scholarly journals ‘Which way? Talking culture, talking race’

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Fredericks ◽  
Debbie Bargallie

In Australia, organisations identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cross-cultural awareness training or Indigenous cultural competency training as a means to address the service needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to address the gap in disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This training is also one of the strategies utilised in working towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. This paper presents the findings from an institutional study based on the development and implementation of an Indigenous Cultural Competency Course within an Australian university and the tensions that exist within the teaching and delivery of such a course.

2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (S1) ◽  
pp. 81-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bronwyn Fredericks

Abstract In the Health sector, Cross-Cultural Awareness Training has been seen as a way to improve knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to therefore improve service delivery and therapeutic care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Health personnel may have undertaken this type of training in their workplace or as part of their education in an undergraduate degree program. Other sectors additionally undertake Cross-Cultural Awareness Training for similar reasons and in similar educational settings. This paper includes the views of a selection of Aboriginal women and highlights the need to extend beyond knowledge gained through Cross-Cultural Awareness Training to Anti-Racism Training. Furthermore, that Anti-Racism Training and addressing white race privilege is required in order to address the inequities within the health system, the marginalisation and disempowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angeline S. Ferdinand ◽  
Yin Paradies ◽  
Ryan Perry ◽  
Margaret Kelaher

The Localities Embracing and Accepting Diversity (LEAD) program aimed to improve the mental health of Aboriginal Victorians by addressing racial discrimination and facilitating social and economic participation. As part of LEAD, Whittlesea Council adopted the Aboriginal Employment Pathways Strategy (AEPS) to increase Aboriginal employment and retention within the organisation. The Aboriginal Cultural Awareness Training Program was developed to build internal cultural competency and skills in recruiting and retaining Aboriginal staff. Analysis of surveys conducted before (pre; n = 124) and after (post; n = 107) the training program indicated a significant increase in participant understanding across all program objectives and in support of organisational policies to improve Aboriginal recruitment and retention. Participants ended the training with concrete ideas about intended changes, as well as how these changes could be supported by their supervisors and the wider organisation. Significant resources have since been allocated to implementing the AEPS over 5 years. In line with principles underpinning the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–23, particularly the focus on addressing racism as a determinant of health, this paper explores the AEPS and training program as promising approaches to health promotion through addressing barriers to Aboriginal employment. Possible implications for other large organisations are also considered.


2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 719-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming-Jung Ho ◽  
Grace Yao ◽  
Keng-Lin Lee ◽  
Mary Catherine Beach ◽  
Alexander R. Green

Author(s):  
Barbra Beck ◽  
Matthew H. Scheel ◽  
Kathleen De Oliveira ◽  
Jane Hopp

Purpose: Many Physician Assistant (PA) programs have recently integrated cultural competency into their curricula. However, there is little evidence tracking the longitudinal effectiveness of curricula on culture competency. This study tested whether amount of exposure to a cultural competency curriculum affected self-assessments of cultural awareness among two cohorts of students. Method: Cohort 1 and Cohort 2 students completed a cultural awareness survey at the beginning of the program and retook the survey at three intervals during the first year. Results: Regression analyses confirmed significant linear relationships (two-tailed α < .05) between responses and interval number on all questions for each cohort, with exception of Question 8 for Cohort 2. Conclusion: Results from Cohort 2 replicated those from Cohort 1 suggesting that cultural awareness among PA students benefits from repeated exposure to lessons on cultural competency. Schools attempting to develop or expand cultural awareness among students should consider integrating cultural competency training throughout the PA curriculum.


2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-169
Author(s):  
Ian G. Malcolm

Abstract Although a minority of Indigenous Australians still use their heritage languages, English has been largely adopted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as their medium of communication both within and beyond their communities. In the period since English first reached Australia in 1788, a dialect has emerged, drawing on English, contact language, and Indigenous language sources, to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander speakers to maintain cultural conceptual continuity while communicating in a dramatically changed environment. In the perspective of Cultural Linguistics it can be shown that many of the modifications in the lexicon, grammar, phonology, and discourse of English as used by Indigenous Australians can be related to cultural/conceptual principles, of which five are illustrated here: interconnectedness, embodiment, group reference, orientation to motion, and orientation to observation. This is demonstrated here with data from varieties of Aboriginal English spoken in diverse Australian locations.1 The understanding of Aboriginal English this gives has implications for cross-cultural communication and for education.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Freene ◽  
Roslyn Brown ◽  
Paul Collis ◽  
Chris Bourke ◽  
Katharine Silk ◽  
...  

