CELEBRATING DIVERSITY OF CHILDREN & YOUTH: EMBRACING THE MOSAIC

1. CELEBRATING DIVERSITY OF CHILDREN & YOUTH: EMBRACING THE MOSAIC SANDRA A. LOPEZ, LCSW, ACSW, DCSW CLINICAL ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON GRADUATE COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK

2. KEYNOTE OBJECTIVES • Explore diversity in homeless children & youth; • Examine a framework for cultural competence; • Identify challenges in being culturally competent; • Develop practical approaches for enhancing and honoring diversity

3. WHY IS DIVERSITY IMPORTANT? • Impact of the Global Market in U.S. and high competition in business • Dramatic changes in U. S. population demographics • Individual celebration about diversity vs. “melting pot” approach

4. HARSH REALITIES ABOUT DIVERSITY

5. HATE GROUPS IN AMERICA • 926 Active Hate Groups in U. S. (2008) • California has the highest number – 84 • Texas - 66 • Florida – 56 • South Carolina - 45 • Georgia – 40 & New Jersey - 40 • Maine, New Mexico, North Dakota – 1 Southern Poverty Law Center www.splcenter.org

6. DRAMATIC INCREASE IN HATE GROUPS

7. THE CULTURE OF HOMELESS YOUTH

8. FACES OF HOMELESS YOUTH

9. FACES OF HOMELESS YOUTH

10. HOMELESS YOUTH WITH CHALLENGES

11. CHALLENGES FOR REFUGEE YOUTH • Culture conflict/acculturation stress • Migration circumstances/trauma experiences • Family fragmentation • Legal status & resettlement process

12. CHALLENGES OF LGBTQ YOUTH • Coming out & disclosure • Mental health & substance abuse & suicide • Sexuality & sexually transmitted diseases • Harassment & violence • Family conflict & often forced to leave home

13. LGBTQ AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH • Experience significant disparities in mental and physical health: high rates of depression, suicidal ideation, substance abuse, and risk for STD and HIV • Often suffer dual discrimination, i.e., racism within the gay community and homophobia within African American community • Feel pressure to choose between their ethnic and sexual identities

14. CHALLENGES OF RURAL YOUTH • Often excluded from national attention & studies • Policy makers often operate from urban perspective • Less likely to live in a shelter or on streets but may sleep outdoors in the woods or parks • May be at higher risk for health risk behaviors, substance abuse, sexual activity

15. CELEBRATING DIVERSITY

16. DEFINING CULTURE • Social heritage of a person • Way of life of a society, consisting of prescribed ways of behaving or norms of conduct, beliefs, values, and skills • Sum total of life patterns passed on from generation to generation within a group

17. COMPONENTS OF CULTURE • Collective Cultural Influences • Cultural Choices • Cultural Arts • Cultural Coping Systems

18. COLLECTIVE CULTURAL INFLUENCES • Ways of relating within the group and use of time, language, beliefs, group experience, group identity, and way of life

19. CULTURAL CHOICES • Food, dress, accepted norms and values, lifestyle, religion, emphasis on education

20. CULTURAL ARTS • Music, dancing, architecture, and other forms of expression

21. CULTURAL COPING SYSTEMS • Child rearing practices, health care practices, family structure and network, ways of identifying problems, ways of problem solving, and use of available resources

22. CULTURALLY COMPETENT PRACTICE

23. DEFINING CULTURAL COMPETENCE • Refers to a set of academic and interpersonal skills that allow individuals to increase their understanding and appreciation of cultural differences and similarities within, among, and between groups National Center for Cultural Competence

24. CULTURAL COMPETENCE MODEL • Competency One: (Sue, 2006) Becoming aware of one’s own assumptions, values, and biases about human behaviors

25. 9 THINGS WE NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE • Skin color • Gender • Age • Appearance • Facial expressions • Eye contact • Movement • Personal space • Touch The 4 Minute Self – Jane Elsea

26. CULTURAL IDENTITY EXERCISE • What is your culture? How important is your culture to you? What are beliefs/values of your culture? What are your cultural biases?

27. CULTURAL COMPETENCE MODEL • Competency Two: Understanding the worldview of culturally diverse clients

28. RESPECTFUL APPROACH • Refrain from judgments or assumptions • Practice respectful curiosity • Help me to understand you better • Take a “tell me more” approach • Respect diversity and differences • Seek out cultural brokers • Promote cultural competence

29. CULTURAL COMPETENCE MODEL • Competency Three: Developing appropriate intervention strategies and techniques

30. CULTURAL BRIDGING EXERCISE • Discuss a time when you were able to effectively bridge across cultures with a student? How did you practice cultural competence? What strategies did you use?

31. CULTURAL COMPETENCE MODEL • Competency Four: Understanding organizational and institutional forces that enhance or negate cultural competence

32. SYSTEM CHALLENGES EXERCISE • Discuss a time when your system enhanced or negated your efforts towards cultural competence? What was this like for you?

33. GOAL OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE

34. A CALL TO EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS • On an organizational/educational/societal level, cultural competence means advocating effectively to develop new theories, practices, policies, and organizational structures that are more responsive to diverse homeless children & youth.

35. EMBRACING THE MOSAIC

36. COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY • “Starting today, I will commit to being aware and appreciative of diversity and make a conscious effort to promote cultural sensitivity and competence in all of my actions”.