and exhibits, connect with others from across Wyoming, and celebrate the people and organizations making a difference at the Bright Star Banquet & Bright Star Boogie.

Need help with the cost? We still have a limited number of tuition scholarships available that cover the conference registration fee and conference-provided meals.

Register here: https://wgcdd.wyo.gov/WDDC/registration — but hurry! Registration closes September 25, 2026!
Whether you’re from Casper or traveling from across Wyoming, we’d love to have you join us!

09/19/2026

AI-generated child sexual abuse material is a very real and present threat to all youth. Our director was asked about it in an interview with Cowboy State Daily.

A class-action lawsuit alleges a Wyoming woman's stepfather uploaded her childhood photo to Grok, then used the AI platform to generate 7,000 pornographic…