The WomenSpirit Coalition in Sequim, Washington celebrates the opening of the Sayu’? X Wey Family Safety Center. This historical moment has been over 2 years in the making and the new safety center will serve 7 local tribes in a 3-county area.
On June 6, 2024, WomenSpirit Coalition officially opened the doors to the Sayu’? X Wey Family Safety Center with a ribbon cutting and shawl ceremony. Some of the center’s services include the WSC / Sayu X Wey Civil Legal Program (for Domestic Violence Victims) and the Indigenous Crime Victims Resource and Referral Center.
The facility serves as a sacred and welcoming space for Tribal service providers, offering areas for training, meetings, support groups, and consultations with victims both on and off the reservation.
The Sayu’ʔ X Wey is a comprehensive multi-service center dedicated to supporting victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes. Located at a single office site, it features a drop-in center where victims can access the internet, prepare or send documents, and utilize various office resources to meet their needs.
In addition, the center includes a two-way mirrored observation room equipped with professional recording technology, ideal for preserving evidence for court proceedings. It also houses a training and meeting room that accommodates up to 25 people, providing a versatile space for gatherings and educational sessions.
Some of the center’s objectives/outcomes are to: Promote expansion of accessible, understandable, consistent and culturally relevant information and guidance related to legal services. • Address cross and inter-jurisdictional coordination and dispute resolution through representation in all courts, as appropriate. • Promote the development and dissemination of self-advocacy resources and tools for Domestic Violence survivors seeking help. • The Program Coordinator will assist with informing victims of their rights. • Improve access to and just treatment of survivors in tribal and state protection order systems. • Provide or enhance collaboration, training and partnership with tribal, local, state and federal law enforcement entities.
A great accomplishment to note is that the WomenSpirit Coalition itself has been providing services for over 20 years, serving the 29 tribes in Washington state, and providing technical assistance, consultation, training and raising public awareness on issues related to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, dating violence and sex trafficking and murdered and missing relatives.
Services are provided to established Tribal domestic violence and sexual assault programs, as well as emerging Tribal programs, on issues related to subject matter dynamics, signs and symptoms, current best practices and effective service delivery approaches to enhancing access to essential services.
Here is an excerpt from WSC: “Teachings from Dee Koester, MS, Founder and Executive Director
The name Sayu’? X Wey was given to WomenSpirit Coalition as an encompassing collective spirit to guide our work. We first named our online learning service (online college), Sayu’? X Wey Institute when developing it in 2011. The name was gifted by Delbert Miller, of the Skokomish Tribe, who is the cultural bearer, storyteller, carver, and drummer. He is also the nephew of Subiyay Gerald Bruce Miller (1944-2005). Bruce also provided support and wisdom to the early founding of WomenSpirit Coalition.
We all know how difficult it is to move beyond trauma to becoming a thriver in spite of the violence perpetrated against you, especially by those we love. WSC embraces not only the desire to move forward, but also the action it takes to do so. Sayu’? X Wey represents the honor and respect that we have for survivors who have succeeded, sometimes beyond hope and reality.”
