Week 8: Connection to Land - Indigenous Health PDF

Readings October 29th & 31st Connection to the Land as a Youth-Identified Social Determinant of Indigenous Peoples Health–--------------- Intro ○ Created workshop for youth to practice cult...

Readings October 29th & 31st Connection to the Land as a Youth-Identified Social Determinant of Indigenous Peoples Health–--------------- Intro ○ Created workshop for youth to practice cultural skills and capture their perspective of health ○ Result Connection to land is important determinant of health Relationship to land identified as practicing culture, passing elderly knowledge, surviving off land by youth Background ○ Indigenous people rank lower than canadians in most determinants of health ○ Indigenous adults less high school education than non-indigenous ○ Food insecurity, diabetes, smoking, more likely in indigenous communities ○ Colonialism most important determinant of health ○ Health promotion approach should be used to treat issues relative to indigenous ○ Indigenous youth perspective is crucial in identifying social/structural determinants of health Because they care past teachings, experience present, and hold dreams for further ○ Youth abilities underestimated in western public Whereas youth called on in first nations communities to leader, voice opinions, and act as role models Methods ○ Community based participatory research through indigenous research lens ○ Carried out by indigenous researcher ○ Informed by indigenous knowledge systems ○ Decolonizing approach grounded inn indigenous community relations ○ Youth selected based on age, availability and community recommendations (family lineage) Age 13-18 ○ Held activities at camp away from city ○ Researchers sought to understand youth perspective of: Interest in health research Health meaning, issues and priorities Talir healthy info and research youth Role in future health research Role in addressing health issues in community ○ Conducted surveys, sharing circles, mural projects, personal reflections Results ○ Identified issues in media of littering, pollution, smoking, alcohol, and drugs ○ Health priorities = pathways, garden/greenhouses, youth involvement, sports, community gatherings, elders and culture, land ○ Importance of surviving off the land (hunting, using wood/water. etc.) ○ Most felt positive link between land and health Discussion ○ Youth envisioned future solutions to take place on the land ○ Connection to land identified as major structural determinant of indigenous health ○ Status of TRC’s Calls to Action on Child Welfare & Education------------------------------------------------------ Caring society campaign ○ Canada end discrimination against first nation children in funding of child welfare and ensure proper  implementation of jordan’s principle ○ Named in memory of Jordan Anderson, Jordan’s Principle is child-first legal rule ensuring first nations children get the services they need Related CTA (1-5) Reduce number of children in care Publish annual child welfare reports Fully implement jordan’s principle Enact indigenous child welfare legislation Develop culturally appropriate parenting programs for indigenous families Completion status = 0/5 Number of children in care not reduced No data on number of children in care Jordan’s principle not fully implemented as inequities exist Bill C-92 came into force in 202 but no binding reqs for Canada to fund child welfare programs run by indigenous CHRT ordered canada to fund prevention and non disruptive measure for families Caring society campaign ○ In memory of Shannen Koostachin, Shannen’s dream ensures first nations children and youth have same education as others Related CTA (7-10) Develop joint strategy to eliminate educational and employment gaps Eliminate unequal federal education funding for first nations children on and off reserve Publish annual education reports Draft new indigenous legislation with participation of indigenous Completion status = 0/11 Federal budgets allocated funding but no cleat strategy to eliminate gaps Money allocated but no data on amount dedicate to eliminate unequal funding No annual reports published Canada claims to be funding and negotiation with indigenous groups but no info on where funding is going or if effective Lecture 11 October 29th Indigenous Wellness Framework—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Purpose ○ Physical behavior Expressed through wholeness way of being Hope ○ Spiritual behavior Expressed through belief identify Meaning ○ Mental behavior Expressed through intuition understanding rationale Belonging ○ Emotional behavior Expressed through attitude relationship Cultural Continuity-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Term cultural continuity was used in relation to suicide prevention Cultural continuity = degree to which social/cultural cohesion exists within a community Communities with these things have little to no suicide ○ Land titles ○ Self-governance (especially including women) ○ Control over education ○ Cultural facilities  ○ Control over policies and practices of health & social programs Need intergenerational & traditional connections and kinship to pass on cultural knowledge, traditions, and identity Language = culture = health Video: Re-thinking System Change for Indigenous Wellness------------------------------------------------------- Education before school was to help people Two-eyed seeing Different Cultural Terms--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cultural awareness ○ Is a beginning step toward understanding there is a difference Cultural sensitivity ○ Acknowledges that difference is important and must be respected Tends to focus on others as the bearers of culture Cultural competence ○ Skills, knowledge, and attitudes to safely and satisfactorily deliver care that meets the needs of a person, family and community Cultural safety (term comes from a Maori nurse leader in response to colonialism) ○ Includes cultural awareness, competence and sensitivity and creates an environment that is defined as safe by those who receive the service Cultural humility ○ Goes beyond the concept of cultural competence (to identify and acknowledge biases) approaching each encounter with the know;edge that our own perspectives are full of assumptions and prejudices Lecture 12 October 31st Video: Why Indigenous Children are Overrepresented in Canada’s Foster Care System—---------------------------- Gov underfunds child welfare is why the issue persists Money pulled from other areas (housing, etc.) instead of new funding for child welfare Kids under 4 are most age group in care Caught in the System------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Indigenous families make up 8% of canada’s population but first nations, metis, inuit, children are disproportionately more likely to be in foster care Percentage of children under 14 in foster care who are first nations, metis, inuit Indigenous Children in Foster Care--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 53.8% of children in foster care under 14 are indigenous 7.7% of all children under 14 are indigenous Video: Jordan’s Principle-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jordan was born with medical problems Was supposed to go home after 2 years old, but stayed in hospital while fed gov decided who would fund his at-home  care Died at age 5, without ever going home Linked to social exclusion (distal) Linked to health care (intermediate) When jordan’s principle was first implemented many people did not get funding (rejected, lengthy, or complicated process) Jordan’s principle is only for first nations Child first initiative for inuit (2019) ○ Metis don’t have one What is Bill C-92 About?-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indigenous self-determination in matters related to child and family services, developing their own laws and policies Recognizes rights of indigenous people to have jurisdiction over child and family services Prioritizes cultural continuity ○ Indigenous children can be better connected to families, communities, cultures, languages Requires coordination between indigenous leadership with P/T to effective child and family services It applies to first nations, inuit, and metis children, youth, and families Innu Care Approach------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Starts with knowledge that wellbeing of innu children depends on the wellbeing of the supports around them ○ Parents ○ Extended family ○ Community ○ Innu services ○ Culture & language ○ Elders Shoal Lake 40------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1914 ○ City of Winnipeg displaces Anishannabeg of Shoal Lake to 25km^2 peninsula 1919 ○ Aqueduct built to carry clean water to winnipeg Aqueduct is built over burial ground of first nations community (now referred to as shoal lake 40) ○ Cut off reserved from roads and community is on island ○ Must live off untreated lake water Did not have a sewage treatment facility for 95 years following Video: Global News Coverage with Dawn Martin-Hill--------------------------------------------------------------- Boiled water advisories prominent in indigenous communities ○ Trudeau promised 105 of them to be cleared ○ 59 have been lifted Reserve water assessments conducted to give risk score based on cumulative effects Absence of boil water advisory does not mean good water conditions Most people buy big jugs of water from store and have to carry them home because water is unsafe Out of pocket money by people working at plant for chemical in water to keep plant running