February 2022 Newsletter
February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM), a month-long campaign dedicated to raising awareness about teen dating abuse. Every February, national organizations, local and tribal organizations, youth-lead organizations, young folks and love ones join together across the country for a national effort to raise awareness about the issue of teen dating violence because the reality is, it happens far too often to the relatives we love. 

Teen dating violence is more common than many people think. 1 in 3 teens in the U.S. will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse by someone they are in a relationship with before they become adults. Nearly half (43%) of those who identify as college women report experiencing violent and abusive dating behaviors. Everyone has the right to a safe and healthy relationships. Dating abuse can happen to anyone. With 1 in 3 teens experiencing some form of relationship abuse, and two thirds who never tell anyone, we have to do more to bring awareness to dating violence. 

This year, CSVANW is going to amplify loveisrespect’s 2022 TDVAM campaign Talk About It. Talk About It “is a call to action for young people and those who support them to engage in meaningful conversations about healthy relationships and negative behaviors that may be unhealthy or even abusive.”

To further raise awareness this TDVAM, CSVANW will be collaborating with Auntie Mayazhi for a TikTok challenge. Each week, for the 4 weeks in February, we will post a different video for TDVAM and ask Native youth to stitch the Tiktok video from Auntie Mayazhi and help us spread awareness about teen dating violence. 

Our young relatives deserve relationships that are free from violence and abuse. Together, we can raise awareness and stop dating abuse before it starts…….

#CSVANWYouth
#TDVAM2022
#TDVAM
#TalkAboutIt
Wear Orange Day
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022

Wear Orange Day is an annual effort every #TDVAM to raise awareness about dating violence. Join CSVANW by sharing your pictures on social media, you’re helping to spread the message that everyone, especially our Native youth, deserve a healthy relationship! 
CSVANW Advocate Corner - February 2022 Letter
Happy February Advocates,

I want to make a special announcement this month and honor Trudy Tsosie as CSVANW February Advocate of the Month!
Trudy Tsosie is a Principal Victim Witness advocate for the Navajo Nation Family Harmony Program and manages the first domestic violence shelter operated by the Navajo Nation.  Ms. Tsosie is a Dine woman from Shiprock, New Mexico, and is the Water Flow Together Clan born for Red Running into the water people. Ms. Tsosie has 18 years’ experience working with victims/survivors of domestic, sexual, and family violence. Ms. Tsosie is a Board Member for Capacity Builders Inc. Community Advisory Board.   

Currently, Ms. Tsosie manages the first Domestic Violence operated by the Navajo Nation and supervises victim advocates to provide program services. Her primary responsibility is the shelter operating 24/7 and advocates providing quality services to victims impacted by violence.

She has worked with the Navajo Nation Family Harmony Program since July 2017 and assisted the Navajo Nation with opening its first shelter. Family Harmony Program is a tribal domestic violence program and provides numerous services across the Navajo Nation.  Prior to working for the Navajo Nation, Ms. Tsosie work with Capacity Builders Inc. as a program coordinator managing two programs in Winslow, Arizona as she implemented the Sexual Assault and Family Justice grants with providing Western Agency of the Navajo Nation with program services.

In 2017, Ms. Tsosie worked as a Legislative District Assistance for Honorable Council Delegate Amber Crotty and continued to work with the community and provide services to victims impacted by violence. From April 2003 to June 2017, Ms. Tsosie work for the Home for Women and Children which was a former Domestic Violence shelter and nonprofit organization as a Shelter advocate, shelter manager, and Executive Director. 

The many years of advocating for victims/survivors of domestic and sexual violence, Ms. Tsosie is dedicated to providing quality services in a diligent, safe and confidential manner.  She continues to promote awareness and education on the Navajo Nation by collaborating with other agencies to improve the gaps in services.  

Trudy’s work to end violence in her community is appreciated very much and we honor the years of commitment and service. Khud-kem (Thank you), Trudy. Congratulations!

