Restoration Magazine

Sharpening Our Tools: National Tribal Sexual Assault Resource Center Hosts a Series of Listening Sessions

By Ingrid Anderson, Standing Rock Hunkpapa Lakota Descendant, National Policy Director, National Tribal Sexual Assault Resource Center, Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition

The National Tribal Sexual Assault Resource Center at the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition (MIWSAC) is excited to share that we have completed two listening sessions, one focused on the experiences of sexual violence advocates and one focused on policy advocacy to address sexual violence. We are excited to plan additional sessions to be completed by the end of 2024.

 

Our first listening session, focused on the voices of advocates and direct service providers, was held in Seattle, Washington, in March 2024. We completed our second listening session in Denver, Colorado, at the end of August 2024. This second session focused on policy advocacy in the many forms it takes in Indian Country, and we were thrilled to welcome participants with diverse professional roles: elder, lobbyist, Tribal prosecutor, policy advocate, non-profit director, survivor, and more, and who recognized their even deeper responsibilities as relatives.

 

While we look forward to releasing a formal report from both of these listening sessions, we found the process of planning and hosting these listening sessions to be an exercise in cultural humility, relationship-building, and being in good relationships with one another. The method of planning and executing such events is equally, if not more, important than the result of our time together, and we want to share what we have learned about the process.

 

Subject Matter Expert attendees gathered in Denver, Colorado, and discussed policy advocacy efforts to address sexual violence perpetrated against our people in our communities. / Photo courtesy of MIWSAC.
Subject Matter Expert attendees gathered in Denver, Colorado, and discussed policy advocacy efforts to address sexual violence perpetrated against our people in our communities. / Photo courtesy of MIWSAC.

 

The National Tribal Sexual Assault Resource Center at MIWSAC is funded through the Office of Family Violence Prevention and Services at the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Because we have been granted this funding source, we are privileged to approach the work of resource development, training, and technical assistance through a public health lens. The latitude afforded to us through this funding stream has supported our exploration of how we work without focusing exclusively on the outcome. The most valuable outcomes of our work are the relationships we forge, the spaces we can convene, and how we declare, exercise, and develop solutions rooted in our traditional values as Native people.

 

In planning these two listening sessions and understanding that we have several more in the planning process, we consciously designed every aspect of the sessions to ascertain that we are relatives to each attendee and colleague who engages in the space. We have been mindful of the application language, the warm invitation we have sent across Turtle Island to encourage all relatives to apply, intentionally engaging with local organizations and communities to help us stay connected to the land and to conscientiously expend funds to ease the financial burden of travel that many individuals and organizations experience.

 

Many applicants have expressed eagerness to engage in these listening sessions and related events. Still, they feel underqualified, too young/ too old, inexperienced, or without an education/ certification to validate their attendance and voice. Our vision has been to declare the value of each attendee as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) who is eligible for an honorarium to attend and give voice to their experience and the experiences of their community and relatives. We, as the National Tribal Sexual Assault Resource Center, sat in these listening sessions in complete awe of the innovation, creativity, resilience, and strong vision exemplified by the work each attendee is doing in their day-today lives. We see the value of each attendee as a true expert in their field, and we are honored to support their work as such financially.

 

We continue addressing the extractive nature of research methods on Native peoples. Historically, they were conducted on Tribal lands. We plan to implement these modalities as a promising practice for research and information-gathering within our communities. We intend to declare the value of our relative’s words, lives, stories, prayers, and existence in every detail of the way we do our work. As a result, we intend to share reports of our listening sessions that encourage others to do the same. One attendee shared, “We are sharpening our tools” as we sit in these spaces together. The National Tribal Sexual Assault Resource Center supports this work and the beautiful ways you are all working to sharpen your tools. Please reach out with any questions, requests for training or technical assistance, or to join our mailing list for information and invitations to upcoming events, webinars, and trainings. Pilamayaye.

 

This image includes links to MIWSAC's website and mailing list.

The production of this article is made possible by HHS-2022-ACF-ACYF-VE-0165 from the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. Its contents are solely the responsibility of MIWSAC and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.