Cultural Considerations

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Cultural Considerations
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What is Culture?

• How does one identify as part of a culture?
• How does one identify that someone is from a
  culture different than ones own?
• How do we learn about other cultures?

Gibbons, R.
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Housing
Clothing
Food
Music
Primarily in Awareness
Fine arts and crafts
Dance
Literature
Language
Celebrations
Courtship
Conflict resolution
Values
Human rights
Role of the elders
Personal space
Worldview
Kinship patterns
Gender roles
Primarily out of Awareness
Facial expressions
Parenting practices
Status and how it is determined
Concept of beauty
Gibbons, R.
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Defining Culture

• Shared experiences that develop and evolve
  according to changing social and political
  landscapes. It includes the following axes of
  identification within the historical context of
  oppression.
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Class
• Immigration
• Ability
• Age
• Location
• Time

Warrier, S. (2005).
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Defining culture

• Neither a blueprint nor an identity
• Complex, multi-faceted
• Always changing

Safe Harbors Youth Intervention Project, 2009
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Cultural lens

• Consideration of Culture must encompass what we
  know about ourselves first, what cultural lens
  we bring to the experience.
• What has shaped your cultural lens?

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Cultural sensitivity and cultural competency

• Sensitivity An awareness, understanding,
  responsiveness, and respect for the beliefs,
  values, customs, and institutions (family,
  religious, etc.) of a group of people,
  particularly those different from ones own
• Competency Incorporating the awareness,
  understanding, responsiveness, and respect into
  services
• Cultural Competency is a life-long learning
  process, not an end result

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How privilege and oppression impact culture

• Privileged group behaviors, values, customs,
  language, institutions, etc. are the norm
• Cultural Monopoly A single source, view, center
  of power which defines, determines and dictates
  the cultural norm for process, procedure,
  communication and interaction in everyday task
  and existence, based on the mainstream social
  structure

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Cycle of Oppression

• No choice who we are
• No Information
• No Misinformation
• No Biases or Stereotypes
• Born into Social Groups

• Know Nothing
• Promote Status Quo
• Inaction is Action
• Pass to Next Generation
• Become part of the Problem

• Guilt/Rage
• Fear/Hurt
• Confusion
• Dehumanization
• Self-Hatred/Defensiveness
• Stress/Lack of Reality
• Hate/Ignorance

• Parents, Teachers
• People we trust
• Our norms, values,
• Roles, and rules are shaped

• Media
• Schools
• Religious Institutions
• Government/Laws
• Privileges/Punishments
• Discrimination
• Empowerment

• Stereotypes
• Myths
• Misinformation

Adapted from Cycle of Oppression, Roberto
Harro, Diversity Works, Amherst MAJ. Jay Scott,
Office of Housing, University of Florida,
Gainsville
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Breaking the Cycle of Oppression

• Which Calls Us To
• Learn New Information
• Unlearn Misinformation
• Recognize/Analyze Stereotypes
• Move Out of Our Comfort Zone

• Anger, Pride, Love, Empowerment
• Educating Ourselves, Educating Others
• Interrupting Oppression
• Celebrating Diversity
• Building Communities and Coalitions

• Race/Ethnicity
• Gender/Age/Sexual Orientation
• Class/Economic Resources
• Spirituality
• Physical Abilities/Mental/Emotional Abilities

Adapted from Cycle of Oppression, Roberto
Harro, Diversity Works, Amherst MAJ. Jay Scott,
Office of Housing, University of Florida,
Gainsville
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How do we become culturally competent?

• Become aware of our own cultural values, biases
  and assumptions about human behavior
• Understand how cultural differences, attitudes
  and behaviors are crucial to effective
  communication
• Always consider Language, Communication Style,
  Alternative Learning Styles, Values, Roles,
  Traditions and Beliefs
• Understand how oppression and privilege impacts
  services and survivors

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Our Core Elements
Awareness Impact of Your Personal Cultural
Lenses on Intervention
YOUR Core Elements
Incorporation and Balance of YOUR Core Elements
with a Commitment of Awareness to Self,
Organization and Community
Importance of Self Awareness and its Contribution
to our worldview
Awareness, Recognition, Knowledge and Proactive
Action in our intervention
Recognition, Commitment, Effective Strategies and
Action to INTERRUPT Culturally Inappropriate/Offen
sive remarks, actions, policies, etc
Awareness of Privilege and Misunderstanding/Misint
erpretation and Strategies to address and avoid
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Question

• What are some specific ways you could become more
  culturally considerate/sensitive/competent?

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References

• Espondaburu, L. Cultural Considerations
  Understanding Culture and its Impact on
  Intervention. PowerPoint slides.
• Gibbons, R. Cultural Competency in Violence
  Prevention and Intervention. PowerPoint slides.
• Safe Harbors Youth Intervention Project. (2009).
  Cultural Considerations When Working with
  Homeless Runaway and Sexually Exploited Youth.
  St. Paul, MN Partners for Violence Prevention.
• Warrier, S. (2005). Culture Handbook. Retrieved
  from http//endabuse.org/userfiles/file/ImmigrantW
  omen/Culture20Handbook.pdf