Indigenous Early Intervention Alliance (IEIA)
Honoring. Respecting. Indigenous Tribal Children and Culture.
Where Our Sacred Past Meets Our Future.
411 North Central Avenue #880M
Phoenix, AZ 85004
ph: 602-496-0102
mdniles
Why and How is the IEIA Unique?
The Alliance is unique from all other efforts related to Indigenous early intervention programs for the following reasons:
- IEIA will be known throughout the United States as the most comprehensive and most recognized entity that is dedicated to Indigenous early childhood intervention;
- IEIA engages in mutually respectful "use-inspired" applied research methods (using social work as a foundation);
- All research is owned and defined by the tribal communities, unless otherwise permitted by the tribe;
- IEIA, through the Office of American Indian Projects (located at the School of Social Work - Arizona State University), is the only project at the ASU-SSW that has a 30+ year relationship with Indigenous tribes in Arizona. This will allow for more frequent and culturally relevant collaborations;
- IEIA is the only Alliance that provides resources and collaboration with the most well-known empirically-validated (peer-reviewed) early childhood intervention research projects in the United States and elsewhere;
- IEIA is the only Alliance that provides resources and collaboration with the most well-known world-wide research efforts with Indigenous communities;
- IEIA is the only Alliance that has the broad support of the AZ tribal communities through the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona (Early Childhood Working Group):
- IEIA is the only Alliance that has the support of a broad array of community-based agencies and services that target Indigenous children. This includes social work, child social-psychological developmental (childhood disability) and related disciplines;
- Because of the established peer-reviewed knowledge, transdisciplinary research, and existing partnerships, the IEIA is like no other entity, collaborative, or consortium and should have a competitive advantage for external funding and Indigenous capacity-building.
- The conceptual model underlying the IEIA is informed by ecological systems theory, resilience theory, and cultural compatibility theory.
- These three theories have had a longstanding relationship with early childhood programs and services that target ethnic minority children.
- The IEIA is designed to maximize and strengthen social and cultural supports for Indigenous children and their families.
Tribal Focus
The IEIA is grounded in the concept of absolute tribal sovereignty. Tribes would own any and all data and be the sole beneficiary of their early childhood programs, unless permission is given by the tribal council for other purposes.
It is important to recognize that Indigenous tribal sovereignty is not dependent on any action by the federal government. Instead, it is derived from the inherent power of the Indigenous people that existed thousands of years BEFORE Europeans arrived here.
Like No Other Alliance
“To our knowledge, there is no other early childhood intervention focused research-based Alliance in the world that blends empirically-validated resources and programs, Indigenous culture, and includes such a broad array of local and international collaborators.”
-Yvonne Seemann, Tribal Member The Bad River Band Of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians
“Unlike most centers and projects, the IEIA partners with the 20+ American Indian tribal communities, the State of Arizona, the Inter-tribal Council of Arizona, and the most well-established early childhood programs in the United States and throughout the world.”
- Lori Harrison, Tribal Member, Citizen Potawatomi Nation & Executive Vice-president and Regional President, Sahara regional office, Bank of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada
Supporting Indigenous children through culturally-based early childhood intervention
411 North Central Avenue #880M
Phoenix, AZ 85004
ph: 602-496-0102
mdniles
