Culture Change Initiative

Non-Profit Direct Service Providers

We strive to provide learning opportunities for non-profit direct service providers that serve Native Americans in the Albuquerque area. Our aim is to improve resource and service delivery by deepening providers understanding of Native American values, perspectives, history, policies, and the unique relationship Tribes have with the federal government.  Recent topics have included:

• Native American Resource Summit
• Homelessness in a Cultural Context
• Case Management for Direct Service Providers
• Working with Native Populations
• Understanding Community Resources through a Racial Equity Lens

City Officials and Staff

We provide learning opportunities for City of Albuquerque officials and staff to take a deeper dive into understanding how the difference levels of racism have affected Native Americans and to provide tools to develop diverse, inclusive, and equitable resource and service delivery. Recent and upcoming topics include:

• Cultural Humility Seminar
• Housing Justice for Indian County
• Best Practices for Providing Culturally Responsive, Equitable, and Inclusive City services for Native Americans.
• Tribal Sovereignty
• Racism and Federal Indian Law
• Working with Tribal Nations as a City Entity

Technical Assistance

We aim to provide guidance and support to City of Albuquerque departments/offices on the proper utilization of the Native American Affairs and OEI Racial Equity Tools, facilitate strategies and action planning workshops, enhance community engagement and outreach efforts, and serve as a liaison between city government and Tribal governments.

For more information on Racial Equity Tools, please see the OEI Racial Equity Toolkit and Reports webpage. To request technical assistance for your City of Albuquerque department/office, please contact the Office of Native American Affairs.

Community Engagement and Outreach

Community Engagement

We believe that the key to closing equity gaps and resolving social vulnerability is direct participation by impacted communities in the development and implementation of solutions and policy decisions that directly impact them. This level of participation can unleash much needed capacity, but also requires initial capacity investments to strengthen our local democracy.  Our goal is to make local government more accessible, responsive, inclusive, accountable, and transparent. Even with time and budget constraints, we can better engage our communities so that we unlock collective power and capacity for transformative solutions. Examples of community engagement:

• Surveys
• Townhalls
• Public Meetings

Community Outreach

Assistance with messaging and outreach by the City of Albuquerque to ensure more inclusive outreach and equitable opportunity to participate.

For more information on community engagement and community outreach, please see our Racial Equity Tools webpage. To request a community engagement and outreach strategies workshop for your City of Albuquerque department/office, please contact the Office of Native American Affairs.

Internships

In 2019, the City of Albuquerque (COA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Indian Youth Council (NIYC) to develop the Work Experience (WEX) Internship Program.  The NIYC WEX Internship Program is designed to introduce Native Americans to city governance through professional internships. Interns are placed within a COA department for work experience and are paid through the NIYC.

The purpose of the NIYC WEX Internship Program is to:

• Introduce Native Americans to City governance and city employment opportunities.
• Increase an intern’s likelihood of post-internship employment in a career-building position.
• Teach interns how to navigate the employment system and feel confident in applying for City positions.
• Help interns gain work experience, build their resume, and develop relationships with potential employers.

For more information or to request a NIYC Work Experience Intern(s) for your City of Albuquerque department/office, please contact the Office of Native American Affairs.

NIYC WEX Internship Opportunities

Tribal Government Relations

The City of Albuquerque Office of Native American Affairs will work to establish Tribal Relations through:

• Developing a mutual understanding and respect with all Tribal nations.
• Actively developing and building meaningful relationships with Tribal nations.
• Utilizing the International Indigenous Doctrine of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent
• Engaging in Meaningful Tribal Consultation.
• Maintaining a meaningful relationship with Tribal nations. 
• Honoring a Meaningful Tribal relationship by practicing accountability and transparency.
• Identifying and developing resources that will foster, grow and contribute to the Tribal relationship.

To request technical assistance on working with Tribal governments for your City of Albuquerque department/office, please contact the Office of Native American Affairs.