Thriving Women's Initiative - Alaska

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V.

CONCLUSIONS AND FINDINGS “One must be wise in knowing what to prepare for and equally Wise knowing in being prepared for the unknowable.” --Yup’ik Quote, Native Voices “When money is used for external reward for activity the subjects lose intrinsic interest for the activity – in other words money can deliver short term boosts but the effects wear off – and worse can reduce a person’s longer-term motivation to continue the project.” --Daniel Pink, 2011 The seven Alaska Native Women’s projects are succeeding in their efforts to reduce

violence in Native villages and communities, despite the numerous vexing factors that contribute to the disproportionate level of violence against Native Alaska Women. Humans have a long and complex history of violence and aggression. Violence has been colonized leading to the presentfocus of Native on Native violence while generally ignoring the rate high rates of interracial violence against these groups, especially towards Native women. Colonialism and the structures and processes of settler colonialism (e.g., settler laws, beliefs, values, policies, identity, and sovereignty) have advanced the goals of settler colonialism while diminishing those of Indigenous Peoples which has contributed to the present rates of violence towards Native women. The context of violence is undergirded by human fears, anxiety, and aggression of real and imagined threats. The types of violence and the factors that predict intimate violence are complex, diverse, and numerous and require tremendous efforts to address. Violence is embedded in all societies, classes, and genders, and is much more of a problem of male behavior. Arguments continue about whether violence is nature or nurture. The scientific community leans towards the idea that it is more likely in our nature, while studies show that nurture can be a powerful mediator of violence. And, several studies show that the capacity

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