The Wakanheza Project

The Wakanheza Project, developed by Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health in partnership with the community, is a nationally recognized approach to reducing harsh treatment of children and isolation of teens in public places. While originally designed as a child abuse prevention strategy, this unique approach has been found to increase employee morale and improve customer service in a wide range of organizations, many of which serve adults largely or exclusively.

Unique approach

Through learning sessions, The Wakanheza Project helps individuals and organizations self-identify practices and environmental factors that often trigger stress and potentially harsh treatment of children and teens. Participants are encouraged to implement simple, doable and sustainable changes that have been found to significantly reduce the incidence and intensity of these difficult situations. The premise of this effort is that parents who have welcoming, helpful experiences in the community will be less likely to later harm their children than they would after having a frustrating, shaming experience in public. 

The Wakanheza Project has been successfully implemented in dozens of organizations and communities in Minnesota and across the country, ranging from children's museums and libraries to clinics, domestic violence shelters and mental health centers. Learn more about how organizations have implemented The Wakanheza Project:

Ramsey County Detoxification Center
Developed a welcoming orientation poster for clients to understand at a glance how the program works. The posters were created in English, Hmong and Spanish.

HIRED
The goal was to create a caring, welcoming office environment for all clients, especially those with young children. The changes included adding a play space for children who attend appointments, creating a well-equipped "floating office" to allow for a larger meeting space when necessary and a coffee station available to all visitors. In addition the staff held professional development sessions, providing a space for discussion and training on how to engage all clients - regardless of their background or behavior - in a professional manner.

Child Care Aware
Their goal was for staff to strive to clearly communicate, with humility and respect, to serve children and families of Minnesota. They created posters with statements of their committement to build and sustain caring and respectful relationships with those working at and being served through Child Care Aware of Minnesota.

Saint Paul – Ramsey County Public Health staff can provide educational sessions and presentations with organizations and communities in Ramsey County to share and implement the principles of The Wakanheza Project. Staff are available to consult outside of the county on how these strategies can be used in your community. Call 651-266-2597 to get started today.

The following resources demostrate how The Wakanheza Project can de-escalate stressful situations and create more welcoming enviroments.

Video

Lending a Hand...The Wakanheza Project
Survival tips for parents and young people to help us all get through and thrive during the cold winter months.

Article 

The Wakanheza Project: A Public Health Approach to Primary Prevention of Family Violence (PDF)
Family violence is a well-documented phenomenon. The Wakanheza Project, grounded in the prevention principles of public health, is a community-based violence prevention initiative designed to reduce harsh treatment of children in public. The Wakanheza Project is not a program or curriculum. It uses principles that involve individuals and organizations in learning sessions to rethink why challenging situations occur and ways to ameliorate these challenges. Qualitative research methods explore the impact on 3 diverse organizations in an urban county. Ideas for replication and research toward the primary prevention of violence are discussed.