TRAINING CURRICULUM What does cultural competency mean and why should I care?

1. TRAINING CURRICULUM What does cultural competency mean and why should I care? Sujata Warrier, Ph.D. For Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence Formerly, Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence January 2007

2. 15 minute version TRAINING CURRICULUM Cultural Competency

3. Cultural Identity Exercise • What is your cultural identity?

4. Definition Of Culture • A critical definition of culture refers to shared experiences or commonalities that have developed and continue to evolve in relation to changing social and political contexts, based on: • race • ethnicity • national origin • sexuality • gender • religion • age • class • disability status • immigration status • education • geographic location (space) • rural, urban • time, or • other axes of identification • within the historical context of oppression

5. So, what does this mean? • In what ways does this understanding of culture affect our work? • Who are you? • Who is she? • How do you see her as she sees you? • What is the context of your work and the principles that guide it? • How do all these come together?

6. What does cultural competency mean and why should I care? 30 minute version TRAINING CURRICULUM Cultural Competency

7. Cultural Identity Exercise • What is your cultural identity?

8. Definition Of Culture • A critical definition of culture refers to shared experiences or commonalities that have developed and continue to evolve in relation to changing social and political contexts, based on: • race • ethnicity • national origin • sexuality • gender • religion • age • class • disability status • immigration status • education • geographic location (space) • rural, urban • time, or • other axes of identification • within the historical context of oppression

9. Why Should We Consider Culture? • Culture shapes an individual’s experience of domestic violence. • Culture shapes the batterer’s response to intervention and acceptance of responsibility. • Culture shapes access to other services that might be crucial for the victim. • The culture of the system and the victim will impact outcome.

10. So, what does this mean? • In what ways does this understanding of culture affect our work? • Who are you? • Who is she? • How do you see her as she sees you • What is the context of your work and the principles that guide it? • How do all these come together?

11. Working Assumptions CULTURALLY COMPETENT ASSUMPTIONS: • All cultures are contradictory - values can be both oppressive and nurturing at the same time. • Each victim is not only a member of her/his community, but a unique individual with their own responses. The complexity of a person’s response is shaped by multiple factors. • Each individual comes into any encounter with cultural experiences and perspectives that might differ from those present in the system. • All institutions have to develop specific policies and procedures to systematically build cultural competence.

12. What does cultural competency mean and why should I care? 45 minute version TRAINING CURRICULUM Cultural Competency

13. Goals Of This Session • To define the terms culture and cultural competence and respect the dynamics of difference. • To identify ways in which culture is relevant. • To recognize cultural misinformation and avoid assumptions about a person or the facts of a situation based on misinformation. • To identify personal biases that are brought to any encounter that might influence the interpretation of facts and making of decisions in domestic violence cases.

14. Cultural Identity Exercise • What is your cultural identity? • How does your identity enhance, limit, affect your work?

15. What Is Culture? • Historically and anthropologically thought to be a stable pattern of beliefs, values, thoughts, norms etc. that are transmitted from generation to generation for successfully adapting to other group members and their environment. • The problem is that this is an outdated definition.

16. Definition Of Culture • A critical definition of culture refers to shared experiences or commonalities that have developed and continue to evolve in relation to changing social and political contexts, based on: • race • ethnicity • national origin • sexuality • gender • religion • age • class • disability status • immigration status • education • geographic location (space) • rural, urban • time, or • other axes of identification • within the historical context of oppression

17. Intersectionality • People live multiple & layered lives derived from social relations, history, and the operation of structures of power. • Expose all types of discrimination that occur as a consequence of the combination. • No slotting people, no single form of discrimination – exposes full range of vulnerabilities as it links all structures of oppressions.

18. So, what does this mean? • In what ways does this understanding of culture affect our work? • Who are you? • Who is she? • How do you see her as she sees you • What is the context of your work and the principles that guide it? • How do all these come together?

19. Cultural Competence Is.. • About both individual and institutional practice. • Characterized by the acceptance of and respect for difference. • About continuous self-assessments regarding culture with special attention to and respect for the dynamics of difference.

20. Working Assumptions CULTURALLY COMPETENT ASSUMPTIONS: • All cultures are contradictory in that there is both widespread acceptance of domestic violence as part of society as well as traditions of resistance. • Each victim is not only a member of her/his community, but a unique individual with their own responses. The complexity of a person’s response to domestic violence is shaped by multiple factors. • Each individual comes into a courtroom encounter with cultural experiences and perspectives that might differ from those present in the courtroom. • All institutions have to develop specific policies and procedures to systematically build cultural competence.

21. What does cultural competency mean and why should I care? 60 minute version TRAINING CURRICULUM Cultural Competency

22. Goals Of This Session • To define the terms culture and cultural competence and respect the dynamics of difference. • To identify ways in which culture is relevant. • To recognize cultural misinformation and avoid assumptions about a person or the facts of a situation based on misinformation. • To identify personal biases that are brought to any encounter that might influence the interpretation of facts and making of decisions in domestic violence cases.

23. Cultural Identity Exercise • What is your cultural identity? • How does your identity enhance, limit, affect your work?

24. What Is Culture? • Historically and anthropologically thought to be a stable pattern of beliefs, values, thoughts, norms etc. that are transmitted from generation to generation for successfully adapting to other group members and their environment. • The problem is that this is an outdated definition.

25. Definition Of Culture • A critical definition of culture refers to shared experiences or commonalities that have developed and continue to evolve in relation to changing social and political contexts, based on: • race • ethnicity • national origin • sexuality • gender • religion • age • class • disability status • immigration status • education • geographic location (space) • rural, urban • time, or • other axes of identification • within the historical context of oppression

26. Intersectionality • People live multiple & layered lives derived from social relations, history, and the operation of structures of power. • Expose all types of discrimination that occur as a consequence of the combination. • No slotting people, no single form of discrimination – exposes full range of vulnerabilities as it links all structures of oppressions.

27. So, what does this mean? • In what ways does this understanding of culture affect our work? • Who are you? • Who is she? • How do you see her as she sees you • What is the context of your work and the principles that guide it? • How do all these come together?

28. Cultural Competence Is.. • About both individual and institutional practice. • Characterized by the acceptance of and respect for difference. • About continuous self-assessments regarding culture with special attention to and respect for the dynamics of difference.

29. Working Assumptions CULTURALLY COMPETENT ASSUMPTIONS: • All cultures are contradictory in that there is both widespread acceptance of domestic violence as part of society as well as traditions of resistance. • Each victim is not only a member of her/his community, but a unique individual with their own responses. The complexity of a person’s response to domestic violence is shaped by multiple factors. • Each individual comes into a courtroom encounter with cultural experiences and perspectives that might differ from those present in the courtroom. • All institutions have to develop specific policies and procedures to systematically build cultural competence.