Pre-Conference Institutes

On December 8, 2004, special daylong workshops (Pre-Conference Institutes) will be offered prior to the beginning of the conference. This allows you to spend an entire day concentrating in depth on a subject of interest to you. Each pre-conference Institute begins at 9:00 am and concludes at 4:30 pm, with a break at noon for lunch (on your own).

Attendance at the Pre-Conference Institutes is optional and participation is limited based upon space availability. There is no additional charge for the Pre-Conference Institutes, but participants must pre-register on a first come, first served basis. 

If you are interested in attending one of these sessions, please note your choice on the Online Registration Page or on the Conference Registration Form (You will need Acrobat Reader 5.0 to use the fillable features of this form).

Presenter		Institute Description
Bonnie Clairmont (Ho-Chunk) Sarah Deer, J.D. (Mvskoke) Rebecca St. George		1. American Indian/Alaska Native Victim Assistance Academy – Initial Pilot Test of Curriculum (Parts I and II) The Tribal Law and Policy Institute and a Curriculum Development Committee have been working with the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and the OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) to develop an American Indian/Alaska Native Victims Assistance Academy. This initial pilot testing will cover 1) Historical Overview of Victimization in Indian Country and 2) Advocacy Skills. Maximum Participants: 60
Michelle Chino, Ph.D. (Cheyenne/Laguna) Beckie Murdock		2. Grant Writing and Sustainability This  Institute will provide hands-on information and resources to enhance the grant writing skills of current grantees and potential applicants for Office of Justice Programs Grants. It will also provide practical information and resources concerning program sustainability. While the focus will be upon Office of Justice Programs grants, it will also include information and resources that will be relevant for grant writing and sustainability with regard to other governmental grants and private foundation grants. There will be two break-out sessions in the afternoon. The focus of the first break-out session will be Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) grant programs such as the Children's Justice Act (CJA) Program for Native Communities, Tribal Victim Assistance (TVA) Program, and Tribal Court CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Program. The second break-out session - provided by Fox Valley Technical College - will focus on grants through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), including BJA's Tribal Courts Assistance Program (TCAP) and BJA's Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program. Maximum Participants: 60
Colleen James, R.N. SANE Colleen O’Brien, RN, MS, SANE-A		3. Medical Forensics: A Brave New World This advanced level training session is designed to help the experienced professional improve the identification, examination, investigation, and prosecution of cases involving sexual assault. It will encourage open discussion of topics of interest to all professional who work with victims of sexual assault and family violence. Maximum Participants: 60
Mike Johnson		4. Investigating Child Sexual Abuse Cases – A Multidisciplinary Approach to Case Investigation and Interviewing Native Children This pre-conference institute will explore the highlights in investigating child sexual abuse cases and forensic interviewing as well as provide participants an opportunity to review difficult case issues and discuss strategies for addressing challenges and obstacles in these cases. This session will provide investigators, prosecutors, social workers, medical examiners and mental health providers with basic guidelines for comprehensive investigations and forensic interviews and troubleshooting complex cases. Participants are encouraged to bring case examples. Maximum Participants: 40
Sam English (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe) – Conference Poster Artist		5. Healing Through Art This session, led by Turtle Mountain Chippewa artist Sam English, will provide cultural communication opportunities and explore American Indian expression at both Tribal and Urban levels about alcohol, drugs and violence and overcoming the pain of victimization. Participants will learn how to expose inner feelings without feeling afraid of criticism through making art. This session will produce a group piece of art to be displayed during the conference. Space is limited to 20 participants from Tribes and 20 non-Tribal (state, federal or private agency) registrants. Maximum Participants: 40

Sacred Circle Workshops

Sacred Circle, a National Resource Center to End Violence Against Native Women, is providing the following workshops in conjunction with the conference:

1. Cultural Competency for Non-Native Advocates (December 4-6, 2004)
2. Native Women Who Use Violence (December 6-8, 2004)
3. Ending Violence Against Native Women Training Institute (December 6-10, 2004).

All sessions will be held at the Agua Caliente Tribe's Spa Hotel. Please contact Sacred Circle directly for registration and more information:

Sacred Circle
722 St. Joseph Street
Rapid City, SD 57701
Toll free: 877-RED-ROAD (733-7623) or (605) 341-2050
carlarae@cangleska.org