Click here for the American Indian Social Work Student Association (AISWSA)
Background
The Office of American Indian Projects (OAIP) was founded in 1977, based on the advocacy of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, the Indian Health Services, the Navajo Nation, the Phoenix Indian Center, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The purpose of OAIP is to develop the capacity of American Indian communities and programs. OAIP carries out its work through student recruitment, support, and leadership and collaborative partnerships with Tribes and other agencies that support Tribal sovereignty and capacity building.
Vision
The vision of the project is to develop strengths in both individuals and systems within the social work arenas of American Indian communities, in conjunction with the emerging federal mandate for tribes to assume responsibility for the delivery of social services to American Indian people.
Mission Statement
The mission of OAIP includes the development of a site where American Indian research and grant projects can be coordinated and monitored to ensure a focus that is beneficial to the tribes and one that reinforces a government-to-government approach. The mission also includes recruiting American Indian social work students and faculty, mentoring students, and providing American Indian people with a friendly reception within Arizona State University.
OAIP Staff
Christopher Sharp, M.S.W., M.P.A. (Colorado River Indian Tribes - Mohave)
Director & Clinical Assistant Professor
Office of American Indian Projects | School of Social Work
Work: (602) 496-0101 | Fax (602) 496-0960
christopher.sharp@asu.edu
Christopher Sharp ASU i-Search Profile
Christopher Sharp's LinkedIn Profile
Turquoise Devereaux, M.S.W. (Salish and Blackfeet)
Project Coordinator
Office of American Indian Projects | School of Social Work
Work: (602) 496-0100 | Fax (602) 496-0960
tsdevere@asu.edu
Turquoise Devereaux ASU i-Search Profile
Advisory Committee:
Carmela Quitugua
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
Priscilla Foote
Gila River Health Care
Veronica Geronimo
Tohono O'odham Nation
Pattie Hibbeler
Phoenix Indian Center
Warren Kontz
School of Social Work Alumni Representative
Carol Colmenero
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Family Advocacy Center
Janice Patch
Colorado River Indian Tribes, Department of Justice
Wendy Wisdom
Indian Health Services
Sonya Brooks
Native American Connections
Diana Yazzie Devine
Native American Connections
Verna Johnson
Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.
The Twenty-two Indian Tribes and Nations of Arizona
San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community
Yavapai-Prescott Indian Community
Partners and Important Websites
Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA)
Native American Connections, Inc. (NAC)
National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI)
National Congress of American Indians
Arizona Governor’s Office of Tribal Relations
Arizona Board of Regents Tribal Consultation Policy
Projects
Ongoing
Gila River Health Care Tribal Opioid Response (GRHC-TOR)
OAIP is contracted for third-party evaluation for a SAMHSA Tribal Opioid Response grant. The project is currently underway and GRHC is providing training, implementing Narcan and other MAT services, planning a community-wide awareness campaign, and partnering with Native American Connections to provide transitional services for patients diagnosed with Opioid Use Disorder.
Gila River Health Care website: http://grhc.org/
Tribal Opioid Response Grant website: https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/ti-18-016
Grants for Outreach and Services to Underserved Population
Partnership with ITCA and Tohono O’odham Nation for a training grant funded by the US Department of Justice. The purpose to increase support for American Indian (AI) sexual assault victims. The goals of the project are to provide training, technical assistance, and capacity building to strengthen comprehensive sexual assault victim services in Tribal communities. OAIP is partnering with Office of Gender-Based Violence to deliver trainings, webinars, and technical assistance from ASU School of Social Work.
Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. website: https://itcaonline.com/
Tohono O'odham Nation Komckud Ki information: https://tribalresourcetool.org/vsp/tohono-oodham-nation-komckud-ki-domestic-and-sexual-violence-program/
Arizona MMIWG Study
OAIP is partnered with the School of Criminology, Research on Violent Victimization Lab to provide the research report for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Study Committee. The study committee was established through the passage of Arizona bill HB 2570.
Article on HB 2570: https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2019/08/13/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-girls-study-committee-bill/
Inter Triba Council of Arizona, Inc. CPS Academy and ICWA Seminar
For over 20 yaers, OAIP has provided ongoing training to state and tribal child welfare workers for the CPS Academy in partnership with the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA). Likewise OAIP participates as trainers in the Indian Child Welfare Act Seminar training for state and tribal child welfare workers.
