Mino-bimose'idiwag: Walking Together in a Good Way to Reduce Barriers to Educating, Hiring and Maintaining Staff for Tribally Run Victim Service Programs

Northern Michigan University (NMU) will use grant funds to continue operating their existing OVC-funded program, Mino-bimose’idiwag (Walking the Path Together), which is designed to reduce barriers to hiring and maintaining staff in Tribally run victim services programs (TRVSPs) in the rural Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. They have received funding under this program since 2017. The primary goals of the program are to 1) improve accessibility to higher education and specialized training opportunities by creating a pathway for Native American and other students to achieve culturally competent 4-year or graduate degrees in Social Work, with specialized knowledge in Tribal victim services, by collaborating with Tribally controlled colleges, community colleges, and other universities in the UP; 2) develop interest and specialized experience in Tribal victim services by facilitating short-term, didactically supported internships within UP TRVSPs; and 3) inform future programing by collecting, analyzing and disseminating data about impact of the program on partnered victim services programs and the communities served. Mino-bimose’idiwag will continue meeting these goals through collaboration with the NMU Department of Social Work, TRVSPs and institutions of higher education in the UP with the following activities: recruitment events; facilitation of culturally focused paid TRVSP internships; provision of standardized onsite training; facilitation of training events; and facilitation of planning between NMU and other institutions to decrease financial and logistical barriers to higher education, specifically degrees in Social Work.