Division of Indian Work

The Division of Indian Work (DIW) has been serving the urban American Indian community in Minneapolis since 1952; 65 of those years as a program of the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches (GMCC), until our separation from them which was finalized in July 2018.  In 2022, we will celebrate 70 years of service!

Now our own 501(c)(3) and a truly American Indian-led organization, DIW continues to provide services that help the urban American Indian community.  All services are provided free-of-charge to over 3,000 unduplicated people annually.

 Our mission at DIW is to support and strengthen urban American Indian people through culturally-based education, traditional healing approaches, and leadership development.   To this end, we focus on community and delivering programs and services directly or in partnership with other organizations.

 Our programs work to nurture and guide youth; provide services for Elders; foster healthy families; end family violence; provide transitional housing for young single moms and moms-to-be; offer supportive housing to long-term foster care boys; and address hunger issues, all with a focus on culture.

For Give to the Max Day 2021, we want to raise $5,000 for our Family Spirit Program!

Funding will be used to provide a number of services for those parents that graduate this 56-visit program:

• Stipends for graduates who teach the program to new participants
• Journals and art supplies that will be used by participants for mindfulness and self care.
• Family Spirit Healing Circle Speakers to provide guidance and healing to families.
• Birthday presents for participant children; many families are unable to provide these gifts for their children.
• Healing gift packages to honor the hard work and dedication required to graduate the program.

FAMILY SPIRIT

Family Spirit is the largest, most rigorous, and only evidence-based early childhood home visiting program created by the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health to empower families by promoting optimal health and well-being for families and young children. On average there are 52 hour-long visits that can begin at 22 weeks gestation and continue until the youngest child is 3 years old.  

The Family Spirit Curriculum was developed by American Indians for American Indian families and has been shown to reduce instances of abuse and neglect as well as addressing behavioral and mental health issues for caregivers and their children. At its core, Family Spirit was designed to provide support for caregivers and reduce stress loads. Children that participate in the program have shown to have had greater social and emotional development, which lead ultimately to greater success rates throughout their lifespan. The Family Spirit Program lines up well with DIW's mission to empower American Indian Families through culturally based education.