307: Valuing Diversity

1. 307: Valuing Diversity

2. Agenda THE CONCEPT OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY • Culture Definitions • Characteristics of Culture • Cultural Competence • Steps to Achieving Cultural Competence IDENTIFYING CULTURAL VALUES AND BELIEFS • Origin of Values and Beliefs • Exploring Our Values and Beliefs • The Cycle of Prejudice and Oppression • Suggestions for Maintaining Objectivity and Productivity

3. CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION • The Four Minute Sell • Communication Tendencies • The Cultural-Context Inventory • General Principles of Effective Cross CulturalCommunication • Some Cultural and Communicative Tendencies of Four American Subgroups • TAKING ACTION • Ally Behavior • Cultural Diversity Continuum • Increasing Cultural Competence in Services • Next Steps

4. Competencies and Learning Objectives • The Competency: • The child welfare professional understands the concept of cultural competence; knows how one's own culture affects behavior and values; and knows how cultural and ethnic differences may affect the delivery of child welfare service

5. Learning Objectives • Participants will be able to: • Define the primary and secondary dimensions of culture, cultural diversity and cultural competence • Identify characteristics of culture • Identify their own cultural values, how these values contrast with cultural values of others, and the impact cultural values have on one's attitudes and behaviors • Recognize the various aspects of cross cultural communication • Develop techniques to increase cultural awareness

6. Culture is… the framework that guides and bounds life practices; not a rigidly prescribed set of behaviors or characteristics, but rather the framework through which actions are filtered or checked as individuals go about their daily life.

7. Definition of Culture Culture represents the vast structure of behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, habits, beliefs, customs, language, rituals, ceremonies and practices "peculiar" to a particular group of people, and it provides them with: (1) a general design for living and (2) patterns for interpreting reality. Culture determines how we see the world and the way we see the world is reflected in our behavior. -Wade Nobles

8. Work Background Income Education Age Sexual/ Affectional Orientation Race Parental Status Marital Status Physical Abilities/ Qualities Ethnicity Gender Military Experience Geographic Location Religious Beliefs Primary and Secondary Dimensions of Diversity (Reece & Brandt, 2006)

9. Definition of Acculturation “Cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture; also: a merging of cultures as a result of prolonged contact.” -Merriam Webster’s Dictionary

10. Acculturative Attitude Styles Value in maintaining cultural identity? Value in maintaining relationships with host group? (Berry, 1994, 2001)

11. Characteristics of Culture • Every human being has a culture. • Culture is learned. It is not innate or biological. • Culture is dynamic. It changes over time. • A large component of culture is below the level of conscious expression. • People can belong to many different subcultures. • Culture gives us a range of permissible behavior patterns

12. Characteristics of Culture, Cont’d. • Culture determines the way we think, feel, act, perceive the world, respond to situations, etc. Therefore, culture consists of values, beliefs, and rules of conduct. • A society's institutions reflect the culture and its underlying beliefs and values. • Culture is a "group" phenomenon. It must be shared. Culture reflects tradition, having been passed from one generation to another. • Our culture determines how we respond to problems and daily interactions with others, etc. • Cultures no longer exist in isolation.

13. Components of Cultural Competence • Cultural Knowledge • Cultural Awareness • Cultural Sensitivity (King, Sims, & Osher)

14. Competence means… having the capacity tofunction in a particularway; to have skills; to have a level of mastery in a situation.

15. Definition of Cultural Competence {Individual} "The state of being capable of functioning effectively in the context of cultural differences."

16. Privilege, Pride, and Prejudice Cycle of Prejudice and Oppression MYTH • Misinformation • Missing Information • Stereotypes SOCIALIZATION BEHAVIOR • Reinforced by • Institutions, Culture • Government, Media • Family, Education • Religion, Peers • Prejudiced Behavior • Oppressive Behavior INTERNALIZATION • Lies & Myths = Truth • Difference = Deficit Credit to Bailey Jackson & Rita Hardiman • Adapted by Joan Olsson 1988 Cultural Bridges 268 B Pope Rd. Tobyhanna, PA 18466

17. The Four-Minute Sell by Janet Elsea • Skin Color • Gender • Age • Appearance • Facial Expressions • Eye Contact • Movement • Personal Space • Touch (Elsea, 1984)

18. Aspects of Communication • Silence • Dominance Behaviors • Volume • Touching Personal Space Eye Contact and FeedbackBehaviors Interruption and Turn-TakingBehaviors Gesturing Facial Expression

19. Five Dimensions of Human Activity ASSOCIATION INTERACTION TERRITORIALITY LEARNING TEMPORALITY (Hall, 1959)

20. The Four Spaces Personal Space Intimate Space Social Space Public Space (Hall, 1966)

21. Marking Time • at nine o’clock • at twenty-onehundred hours • at sunset • when everything isready • when everyone ishere • when I’m good andready When is the right time? People of different culturalbackgrounds may give different answers to this question: (Hall, 1983)

22. Patterns of High/Low Context in Various Cultures (Hall, 1976)

23. Cultural Context Discussion • How has membership in various cultural groups influenced your behavior? • How do you feel and behave with someone from a different culture? • What are the drawbacks of your own high- or low-context orientation? What are the advantages? • What are some of the challenges that you face in working with those whose scores are very different from your own? How might you meet some of those challenges? • What are some benefits of working with those whose scores are very different from your own? How might you capitalize on those benefits?

24. What Would I Give Up? • What would I give up by acting against oppression? • How am I benefitingfrom continuing the cycle of prejudice and oppression? • What price am I payingfor my "isms"? • What limits do I place onhelping to change oppressionand prejudice?

25. Percent Minority of the U.S. Population (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008.)