YVK Full Spectrum Doula Training Begins!
In early September, this year’s Yiya Vi Kagingdi (YVK) Full Spectrum Community Doula Training began with its first heart-opening weekend of a multi-month process. During our first time together, we shared tears, laughter, and many moments of grounding and connection.
The 2024/2025 cohort is a diverse group of ten students, five of whom are Indigenous and all of whom have strong ties to Northern New Mexico. The training is co-facilitated by Aspen Mirabal and F.A. Marie, with support from the whole Reproductive Justice Program team. We offered TWU frameworks such as the Two World Harmony/Butterfly model, and experienced the Trauma Rocks process together. The weekend was an opportunity to practice collective care as well as ways to be with difficult conversations, grounded in shared values.
The YVK Full Spectrum Community Doula Training began in 2018 with its first cohort of Indigenous and Northern New Mexican students. Building upon a Reproductive Justice framework, we focus on weaving resiliency practices with the reclamation of birth knowledge in our local communities. Throughout the training, students explore curriculum on the following topics and have opportunities to learn from community experts:
- Caring for Substance Using Families
- Healing/Trauma Informed Care
- Survivor-Centered Care
- Free, Prior and Informed Consent
- Body Sovereignty
- Reproductive Justice
- Perinatal Mental/Emotional Health
- Decolonization of Birth
- Client Advocacy
- Cultural Humility
- Building Professional Relationships
At the completion of the training, graduates are eligible to serve as community doulas through Tewa Women United or on their own. If you’re interested in requesting a doula for your new family, visit this page for more information.
We are anticipating our next module in October with great enthusiasm. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in making this incredible experience possible!
