New Mexico is home to many thriving indigenous communities, but the true stories of these communities are not being told because of outdated information and data. An innovative initiative started by a team at the University of New Mexico hopes to help change that by ensuring that information about Indigenous communities comes from within the communities themselves.
The Tribal Data Champions (TDC) Fellowship is a one-year training for New Mexico Indian tribes interested in improving their skills and knowledge in data, evaluation, and research. TDC builds Indigenous data sovereignty, assessment capacity, and data management skills, and helps tell tribal stories that leverage data to assess Indigenous health and well-being.
A key focus of the program is to strengthen participants' skills and confidence in data to tell the full story of the beauty and richness of Indigenous peoples, as well as how they are overcoming disparities. The TDC Fellowship wanted to change the narrative of people living in New Mexico, rather than perpetuating the negative narratives that have existed for the past century. The TDC Fellowship was born to address the diverse data needs within tribal communities.
The creation of TDC began in 2017 when UNM College of Population Health (COPH) Research Lecturer Rebecca Ray collaborated with a team of university stakeholders to co-create the TDC Fellowship. COPH staff member Beverly Gorman and consultant Eugene Tsinazhny joined the effort. Improving tribal communities through data empowerment.
“We don't just teach methods; we also promote a community-driven approach,” Ray said.
UNM Center for Alcohol, Drug Use, and Addiction (CASAA) Associate Professor Camila Venner and UNM Native American Studies Associate Professor Leora Paquin also serve as faculty and contributors to the TDC Fellowship.
“Tribal Data Champions brings together community-based researchers, scholars, leaders, advocates, organizers, and evaluators who are practitioners in areas most sensitive to the well-being of Indigenous peoples. TDC leaders and fellows bring together evidence-based We are fully invested in creating and contributing to a fruitful program,” Paquin said.
Ray shared insight into the origins of the TDC Fellowship, which was funded through a Kellogg Foundation grant. She explained that this journey began with a vision to provide the cohort with a year-long immersive experience through training and support for tribal community members. Through customized workshops and training, community members acquired essential skills ranging from basic data analysis to comprehensive program evaluation centered on Indigenous methodologies.
At the core of the TDC Fellowship is a comprehensive and rigorous curriculum designed to guide participants through the entire evaluation process, from developing logic models using Indigenous evaluation frameworks to data analysis. Monthly sessions serve as a forum for dialogue and knowledge exchange, fostering relationships essential to collective growth.
At the heart of the TDC Fellowship's philosophy is Indigenous data sovereignty, empowering communities to claim ownership over their data and stories.
“Data is sacred and should be under the discretion of the community,” Ray said.
Ray reflected on the evolution of the TDC Fellowship and expressed gratitude for the support it has received, including a recent partnership with the Conrad Hilton Foundation, which provided a one-year grant to build the network. She emphasized that building the TDC Fellowship is critical to sustaining collaborative efforts and emphasized the need for continued investment in community-led initiatives. The TDC Fellowship is currently looking for its next partnership as funding ends in a few months.
The TDC Fellowship joins the fifth group to recognize the power of collective action, and efforts are currently underway to expand the impact of the TDC Fellowship. Such spin-offs began branching out in late 2022 and began to form as the Indigenous Assessors Network. This is a group for like-minded individuals to share resources, insights, and experiences around data and evaluation.
Where the TDC Fellowship provided training and community, the Indigenous Evaluator Network puts the training into practice through ongoing engagement and collective learning. The network serves as a place for members to build partnerships, share knowledge, and collaborate to address mutual interests and challenges. Leveraging the expertise of TDC Fellowship alumni and community partners, the Indigenous Evaluators Network builds a community foundation that champions Indigenous voices and methodologies.
Roanhorse Consulting, LLC. and some of Tribal Data Champion's current and alumni members have set up a core planning team and are working hard to ensure that the new group's values and ideas about what it accomplishes are well aligned. It took months.
“It took a lot of collaboration to build this network as a collective vision,” Ray said.
From the beginning, the vision of the Indigenous Assessor Network included collaboration and collective goals. With the expertise of TDC Fellowship alumni and the support of her community partners, the Indigenous Assessor Network aims to: Elevating Indigenous voices and methodologies.
The TDC Fellowship and this Indigenous evaluator network share an unwavering goal to expand our reach and secure stable funding to support our diverse efforts. Through their collaborative efforts, the goal is to tell and celebrate the stories, resilience, strength, and lasting legacy of Indigenous communities within New Mexico.