Abstract Background There is limited evidence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people attending cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs despite high levels of heart disease. One key enabler for CR attendance is a culturally safe program. This study evaluates improving access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to attend a CR program in a non-Indigenous health service, alongside improving health workforce cultural safety. Methods An 18-week mixed-methods feasibility study was conducted, with weekly flexible CR sessions delivered by a multidisciplinary team and an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Worker (AHW) at a university health centre. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who were at risk of, or had experienced, a cardiac event were recruited. Data was collected from participants at baseline, and at every sixth-session attended, including measures of disease risk, quality-of-life, exercise capacity and anxiety and depression. Cultural awareness training was provided for health professionals before the program commenced. Assessment of health professionals’ cultural awareness pre- and post-program was evaluated using a questionnaire (n = 18). Qualitative data from participants (n = 3), the AHW, health professionals (n = 4) and referrers (n = 4) was collected at the end of the program using yarning methodology and analysed thematically using Charmaz’s constant comparative approach. Results Eight referrals were received for the CR program and four Aboriginal women attended the program, aged from 24 to 68 years. Adherence to the weekly sessions ranged from 65 to 100%. At the program’s conclusion, there was a significant change in health professionals’ perception of social policies implemented to ‘improve’ Aboriginal people, and self-reported changes in health professionals’ behaviours and skills. Themes were identified for recruitment, participants, health professionals and program delivery, with cultural safety enveloping all areas. Trust was a major theme for recruitment and adherence of participants. The AHW was a key enabler of cultural authenticity, and the flexibility of the program contributed greatly to participant perceptions of cultural safety. Barriers for attendance were not unique to this population. Conclusion The flexible CR program in a non-Indigenous service provided a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal women but referrals were low. Importantly, the combination of cultural awareness training and participation in the program delivery improved health professionals’ confidence in working with Aboriginal people. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) 12618000581268, http://www.ANZCTR.org.au/ACTRN12618000581268.aspx, registered 16 April 2018.


2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402098161
Author(s):  
Vyjayanthi N Venkataramu ◽  
Bhavika Vajawat ◽  
Bharathram Sathur Raghuraman ◽  
SK Chaturvedi

Introduction: Cultural competence is a prerequisite skill for a psychiatrist. There is a dearth of information on the methods used for training of cultural competence and their outcomes. This study aims to explore and determine the existing methods used for cultural competency training (CCT) for psychiatry residents and how useful these training methods are. Method: A systematic review methodology based on PRISMA guidelines was adopted for this study. The literature search reviewed databases of PubMed and MesH, using keywords ‘psychiatry resident’, ‘psychiatry’, ‘psychiatrist’, ‘mental health’, and ‘mental health professional’. In the end,14 articles qualified for the detailed review. The level of evidence and quality of the studies were evaluated and recorded. Results: The methods of cultural competence training identified were grouped as, active/passive/mixed; group training/individual training. These included documentaries or non-feature films based teaching, secondary consultation and cross consultation models, case vignette discussions, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), behavioral simulation, video demonstration, cultural discussion in rounds, and traditional clinical teaching. The studies covered participants from different cultural backgrounds, mainly urban and predominantly university/institution based. Conclusion: There is limited literature in the area to conclude one method to be better than the other with respect to CCT in psychiatry residents. However, this review identified a variety of training methods, which can be used and pave way for research on their effectiveness. Training and evaluation of psychiatry residents in the area of cultural competence should be done routinely during their training to enable them to practice in the multi ethic societies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Rogers ◽  
Madeleine Bower ◽  
Cathy Malla ◽  
Sharon Manhire ◽  
Deborah Rhodes

Evaluation is understood to be important for ensuring programs and organisations are effective and relevant. Evaluation findings, however, can be potentially inappropriate or not useful if those who have an in-depth understanding of the context are not involved in guidance, direction or implementation. The Fred Hollows Foundation's Indigenous Australia Program (IAP), with more than half of its employees identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, has developed a cultural protocol for evaluation to strengthen the quality of its program evaluations, whether they are carried out by internal staff or external evaluators. The development of the protocol was initiated after an evaluation capacity building appraisal identified the potential benefits of increased external support to undertake evaluation activities, and the requirement for this external support to be undertaken in a culturally appropriate manner. The protocol was developed by combining IAP's experience and knowledge with contemporary evaluation and research approaches, particularly those developed for use in cross-cultural settings, with the aim of producing a meaningful and locally relevant resource. The protocol aims to assist staff and external evaluators to ensure that evaluation activities are undertaken with the appropriate respect for, and participation of, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities. Consistent with IAP principles, those involved in the process of developing the protocols sought to ensure that engagement between staff, evaluators and evaluation participants occurs in culturally-appropriate ways. IAP believes that the protocol will contribute to stronger evaluation practices, deeper understanding and thus, more useful outcomes. This article describes the process of engaging IAP staff with contextual evidence and the literature around cultural protocols to create a meaningful tool that is useful in our particular context. The process of development described will be useful for: organisations undertaking initiatives that source external evaluators; internal evaluators engaging with external expertise; or evaluators linking with organisations working in a cross-cultural setting.


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