Tiffany Jiron
Advocate Coordinator
Please join us for our next Advocate Meeting on
Thursday, February 3rd, 2022 at 10:30 AM (MT)
HB 135: The New Mexico Indian Family Protection Act solidifies and expands protections for Indian children, families, and Tribes.
Consent and Setting Boundaries Presentation
January 28, 2022 - Our CSVANW Native Youth Coordinator, Jovita Belgarde presented to Native youth in the SFIS Health and Wellness program about what consent is and how to ask for it and what boundaries are and how to set them.
New Mexico School of Arts: Student Walkout for
Affirmative Consent Bill
January 14, 2022 - CSVANW's Sexual Violence Project Coordinator, Floripa Olguin, attended the open mic for the students of the New Mexico School of Arts walkout at the New Mexico Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Floripa, alongside partner organizations, listened to student testimonies in support of advocacy for affirmative consent in New Mexico.
New Executive Director Orientation
January 20, 2022 - New DV Executive Directors from across New Mexico gathered for a New Director Orientation hosted by the NM Coalition Against Domestic Violence. This cohort of new EDs gained skills to support them in their new roles. CSVANW provided an overview of our services, outreach, and program priorities. Good luck to our new leaders!
Next Steps: Continuous Care for Survivors
of Human Trafficking
January 26, 2022 - CSVANW Sex Trafficking Project Coordinator Michele Curtis coordinated and facilitated a conversation around human trafficking awareness, continuous care for trafficking survivors, and case management and resources. CSVANW collaborated with Street Safe New Mexico and First Nations Community HealthSource's EAST Program to offer presentations and insight in direct care of trafficking survivors. The discussion allowed community members to ask questions and understand the dynamics of trafficking and how programs assist relatives in exiting trafficking in a safe and trauma-informed way.
Human Trafficking on the Navajo Nation
January 25, 2022 - CSVANW Training and Education Director Jolene Holgate, Missing & Murdered Diné Relatives Task Force, and the Navajo Department of Behavioral and Mental Health Services collaborated to hold a virtual event that focused on the dynamics of human trafficking on the Navajo Nation. Community members and providers were provided valuable insight into human trafficking initiatives and policies, grooming tactics, and support on the Nation for trafficking survivors. To watch the event, you can visit the NNDBMHS Facebook page
Indigenous Human Trafficking Panel
January 27, 2022 - The Durango Sexual Assault Services Organization held a virtual panel in which the CSVANW Training and Education Director Jolene Holgate provided a presentation on human trafficking in tribal communities, indicators, and it's connection to the MMIWR crisis in New Mexico and the Four Corners region. CSVANW had the opportunity to answer questions from community and providers regarding land/body violence and how to support awareness efforts of task forces and community organizers. For more information on SASO, please visit their website at: https://www.durangosaso.org/
Follow us on social media to stay updated when CSVANW is in the community.
THANK YOU 
TO OUR CHANGE MAKERS 
January 2022 DONORS
General contributions and donations from individual supporters and organizational partners are essential for CSVANW's sustainability and effectiveness. Your donation helps make it possible for us to cultivate and strengthen our ability to advocate for Native women and children and breaking of cycles of violence.
Save the Dates
8th Annual Tribal Leaders Summit
March 30 & 31, 2022
We are excited to share space with our tribal leadership for a two-day virtual summit on the status of violence against Native women and children in New Mexico. An annual briefing that focuses on providing policy and legislative updates, share best practices directly from our communities and provide a current state of affairs in the movement to end violence.

The summit highlights the unique tribal, state and federal perspectives and challenges that our New Mexico tribal communities.

More information is coming soon.
The 10th Annual Native Youth Summit is a series of workshops over 4 days and is a powerful leadership development experience that connects, challenges, and cultivates a cohort of 10 Native youth ranging in age from 13 to 17 years old from across the state of New Mexico.

