The 17th National Indian Nations Conference

Our blog this week will be a bit different than those of the past. Last week, the CCVAP staff and members from our Advisory Committee had the opportunity to attend the 17th National Indian Nations Conference sponsored by the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime. First, we would like to thank the Auga Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians for hosting the conference on their Reservation. Secondly, we will like to share a bit of what we learned over the 4 day conference.

The conference was expansive in what we were able to learn. With over 1,500 attendees from Tribes and Service Providers across the country, our team was able to sit in on meetings regarding self-care as service providers, expanding child advocacy services, and learning how to better connect and advocate for both men and the LGBTQ2S community. Below, we have included some key takeaways that our staff learned from the various presenters:

“I learned that CalVCB has an in-lieu of form that could potentially take the place of a restraining order and a police report, removing some of our clients’ barriers to accessing CalVCB funding.” – Brittany

“One thing that I learned during the conference (and something that completely shocked me) was that nationwide, there is only one shelter for male survivors of sex trafficking. The shelter was also very recently established in 2021 meaning there was not a shelter prior to this. The shelter is Bob’s House of Hope: https://ranchhandsrescue.org/bobs-house-of-hope/” – Cesar

“Being able to attend this conference was groundbreaking for me! Entering this job, I have been trying to educate myself about the Native community. This conference taught me more about the clients that I serve.” – Analis

“I learned so much! I've been really working on this because there was so much that really hit deep.However, what really sunk in was the explanation of Generational Trauma.I may not be wording this right, but that really impacted me on how things are passed on from generation to generation.Also being educated on Boarding Schools.Being nonnative, I had no idea that they even existed and what happened in them.My heart aches now having this knowledge and has really made me want to learn more about them and what I can do in the healing process of anyone that comes across my path who experienced the trauma.” – Victoria

“The wiping of the tears ceremony from Chief Arvol Looking Horse that was very emotional and Strong Hearted ceremony with the presentation of colors shawls.I have never seen that, just thinking about the representation of colors brings tears to my heart and what a difference when you hear about the ceremony vs seeing the shawls ceremony it was powerful.” – Pat

“I attended the session on Trauma Informed/ Victim Centered Court and one of the things that was emphasized is how victim advocates often have that victim centered mindset and how this is helpful for navigating systems that are not trauma informed and victim centered.” – Whitney

“Overall take-away and impression of the conference was that it was great to be back talking "live" with people, and I enjoyed the large space that the convention center had to offer. – Sam

Overall, our team and Advisory Board learned a lot and very much enjoyed the conference. We cannot wait until the next one!