Arizona Supreme Court Improvement ICWA Committee
OAIP has been involved with the Arizona Court Improvement Project ICWA Committee. The Committee is tasked with developing training for judges and attorneys and providing training for both state and tribal courts. OAIP assisted the committee with their final ICWA guidelines for the state courts. The recommendations were submitted to the Arizona Supreme Court Improvement Project and they have been incorporated into the guidelines. The project is planning on providing a training conference in the first week August 2017.
http://www.azcourts.gov/stfcf/ICWA-Committee
Completed
- University Partners Project - NCWWI
- Programmatic Assistance for Tribal Home Visiting (PATH)
- Weaving Native Perspectives
- Gila River Indian Community Career Pathways Evaluation
- Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Methamphetamine Suicide Prevention Project (MSPI) evaluation and Domestic Violence Prevention Project (DVPI) evaluation
- WRMA Tribal Home VisTA Program
- Gila River Indian Community Tribal Social Services Assessment
Scholarships
Scholarship Opportunity- American Indian Child Welfare Leaders Fellowship
The American Indian Child Welfare Leaders Fellowship is a $1000 award. Recipient must be Masters of Social Work major at Arizona State University. It is intended that this Fellowship will provide American Indian MSW students the opportunity to complete advanced study in Social Work at Arizona State University.
Purpose: The American Indian Child Welfare Leaders Fellowship is a $1000 award. This fellowship was established in 2004 to help address the current and future need for American Indian Social Workers trained at a master’s level to administer and deliver child welfare services to American Indian communities, both on the reservation and in the urban area. It is intended that this Fellowship will provide American Indian MSW students the opportunity to complete advanced study in Social Work at Arizona State University.
Guidelines: First or second year American Indian students in the Masters of Social Work program in the School of Social Work at any ASU campus. Fellowship recipients will have a stated plan to work in a child welfare setting with the potential of acquiring a leadership position in serving primarily American Indians on or off the reservation upon graduation.
Materials: To apply please submit a two page, double-spaced essay, in 12-point Times New Roman font, describing your plan for working in a child welfare setting with American Indian children and families on the reservation or in the urban area. Your essay must include your full name, ASU ID#, major, and the name of the fellowship for which you are applying.
Apply: Submission of your essay establishes your permission for the selection committee to review and confirm your status as a presently enrolled, degree-seeking, Masters of Social Work major at Arizona State University.
Materials may be: a) hand-delivered to our office; b) faxed to: 602-496-0960; or c) emailed to OAIP@asu.edu.
Award amount: $1,000.00
Deadline: TBD
Contact Information:
Office of American Indian Projects
ATTN: AICWLF
411 N. Central Ave., Ste. 800
Phoenix, AZ 85004-0689
Phone: 602-496-0099
Scholarship Opportunity- NAUWICH
The Nauwich American Indian Scholarship is a $500 award. The recipient must be a graduate or undergraduate student majoring in Social Work at anyone of the four ASU campuses.
Purpose: The Nauwich American Indian Scholarship is a $500 award. Established in 1999, the Nauwich scholarship is awarded to a currently enrolled Arizona State University graduate or undergraduate student majoring in Social Work at anyone of the four ASU campuses. The purpose of the scholarship is to support the efforts of current ASU Social Work students complete their college degree. It is expected that recipients shall practice in Arizona in American Indian Child Welfare
Guidelines: Arizona State University Social Work major with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale. Recipients shall be Social Work majors with a demonstrated interest in Indian Child Welfare.
Materials: To apply please submit a two-page, double-spaced essay, in 12-point Times New Roman font, describing your goals and interests in social work with American Indian children and families. Your essay must include your full name, ASU ID#, major, and the name of the scholarship/fellowship for which you are applying.
Apply: Submission of your essay establishes your permission for the selection committee to review and confirm your status as a presently enrolled, degree-seeking, Social Work major at Arizona State University.
Materials may be: a) hand-delivered to our office; b) faxed to: 602-496-0960; or c) emailed to OAIP@asu.edu.
Award amount: $500.00
Deadline: TBD
Contact Information:
Office of American Indian Projects
ATTN: NAUWICH
411 N. Central Ave., Ste. 800
Phoenix, AZ 85004-0689
Phone: 602-496-0099