Cultural Awareness:

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Cultural Awareness

• Best Support Practices for Supporting Alaska
  Native Victims of Abuse
• Cheryl Facine
• Alaska Native Justice Center

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Learning Objectives

• To better serve the Alaska Native and American
  Indian population
• Distinquish key factors in serving Alaska Natives
  and American Indians who are victims of abuse

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Topics

• Cultural Awareness
• Respect for Culture
• Historical Transgenerational trauma and grief
• Supportive Services
• Continuity of Services
• Knowing Your Resources

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Cultural Awareness

• Difference in values, beliefs and life
  experiences.
• Self Awareness your own values, beliefs and
  attitude of diverse population
• Incorporating the above provides an understanding
  of diversity within diversity

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Respect for Culture

• Ask where your clients are from
• Eskimo not used any more
• Inupiat, Umiak, Yupik, and Cupik
• With Aleuts, some use Alutiiq, depending on the
  region
• With Athabascan, Denaina refers to the southern
  Athabascans and Tanaina refers to the northern
• If American Indian
• What tribe affiliated with?
• What are customs?
• Resource Alaska Native Knowledge Network
  www.ankn.uaf.edu

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Respect for Culture

• This type of information shows your respect for
  each culture and your interest in each as people.
• Your benefit the type of feedback you receive
  from that person, cooperative vs. uncooperative.

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Historical Transgenerational Trauma and Grief

• Historical trauma and grief became a part of
  Alaska Natives lives by the loss of traditions
  resulting from being sent away from their
  families to boarding schools, not being allowed
  to speak their native language, practice their
  spiritual beliefs.
• The fast pace of having to adapt into a western
  society involuntarily rather than voluntarily
  transition into a different lifestyle while
  continuing their Native traditions.

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Supportive Services

• Advocacy
• Continuity of services
• Resources

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Advocacy

• Advocates Role to act as the biased supporter
  of women advocating for the expressed interests
  and safety of women and their children, including
  safe space and other resources to regain control
  over their lives. To provide leadership and
  expertise based on womens experiences within
  justice, law enforcement, social service and
  medical systems. To prioritize womens safety
  and offender accountability in all aspects of the
  work, including maintaining confidentiality.
• Mending the Sacred Hoop, STOP Violence Against
  Indian Women Technical Assistance Project,
  February 1998

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What This Means

• Services to Alaskan Native/American Indians are
  so new that you need to be creative.
• REMEMBER! Know the culture you will be working
  with. If you have to leave that person, make
  sure you find someone who can take over without
  them having to tell their story over and over
  again. And finally, know the various resources.

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Continuity of Services

• Continuity of service is a must! Many Native
  people have experienced someones departure after
  service/ advocacy has started. Distrust may exist
  at first between us and the people we are trying
  to help.

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Continuity of Services

• If youve read anything about Native history,
  this is common. An example the medical field
  where a person has seen one particular
  professional a number of times. That person
  leaves, and the Native person has to re-tell his
  or her story to someone new (maybe more than
  once).

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Continuity of Services

• Your role strive to keep in touch with clients.
  If you leave, find someone to take over for you
  so the victim doesnt have to keep telling the
  same story.
• It is hard enough to be assaulted either in a
  domestic violence or sexual abuse case the
  victim shouldnt have to tell the story over and
  over again.

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Knowing your Resources

• Knowing new and old resources is vital to my
  work. I can focus on my job if I know another
  agency is out there to help with other
  wrap-around services, i.e., counseling,
  disability services, Indian Child Welfare
  workers, etc.
• Marti Chudocken Willis

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Resources

• Know your resources!
• Make lists for yourself and others
• Dont forget about the internet
• Be creative, use untraditional resources

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Resources

• Cultural Competency
• -www.interactive.theatre.og
• -www.cecp.air.org
• -www.allianceonline.org
• -www.culturalcompetence2.com
• Alaska History
• -www.vilda.alaska.edu
• www.Alaskool.org
• www.travelalaska.com
• www.spaciousskies.us