cultural sensitivity
DESCRIPTION
Information on what is Discrimination and how it affects us. Tips on how to be cluturally senstive to others. Ways we can show sensitivity to gender.TRANSCRIPT
Cultural Sensitivity
Roots, Race, EthnicityAnd Gender
What is Cultural Sensitivity?
• Cultural sensitivity begins with a recognition that there are differences between cultures
• These differences are reflected in the ways that different groups communicate and relate to one another
• Cultural sensitivity is more than an awareness that there are differences in culture in order to interact effectively
• A culturally competent person views all people as unique individuals and realizes that their experiences, beliefs, values, and language affect their perceptions
Increasing Awareness• Recognizing differences among cultures is important, but we
should also be aware that differences also exist within cultures• The assumption that a common culture is shared by all
members of a racial, linguistic, or religious group is erroneous• We must recognize our own cultural values and draw parallels
where possible; we should also identify any prejudices and stereotypes that prevent us from communicating effectively with people from different cultures
• Realize that, like it or not, we most likely holdsome stereotypes about culture and gender
Questions To Ask Ourselves• Do we try to learn the names of those from
other cultures?• Are we patient with their attempts to use
English?• Do we make assumptions about people based
on their race, ethnicity, or gender?• Are we doing everything we can to
learn about them?
Personal Map Exercise
Stereotypes• People harbor positive and negative
stereotypes about people• Stereotypes about race?• Stereotypes about culture?• Stereotypes about gender?
Discrimination• Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of
an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group
How Discrimination Affects Us
Showing Sensitivity to Culture
• Take them to the school they will be attending• Walk around your neighborhood• Take them to the library, weekly• Take them to sporting events. Outside the U.S. soccer
is huge!• Find an ethnic market. Have them help you buy and
prepare food from their country and make it part of your regular menu
• Ask them to sing and/or dance for you, if they are comfortable doing so
Showing Sensitivity to Culture
• Explain some of your religious traditions and ask them about theirs. Ask about times that are important to them and make them important to you
• Be mindful of their connection to church, community, culture, and family
• Be patient as they try to use newEnglish skills
• Control Emotions even when not directed at the children. They will read your body language and assume it’s them.
• 80-90% of communication is non-verbal. Save frustration for private moments with spouse or consultant
• Make their church your priority
Increasing Your Relationship and Building
Trust
Using Interpreters• Discuss the focus of the session with the interpreter before the
youth arrives; be clear about what the interpreter should convey to the patient
• Speak in short sentences or phrases, to make translating easier for the interpreter. Make sure the youth understands what he or she has been told by asking for him/her to repeat the message in his/her own words
• Focus on the speaker, not the interpreter• Be sensitive to cultural differences when using nonverbal
communication. For example, a touch has many cultural meanings. You must be aware that personal space has different boundaries in different cultures.
Showing Sensitivity to Gender
• Being aware that there are differences between males and females, but those differences are not universal
• Aspects of gender• Assignment: The gender we are given at
birth, either being male or female• In this aspect, our genders are prescribed by
the society in which we are born
• Role: This is the set of behaviors, mannerisms, and other traits that society says we should express as part of our assigned gender
• Identity: This is what we think our gender should be at any given time
• Many people do not question their gender and let their assigned gender function as their identity.
• Attribution: This is the gender we assign people when we first meet them and is based on a set of cues that differentiate from culture to culture.
• What is a real man?• What is a real woman?• What if your youth has questions about his/her
gender identity?
Conclusions• In our society today, communities are made up of people with
a wide range of ideas and orientations, even about issues asfundamental as race, ethnicity, and gender
• Anyone engaging in his/her community may be challenged by ideas and orientations that they have not considered
• Among these ideas, differing ideas about race, culture, and gender can be very challenging, especially if a person hasn’t thought about the issues
• Expectations about others affect day-to-day working relationships
• Drawing conclusions based on stereotypesis wrong and can be harmful