Native VOICES Project
Project Overview:
The Native VOICES project is an initiative to develop an evidence-based sexual health video for the NW tribes. The project is supported by a three-year grant from the Indian Health Service, issued through their Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) program.
Native VOICES staff will work closely with Tribal and Indian Health Service partners to adapt a CDC-recognized evidence-based intervention, Video Opportunities for Innovative Condom Education and Safer Sex (VOICES), and evaluate its effectiveness as an HIV/STD prevention resource for AI/AN teens and young adults 15-29 years old.
To maximize the cultural appropriateness of the Native VOICES video, Project Red Talon will work with tribal partners in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon to help capture the varied experiences of AI/AN teens and young adults and to receive input on the feasibility of the intervention.
Mission:
Our mission is to develop a sexual health video resource for AI/AN youth and young adults that will provide accurate risk information, correct misconceptions, and demonstrate culturally-specific strategies for encouraging condom use and enhancing partner communication to reduce the incidence of HIV/STD and teen pregnancy.
Goals:
Work with Tribal and Indian Health Service partners to:
1. further our understanding of sexual activity and risk/protective factors affecting the behavior of AI/AN youth
2. produce an evidence-based HIV/STD and pregnancy prevention video-based intervention that addresses the needs of AI/AN youth while accommodating the unique diversity of this population
3. offer AI/AN communities a cost-effective sexual health intervention that can be readily integrated into IHS/Tribal/Urban clinical services and easily transferable across Indian Country
Tribes Served:
Native VOICES directly serves the 43 federally recognized tribes of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
For Addition Information:
Please contact Wendee Gardner, the Native VOICES Project Coordinator at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board by phone at (503) 416-3275 or by email at .
