¶ … Aboriginals and Social Work
This course provided a very broad perspective of the impact Western and European cultures have an aboriginal culture. It showed how devastating these influences have been to native aboriginal cultures, generally serving to suppress them and change the shape of aboriginal culture, in some cases smothering aboriginal cultures completely. The overall impact this course had on me was allowing me to comprehend this impact on aboriginal societies and see that the Western or European way is not always the best way. This course helped provide a general framework for understanding the difficulties and challenges faced by aboriginal youths and adults. It also showed that social work must be adapted significantly to take into consideration one's cultural background because this can dramatically shape the framework of social work. If one uses a Western or European model on aboriginals, they may find themselves misaligning the model for support because they are trying to put a "square peg" in a "round hole." Aboriginals face a host of problems that social workers have to help with including racism, poverty and colonialism, which has left many aborigines without a proper sense of cultural identity. These issues are specific to each aboriginal culture and have to be dealt with uniquely. Each case should be looked at with sensitivity.
With regards to aboriginal work and social work practice, the coursework showed that social work requires that the worker immerses themselves into the culture and spirituality of the people, because conventional work practices do not work. Spirituality seems to be one of the more important issues facing social workers with regard to aboriginal culture, because it plays an important part in connecting people with their communities. For example, a counselor that specializes in dealing with poverty may have to broaden their scope of practice to address poverty...
An aboriginal member of society may have a deep connection to the spiritual community, while this may not be true of one trying to assimilate into the white framework of a colonized society in which they live
One of lessons learned was that culture implications of social work practice differ in aboriginal environments partly because of colonization; behaviors that may appear "abnormal" may in fact be normal, but are characterized as normal or maladaptive only because natives are trying to participate as members of "white" society but this is not their true culture. Another key point learned was that the internalization of white European norms has contributed greatly to the negative impact of Indigenous communities, and this continues as continued colonial practices continue to hamper aboriginal communities.
Another challenge facing aboriginal cultures is crime and racism, often the result of factors including colonization and genocide; the readings confirm that these have impacted First Nation, Inuit and Metis youth. Crime can cause despair and self-destruction, which may destroy an aboriginal's odds for developing healthy attitudes as they grow into young adults, leaving them without a proper sense of identity and goal-setting skills which are necessary for planning well into the future. Poverty, crime, and an endless cycle of abuse can result. I found I can use this to help structure a practice which can easily identify at-risk youth by screening for these factors prior to counseling or working with this population because their needs will be more specific than traditional at-risk youth. In particular, finding programs that target aboriginal youths and focusing on diversity and acclimation to their cultural settings may be of particular benefit. Helping build a sense of…
Social Work Framework A framework to social work practice is based on a set of beliefs and assumptions about how, when, and under what conditions people and systems change and what a social worker can do to facilitate desired and needed change, such as speaking out and raising awareness of child abuse, how to report it, and how to get help. There are always underlying issues to human suffering, such as
Anti-oppressive practice should not negate the risks posed to the child. Intervention based on anti-oppressive practice incorporates a risk and needs analysis of both mother and child (p. 237). The authors also state that anti-oppressive practice must move beyond descriptions of the nature of oppression toward more dynamic and creative ways of working. Numerous theorists and authors have addressed these issues and show ways I which the social worker can
Aboriginal Rights -- Treat Rights What is the difference between Aboriginal Rights and Treaty Rights? According to Module 7 ("Aboriginal and First Nations Peoples and Social Policy") Aboriginal Peoples stood in the way of Canada's nation building strategy. The Indian Act of 1876 basically was intended to try to assimilate Aboriginal Peoples into the social and political culture of Canada. There was no doubt about the skills of the Aboriginal Peoples, and
Aboriginal Education in Canada: A Plea for Integration This paper explores interactions among formal learning, informal learning, and life conditions and opportunities experienced by Aboriginal people in Canada. Aboriginal is the most popular term used to refer to Canada's original people (Kirkness, 1999). Aboriginal, Indian, and First Nations are all terms used to describe Canadian natives. A great deal of attention has been given in recent years to what is commonly described
The older children at Kuper Island School were allowed to have Valentine parties under the watchful eyes of their chaperones and Father Renaud, at Lower Post, observed in 1956 that "boys and girls eat together, not only in the same dining room but at the same tables, just like at home. On Sunday night they dance together to music" (Miller 220). Separate but unequal treatment was the standard in recreation,
Other issues arise in the clustering of immigrants around the major urban areas, thus pulling to much from the grid, taxing the already marginalized system, and allowing an unprescedented demand in new housing. Experts acknolwedge that this increased level of housing needs cause even short-term visias to now be suspect in contributed to the gridlock. Additionally one of the conundrums that support a change in policy focuses on the type