Advocating for Cultural Competency

Cultural Compentence:

“Cultural competence is about our will and actions to build understanding between people, to be
respectful and open to different cultural perspectives, strengthen cultural security and work towards
equality in opportunity. Relationship building is fundamental to cultural competence and is based
on the foundations of understanding each other’s expectations and attitudes, and subsequently
building on the strength of each other’s knowledge, using a wide range of community members and
resources to build on their understandings.”

http://rapworkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/what-does-it-mean-to-be-culturally-competent-1.pdf

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Canada has always been multicultural, and is now becoming increasingly multicultural, with new citizens and refugee families arriving all the time. It’s imperative to be culturally competent in life, especially in a child care setting. Every culture has its own beliefs and values when it comes to nutrition, health, family dynamic, parenting, and communication, and it’s up to us as educators to be cognizant of these differences and to embrace and celebrate the children in our care for those differences.

Many people say that they are “colour-blind” when it comes to multiculturalism, and that they treat everyone as equals, but that is not the point of cultural competence. We are all different, and therefore should be seen as different, but equally important and beautiful.

To me, advocacy means being a voice for those who cannot speak or act for themselves. Children come into this world as blank slates and are molded in the image of those who are caring for them, so if we aren’t taking into consideration their family culture and values, and celebrating them, we are doing them a disservice.

For the purpose of this assignment, I will be focusing on advocating for cultural competence regarding Indigenous children in childcare. We have so many Indigenous children in childcare centres that may not reflect their own culture, and celebrate their language and heritage. This website is a series of five educational videos and is great way to get started on learning about Canada’s history with First Nations, and implementing indigenous cultural awareness in the early learning classroom. The ECE Cultural competency project was co-developed by the Musqueam Nation, BC Aboriginal Child Care Society, City of Vancouver, Collingwood Neighbourhood House, and other community partner, and also has a booklet that goes with the videos.

https://www.decoda.ca/read-all-about-lit/indigenous-cultural-competency-for-early-childhood-education/

The history of Canada and First Nations, and the devastating impact of the Indian Residential School Act, is something that all Canadians are responsible for understanding and repairing. We now know about epigenetics, and how the effect of residential school and generational trauma changes people’s genetics, which can contribute to mental health issues later in life. This generational trauma can affect the way people parent their children, and can continue the cycle of trauma. For more information on this, check out this website:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4232330/

Canada is slowly getting to place where these issues are forefront and our schools and educators are changing the way Indigenous culture has been seen for generations. Starting with the formative early years, we can help to instill a sense of acceptance and self-awareness, and confidence, for all of the children in our care by providing a safe and reflective environment that celebrates diverse language, history, and culture.

So, how can YOU begin your cultural competence journey?

• First and foremost, educate yourself on the truth of Canada’s history with the First Nations before and during Confederation. Reflect on your own cultural biases, and how they affect your personal practice with multicultural children. Seek to change what does not serve the children in your care, and discover what you can bring to the classroom to foster a child’s sense of self-awareness and acceptance.
• Become familiar with the Truth and Reconciliation Coalition of Canada and their calls to action for the Canadian government.
• Speak to the parents or guardians of the children in your care. Grow your relationship with them, ask about their culture, and how you could best integrate it into your practice. Be their advocate if they need assistance with any services.

I recently discovered a wonderful store/website (www.strongnations.ca ) that offers Indigenous literature, toys, posters, and other classroom art called Strong Nations. I purchased a variety of classroom materials and literature for when I begin my journey as an educator.

Another great way to get started on Indigenous cultural competence is to speak to an Elder in your area about how you can learn more about the local history, and begin to implement culture into your own childcare environment.

Most important of all, LOVE ALL OF THE CHILDREN IN YOUR CARE EQUALLY 🙂