America Indian Family Center

Programs: Employment services:the employment services is comprised of two programs. The anukey employment program (aep) is designed to reduce the high sanction rate of american indian families receiving mfip services. The aep is part of a larger collaborative called the anukey partnership and includes ramsey county financial services and workforce solutions. The aep provides culturally specific employment counseling and supporting services to assist american indian families receiving mfip benefits in achieving economic self-sufficiency. The aep activities include one-on-one employment counseling, job readiness and skill development, a culturally supportive job club, and retention support services during the first 180 days of employment.

family and youth services:the family and youth services are comprised of multiple programs and services. The medicine wheel collaborative (mwc) is designed to prevent child abuse and neglect and to help families have strong relationships and connections in the community. This is a formal collaborative with ain dah yung and the st. Paul public schools indian education program. The mwc activities continue to include parenting education, group and cultural support, developing family goals and action plans, and referrals for more specialized needs. Services and activities to families are provided multiple times and are reported as unduplicated families. The wounspe wawokiya (lakota for service learning) youth program is a newly designed youth program. During the past year, during the strategic planning process, the youth programming was refined to establish a new service learning focus. The ombi' ayaa anishinabe intiniiwug (rise up original man) program (oaaip) is a new program that was launched during the past year as a part of the east metro diabetes collaborative. The program is designed to engage american indian men and fathers as leaders in their family and community to prevent and address diabetes. The program provides culturally specific support and education to american indian families in ramsey county. The oaaip activities include a weekly education and support group, monthly cultural teachings, and access to traditionally supportive activities. Therapeutic services:the therapeutic services is comprised of two primary programs. The healing generations program is designed to provide the american indian community with mental health services that integrates both traditional and western concepts of healing, viewing each client holistically and to reduce the stigma attached to mental health care by providing therapy, family support and care coordination, and community awareness and education. The healing generation activities include testing and assessments, individual, family and couples counseling, community education workshops, and a partnership with the american indian magnet school to deliver therapy to american indian youth. Thw wakanyeka kin wakan pi (our children are sacred) program (ocsp) is designed to support families affected by fetal alcohol spectrum disorders by focusing efforts to reduce the number of new alcohol and drug affected births, improve parenting knowledge and skills, increase the use of formal and informal support networks available to them, create a community driven strategy with reflects the needs, assets and culture of our community. The program provides recovery support services and intervention support. The ocsp activities include family support and care coordination, parenting classes and support groups, community awareness and education.