Editor: Roger Spielmann http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca:8080/dspace/handle/10219/398 2013-05-19T02:31:58Z 2013-05-19T02:31:58Z Hart, Michael http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca:8080/dspace/handle/10219/419 2011-12-02T14:31:18Z 2003-11-01T00:00:00Z

Title: "Am I a modern-day missionary? Reflections of a Cree Social Worker" Authors: Hart, Michael Abstract: I have long held a desire to support others as I struggle forward, hopefully forward, in my own life. In the past, I did not reflect on this desire to any great extent: I just accepted it. It was a drive that came from my inner being. To fulfill my desire, I look in several directions and chose social work as the means. I saw that social work has the good intentions of helping people in need. Generally, I agreed with its philosophy that was based upon the values of humanitarianism and egalitarianism. But as I began my life as a social worker, particularly in university where I looked closely at social work, its values, and its practices. I also began to reflect upon social work as a means to helping. More recently, I've been focussing upon Indigenous peoples experiences with helpers and social workers.

2003-11-01T00:00:00Z Mandamin, Agnes http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca:8080/dspace/handle/10219/418 2011-12-02T14:31:24Z 2003-11-01T00:00:00Z

Title: "Being a Native researcher in your own community" Authors: Mandamin, Agnes Abstract: Research is about knowing and understanding. It is about re­ examining issues, problems or questions of which we seek further knowledge or answers (NWSK 3555 Class Notes, September 18, 2001). First and foremost, First Nations research is a different way of knowing which involves understanding people and their perspectives. Who would understand better these "ways of knowing" than someone from the same community? Hiring Native researchers from outside one's own community has, in past experience, resulted in lack of a trust relationship and poor (or skewed) research results. A vital aspect of any First Nations Researcher is to obtain community permission. What needs to be addressed from the outset may include western ethics of "doing" research but not to the neglect of community and cultural-specific ways of "finding out things." An effective and culture-based approach to research ought to be grounded in a holistic methodology. By holistic, I mean understanding the concept of the topic from the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional aspects, not only from the researcher's point of view, but also from the community members themselves. Personal attributes of the researcher also ought to be taken into consideration. Allocation of time and place is another important aspect of consideration when it comes time for interviews. Face-to-face interviews, in my experience, seem to work best in First Nations communities, likely due to the lack of trust issue.

2003-11-01T00:00:00Z Nabigon, Herbert http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca:8080/dspace/handle/10219/417 2011-12-02T14:31:18Z 2003-11-01T00:00:00Z

Title: "Inclusivity and diversity at the macro level: Aboriginal self-government" Authors: Nabigon, Herbert Abstract: Since time immemorial, we the Anishnaabe (Ojibwe) people lived exclusively in the natural world and we governed ourselves as part of that order. Our powers to govern ourselves are inherent in that order and no one can change that order unless by an act of a new creation.

2003-11-01T00:00:00Z Thomas, William http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca:8080/dspace/handle/10219/416 2011-12-02T14:31:22Z 2003-11-01T00:00:00Z

Title: "The social determinants of Aboriginal Health: A literature review" Authors: Thomas, William Abstract: The Assembly of First Nations has identified "the need to develop an integrated, holistic, inter-departmental and inter­ organizational organism to address the inequities and gaps in health and social service delivery to First Nations" (AFN, 2002). However, there is much work to be done in efforts to reach this goal, as there are many factors that one must take into consideration when examining Aboriginal health from a holistic perspective. For example, it has been reported that in British Columbia (BC) that 20% of Aboriginal people are below the provincial average based on income, employment, and educational attainment and housing (Kendell and Hull, 2002). In addition to national reports, the BC Ministry of Health advocates that there is the need to look at the broad spectrum of health and social determinants to come up with solutions that will improve the health and well being of Aboriginal people. These determinants are comprised of health, gender, biology, culture, coping skills, social environments, social support networks, income and social status, employment and working conditions, education, child development and physical environments. The determinants are interdependent, cannot be examined individually and a holistic approach needs to be utilized when dealing with Aboriginal health issues. It is important for non-aboriginals to observe the difference in fundamental viewpoints of Aboriginal people in their relationship with the natural surroundings, other races, flora and fauna (Driben and Simpson, 2000). The lack of control over one's life plays an important factor in their well-being.

2003-11-01T00:00:00Z Fidler, Greg Bonneycastle, Colin http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca:8080/dspace/handle/10219/415 2011-12-02T14:31:18Z 2003-11-01T00:00:00Z

Title: "A search for understanding: A proposal for researching Native homelessness in Northern Manitoba" Authors: Fidler, Greg; Bonneycastle, Colin Abstract: Poverty has been a prevalent issue throughout world history. Despite the United Nation's opinion that we have the best quality of life, Canada cannot say that it is the exception to this rule. Many people live in abject poverty here. Without an official poverty line to help determine the level of poverty, estimating the actual number of poor is a contentious issue. Most official reports base their findings on Statistics Canada's Low Income Cut Offs (LICO's). For example, the National Council of Welfare estimate that in 1997 just over five million Canadians, or 17.2% of the population, were living in poverty (Silver,2000). Such findings generally underestimate the number of poor Canadians as they usually do not include data on Aboriginal people living on reserves, residents of the Yukon, Nunavut, and North West Territories, and people who live in institutions. The costs surrounding poverty are enormous. For example, population health studies show a strong correlation between poverty and people's health. They argue that poverty contributes to many of our social ills, affecting individuals, families, communities and society as a whole (for example, see Layton, 2000). Though there are discrepancies in the actual rates and effects of poverty, poverty rate and population health studies have one major commonality, they indicate that poverty is increasing (Ross, Scott, & Smith, 2000). At the margins of this growing trend, one often finds the homeless.

