Tag Archives: Community

Module #4-4: Indigenous Women

There are always minorities within minority groups, and women often find themselves in that place. They may face double discrimination, not only do they experience discrimination from the surrounding society but also from within their own communities.

The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, Inc. (NIWRC) is a Native nonprofit organization in the United States specifically created to protect Native women from domestic violence. Their board of directors and staff consist of Native women from throughout the United States. They have extensive experience and commitment in providing technical assistance/training and resource information to safeguard Native women and their children.

International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) is an international, non-governmental human rights organization staffed by specialists and advisers on indigenous affairs. IWGIA supports Indigenous peoples’ struggle for human rights, self-determination, right to territory, control of land and resources, cultural integrity, and the right to development. The IWGIA website presents their view regarding Gender and Indigenous Women as well. According to them, Indigenous women suffer from a range of problems related to the violation of their rights, such as lack of participation in decision-making processes and lack of land rights, lack of access to education, and domestic violence.

Module 4: Post 1: Learning the Path

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This website is geared towards inspiring and connecting Aboriginal peoples and communities in and around Edmonton, Alberta. There are various links on the website such as healing the past, breaking down barriers, discovering gifts, connecting community and empowering yourself. This website provides news events, information, video and audio clips of stories from Aboriginal people. It provides a way for Aboriginal people to become involved in community, re-connect with their culture and find jobs and empowerment in the community. This website was create by Aboriginal people who are trying to help create a path for more Aboriginal youth and people to follow to find success and happiness in life. This website is also, however, not limited to Aboriginal peoples as they encourage non-Aboriginal people to also become involved and aware in their cultural events.

http://www.cbc.ca/edmonton/features/learningthepinal ath/community/

Module 3 Weblog – Post #4 – Aboriginal Multimedia

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The Aboriginal Multi-Media Society (AMMSA) was founded in 1983 and states, as part of its mission that it is “…dedicated to providing objective, mature and balanced coverage of news, information and entertainment relevant to Aboriginal issues and peoples while maintaining profound respect for the values, principles and traditions of Aboriginal people. “(History and Mission page, retrieved 03/11/13).

By 1993 society’s work has resulted in the creation of Windspeaker magazine, Canada’s sole national aboriginal news publication. The site offers links to information regarding AMMSA’s regional publications for at least four provinces and one territory – BC/Yukon, Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan. In addition to the news publications, the site also provides links to CFWE, an Alberta based fm radio broadcaster.

Finally, the site includes a Daily blog and Community Access Links along with numerous “in depth” resources on current issues of particular relevance such as IdleNoMore, Missing and Murdered Women, and Pipelines and Tankers. These areas of the site are rich sources of information and perspectives on the lives of Aboriginal people in Canada, their contributions to their communities and the challenges that they continue to face with respect to self-governance, their cultures, their lands and their resources. While these materials are not stories in the traditional sense of narrative, they nonetheless help to fill in important gaps in the story of our country that many Canadians have been told over the years.

Module #3-4: Mental Health Issues

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After I saw Kind Hearted Woman which I mentioned in module 2, I started wondering about Indigenous peoples’ mental health issues. The woman in the documentary faced so many struggles in her life: poverty, career, relationship, drug and alcohol abuse, her own identity, and so forth. Indigenous peoples have to deal with different struggles, more than we do, due to the unique circumstances of their lives.

According to HeretoHelp, in some Indigenous groups in Canada, a survey shows the number of people seeking help was as high as 17%, compared to the Canadian average of 8%.

Health Canada, the Federal department, has some information about First Nations & Inuit health on their website. Also the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) states how to cooperate with Indigenous communities across Canada to help them overcome barriers and support their vision for improved mental health. MHCC also mentions what they have learned from Indigenous peoples in Canada through their work: acknowledging realities facing Indigenous peoples; developing close partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis (FNIM) communities; and appreciating culture roles in supporting well-being and recovery in FNIM communities.

In Australia, Indigenous Psychological Services (IPS) was founded in 1998 to contribute to the Aboriginal mental health field. They have three main areas of service delivery, including Aboriginal mental health training, cultural competency intervention programs, and Aboriginal mental health and suicide intervention programs. What they state in the website is similar to MHCC; it is crucial for service providers to recognize the uniqueness and diversity of Aboriginal culture. The “one size fits all” approach would never work.

Module 3 Post 4 – Longhouse Media TV Youtube Channel

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I explored the Youtube channel for the host of the March’s Point video (Longhouse Media TV) and found a wealth of documentary videos made by many young natives using media technology. The statement of purpose from this media source echos much of the things we are learning in the course: “to catalyze Indigenous people and communities to use media as a tool for self-expression, cultural preservation, and social change.”

One of the video’s that caught my attention was Awakening Our Community. This documentary is comprised of interview snippets of indigenous people of various ages and gender discussing the topic of ‘where community comes from’ and how staying sober and having community impacts their lives. Here are some of their voices:

“It takes a community to raise a child, and when we lose children (e.g. to drugs and alcohol) it affects our community also”.

“Getting involved in my culture, I guess that pulled me away from that negative world out there… and not wanting my kids to grow up in a household like that.”

“I think it’s about each of us helping one another, and lifting each other up because we have a lot of gifts and talents within ourselves, and we just need to reach out to each other and support one another, and stop pulling each other down, but lift ourselves up together”.