Our theme for the summit is Our Lands & Bodies are Sacred and it will focus on self-awareness and land to strengthen our Tribal communities through the following learning opportunities:

  • Encourage Native youth to work towards strengthening their voice.
  • Building our Native youth knowledge on the basics of violence prevention so they may share with their relatives in their territories.
  • Support Native youth in their building of knowledge to eliminate violence against all of our relatives. 
This application MUST BE completed by the youth interested in applying for the Native Youth Summit and NOT by a parent or guardian on behalf of the applicant.

We will accept cohorts of 10 youth for our 10th Annual Native Youth Summit in the months of March, April, June, and August.

Our first cohort is March 15th, 17th, 22nd, and 24th.
Download FLYER to share with youth in your community!
Advocate Community Meeting
February 3, 2022

More information will be made soon.
CSVANW Youth Council Virtual Hangs
Wednesday, February 9th, 2022
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022
5:00PM (MST) - VIRTUAL

We invite Native youth ages 13-17 to join us on zoom for a virtual meet and greet where we will play games, have prize giveaways, and talk about becoming part of the CSVANW Youth Council.
Join us on ZOOM

Meeting ID: 835 2071 4719
Passcode: youth
Sexual Violence in Tribal Communities 
February 28, 2022 | 9AM-5PM (MT)

CSVANW welcomes you to join us in a one-day training on Sexual Violence in Tribal Communities. The training is open for individuals who needs an introduction to understanding of what sexual violence in tribal communities looks like. There will also be a lot of material to review and share with your community. The training will take place via Zoom on Monday, February 28, 2022, at 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (MT).

Speaker Bios and Agenda coming soon!
Advancing Core Advocacy Training in Tribal Communities
February 8, 15, & 22, 2022

Advancing Advocacy is the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women's 40 Hour-Core Advocacy Training that provides new domestic violence and sexual assault advocates and first responders with state certification. CSVANW's 40 Hour Advocacy Training is 1 of 2 state certified training for new domestic violence advocates. CSVANW aims to help first responders and domestic violence advocates work together effectively in a times of crisis.

CSVANW's service area is all of New Mexico, the Four Corners region (northeastern Arizona), and Ysleta del Sur Pueblo in El Paso, Tx. If you are from out of this area and interested in the training, please contact us at 505-243-9199 or email Jolene Holgate at jholgate@csvanw.org so we can put you in touch with an organization in your region. 
Online Scholarship

To continue supporting our advocates, we are offering an online scholarship in the amount of $200. You will need to fill out the application form and attend all three days of the virtual training. Online scholarships are to support advocates with gaining access to a stable Internet connection, any mileage associated with obtaining access to this training, and if you need to schedule your own lodging to obtain access to this training. We encourage all advocates to apply and that you are supported.
WEBINAR | Rez Dating
Wednesday, February 16, 2022, at 1 p.m. MST
In recognition of National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM), the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) is inviting you to join this webinar to learn about what “teen dating" violence is, why it happens and where to go for help if you or a friend are experiencing it. The discussion will include the intersection of intergenerational trauma and the modern occurrence of dating and intimate partner violence in Indian Country. Exploring healthy relationships and boundaries from an Indigenous perspective is also an important part of this presentation. The presenter, Lexie James, a young Hopi activist, will share her lived experiences and how she navigated them.
NIJ’s Violence Against Women Consortium
(2016-MU-CX-K011)
WEBINAR |
Tuesday, February 1, 2022

NIJ’s Violence Against Women Consortium (2016-MU-CX-K011) is hosting a webinar on February 1st. It would be great if OVW could help advertise this event. The panel details are attached.
40-Hour Certification
To receive your 40-hour certification, you must complete the 16.25 hours of the OVC-TTAC Online Training. When you complete that training, you may upload your hours to an AirTable link that will be provided at a later date. Here is the link to OVC trainings:
Government-to-Government Consultations |
March 16 & 17, 2022
Keep checking back for more opportunities here.
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