In October 2017 Haskell Indian Nations University was award a $449,985 three year grant through the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). Through the grant, Developing Future Victim Specialists for Indian Country, OVC seeks to further cultivate a workforce focused on providing services to American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) victims in hard-to- staff positions and locations. By identifying and training prospective victim service professionals in the early stages of their post-secondary education and career, tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) victim service programs will hopefully have an easier time filling victim service positions in remote Indian Country and Alaska Native locations. The OVC FY 2017 Developing Future Victim Specialists for Indian Country grant funding will allow Haskell Indian Nations University to establish a unique, evidence-based, culturally responsive victim assistance program which will recruit and hire dedicated student interns to become victim specialists working in Indian County. The funding will allow Haskell to provide students with an invaluable professional skill set to assist clients toward empowerment to not only improve and enhance their quality of life, but also continue the sustainability of tribal nations throughout the United States.
The grant program, Healing the Sacred, will identify, recruit, educate and train ten-fifteen eligible Haskell students to become victim specialists in Indian Country and Alaska Native communities. Healing the Sacred, will focus on incorporating cultural values into contemporary, evidence-based responses to help end violence against Native people. Haskell will be partnering with the four tribes of Kansas, a number of universities, local and national agencies, and knowledgeable Native American victim specialists from across the nation. The program will provide Haskell students with a unique opportunity to receive a comprehensive training from a number of qualified victim specialists and when the students return to their tribal communities they will be equipped to employ the best in technology, training, and innovative practices to ensure they are prepared to be responsive to victim needs and concerns.
Healing the Sacred will primarily recruit second semester freshmen and first semester sophomores from the Social Work and Indigenous and American Indian Studies programs as well from psychology and sociology classes, but will consider any second semester freshmen and first semester sophomores who may show interest in becoming part of the program. Interested students can submit an application (which be available in a number of places on campus, including on Healing the Sacred’s Facebook page), two letters of recommendation, and a copy of their most recent transcript. Student will have to meet certain criteria to be eligible to apply to the program. This criteria includes: desire to become a victim specialist in tribal communities, enrolled as a full-time student and in good standing (socially and academically), a 3.0 grade point average, be available for all trainings, workshops, internship assignments, and be willing to commit to the program for the full two years. The students will be interviewed and
have to sign a contract prior to being selected for the program.
Beginning in August 2018, the student interns will attend a short orientation to introduce them to the program design, including setting up monthly appointments with the Program Director to monitor their progress in the program. They will be given a schedule of the training and education workshops for the year.
There will be four informational meetings this semester:
April 11th 4 pm in Navarre Hall, Room 114
April 17th 4 pm in the Regent’s Room, Navarre Hall
April 23rd 11 am in the Student Success Center
May 1st at 6 pm in the Haskell Library
Applications will be available.