“I think the first step to saving our community would be to heal, to come together and heal together, and have people come to community events where we can come together and pray together, and sing together… because the loss of our culture is a huge reason why have these addictions.”

Technology is seen here as a tool bringing people together, and promoting culture and expression as a way of bringing healing to a community.

Module #2-4: Network in Indigenous Communities

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One of the difficulties that Indigenous peoples may face is networking. Even though the Internet is developed and people can easily connect with one other, it does not mean all people know how to network with other communities. Actually it can be quite hard to connect with people; I knew there should be a Japanese community in Quebec City when I first moved here, but it took me several months to meet the first Japanese person!

The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada is an open network to promote giving, sharing, and philanthropy in Indigenous communities across Canada. They connect with and support the empowerment of Indigenous communities and individuals in building a stronger, healthier future. They strive to strengthen the Indigenous right to self-determination as one of their goals through workshops, meetings, newsletters, and so on.

In 2006, an Indigenous entrepreneur started NationTalk as a newswire and listing service that aggregated information relevant to the Indigenous communities in Canada. Their services rapidly grew across Canada and now it is the great way to reach out to the Indigenous communities, with more than 15,000 daily newsletter subscribers and over 2 million page impressions a year through its website. NationTalk allows the creation of websites with local information on jobs, with advertisements, and news for communities as small as a village.

Networking can help Indigenous people strengthen their relationships with others, with numerous benefits for all concerned. It can also be a good source of new perspectives and ideas, expand opportunities for business or valuable knowledge, open doors to the exchange of valuable suggestions, and provide guidance.

Module 2 Post 1: First Nations Technology Council

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While searching for information related to technology uniting indigenous communities I stumbled across The First Nations Technology Council, who’s primary goals are to:

1. To support the number of First Nations communities accessing high or higher speed connectivity.

2. To increase the digital literacy of First Nations individuals and communities to ensure they benefit fully from technology.

3. To work with First Nations communities to determine their unique information management needs and to partner with qualified companies or agencies to develop appropriate programs and software to meet these needs.

4. To provide First Nations communities with technology support as close to them as possible and in a format that meets them at their technical literacy level. (source link: http://fnbc.info/about-first-nations-technology-council-0)

The site provides links to many sponsors and partners that support their agenda, which includes: First Nations Health Authority, First Nations Summit, UBC Learning Circle, Indigena Solutions.

FNTC is a non-profit organization that was incorporated in 2009. One of the things they do is facilitate annual technology summits for FN communities.

They have what’s called Project Raven which “provides technical skills development and employment opportunities to Aboriginal people living in various areas of BC. If you are an under-employed (less than 20 hrs per week) or un-employed Aboriginal, Metis or Inuit adult living on or off reserve in BC, you are eligible for training through this program.

Module 1 Post 3 – Aboriginal Outreach Programs

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Local and national Aboriginal Outreach Programs such as the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto and the National Aboriginal Outreach Program are charitable organizations that provide wide range of programs and services based on native cultural traditions and teachings. These programs share similar visions using community-based approaches to deliver confidence-building programming that is locally and culturally relevant to engage and ensure future prosperity within Aboriginal communities contributing to Canada’s workforce while promoting and celebrating Aboriginal culture.

Entry 2: Technology and Identity

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In Technology & Identity : Is rapidly accelerating technology eroding our sense of who we are?, Barbara Molony of Santa Clara University reports on a disucssion by three panelists about our identity and culture in relation to our use and dependence on technology. Questions such as,, “Is our identity as a society eroding because we are unclear about the survival of our cultural legacy?,” help clarify the impact of technology on our individual identity and community identity. The potential of the Internet’s influence on our identities can have both a positive and negative impact.

The globalization of information allows for an openness of ideas, and a feeling of being connected. Yet, the internet can also lead “American ethnic communities to vanish and that online communities often result in a narrowing of focus,” as people are less connected emotionally. Although the internet can “help us forge old-fashioned connectedness in a seemingly disconnected, modernizing world,”

One panelist, John Staudenmaier (Professor of History, University of Detroit, Mercy), “felt that we all need “offline time” to find our identity, and suggested we consider fasting from the Internet one night per week.”

http://www.scu.edu/sts/nexus/summer2001/MolonyArticle.cfm

Mod 1:2 Community Schools in SK

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Community Education is a concept that acknowledges that education does not stop at the school. Community Schools in Saskatchewan are schools that have been designated by the provincial government due to the high enrolment of First Nations youth. These schools are not only schools but places where other community organizations come together to support families. Part of their mandate states:

Community Education is a unique education concept that embraces these beliefs:

Education is a lifelong process;
Everyone in the community – individuals, businesses, public and private agencies – shares responsibility for the mission of educating all members of the community; and
Citizens have a right and a responsibility to be involved in determining community needs, identifying community resources, and linking those needs and resources to improve their community. (Community Schools – About us)

One of the questions that we reflected on during Module one was whether educational goals are different in First Nations communities. The goal of our educational system is to create healthy, contributing members of society and I believe that this is universal goal. I think the route to this goal is necessarily different for First Nations youth and we are learning how to acknowledge the differences. Our system isn’t perfect but schools with frameworks in place to support First Nations youth and families are starting the process of healing for First Nations Communities.