2003-11-01T00:00:00Z Hart, Michael Pompana, Yvonne http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca:8080/dspace/handle/10219/414 2011-12-02T14:31:22Z 2003-11-01T00:00:00Z

Title: "Establishing the Aboriginal Social Work Associations: Sharing the Manitoba experience" Authors: Hart, Michael; Pompana, Yvonne Abstract: The impetus for this article arose out of a dialogue with several like-minded people while attending an Aboriginal social work conference in Sudbury in January of 2003. Our discussion revolved around the establishment of a national Aboriginal social work association. During the discussion the people were informed of the ongoing process in Manitoba to establish an Aboriginal social work association, namely the Aboriginal Professional Helpers Society, Inc. What follows is a description of that process beginning with background/history of our association, the identification of a number of challenges we experienced or could potentially experience, the benefits and potentials we see for Aboriginal social work associations, and a number of recommendations to support the development of these associations.

2003-11-01T00:00:00Z Greenwood, Margo Palmantier, Monty http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca:8080/dspace/handle/10219/413 2011-12-02T14:31:20Z 2003-11-01T00:00:00Z

Title: "Honoring community: Development of a First Nations stream in social work" Authors: Greenwood, Margo; Palmantier, Monty Abstract: For the past 20 years First Nations leaders of northern British Columbia have been advocating for a Social Work program that would address the unique needs of First Nations communities. This is not surprising given the historical destruction of First Nations families and communities as a result of colonization. Many would argue that current child welfare practices continue on where residential schools left off in implementing government assimilation policies. Approximately 30% of all children in care in Canada are Aboriginal (Fournier and Crey, 1998). This is no different in British Columbia. In the northern half of the province the number of Aboriginal children in continuing care is as high as 80% (Children's Commission Annual Report, 1998). The need for culturally sensitive child welfare practices is critical to First Nations communities and families. With the opening of a new northern university in 1992, University of Northern British Columbia, there was a renewed hope by northern First Nations leaders for a Social Work program that would meet their needs as well as support their vision for a future of self sufficiency and independence. This paper describes one small step in that vision, that is, the development of First Nations Social Work courses. To better understand this development process it is first important to be aware of the context in which it was undertaken.

2003-11-01T00:00:00Z Du Hamel, Paula http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca:8080/dspace/handle/10219/412 2011-12-02T14:31:20Z 2003-11-01T00:00:00Z

Title: "Aboriginal Youth: Risk and resilience" Authors: Du Hamel, Paula Abstract: In 1996, the Royal Commission On Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) discussed the need for role models, mentorship, community programs and family support of Aboriginal youth. Many Aboriginal communities, both urban and rural, identified psycho-social factors (among the physical) within their adult populations that produced ability issues to cope within the family environment. In this paper I propose future exploration and research which is designed to be suppor5tive of the notion of Aboriginal youth resilience. By investigating various psycho­ social, economic, educational and environmental factors and the impact they have on the socialization experiences of Aboriginal youth, I believe that a strategy for resiliency could be implemented in both urban and rural Aboriginal youth communities. My emphasis is the socialization experiences of Aboriginal youth and examining the factors that contribute to risk and resiliency. To date, I have not found any research recorded on Aboriginal youth risk and resilience in Canada that encompasses the examination of the factors I've identified above as a whole, nor have the impact they have on youth risk been examined. I believe that it is time we consider more than individual areas of Aboriginal youth risk and embrace this circle in its entirety. Specifically, this paper asks and attempts to answer the following: During the socialization process of Aboriginal youth, where are the risk areas, how can they be addressed and how do they contribute to success or personal resiliency in the transition to adulthood?"

2003-11-01T00:00:00Z Harris, Barbara http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca:8080/dspace/handle/10219/411 2011-12-02T14:31:24Z 2003-11-01T00:00:00Z

Title: "Urban Native Women in recovery from addictions: Towards holistic integration of Treatment and Aftercare Services" Authors: Harris, Barbara Abstract: The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine the adequacy of current addiction services for Vancouver's urban Native women in recovery from addiction. It is evident that urban Native women continue to be at risk of recidivism, due to a multitude of issues that directly affect their ability to maintain a health addiction-free lifestyle. If recidivism is to be reduced, there needs to be a dramatic reconstruction of current addiction services. In fact, there is a need to integrate treatment and aftercare services, in conjunction with systemic changes that provide a holistic approach to addressing the issues faced by this population. Certainly, First Nations women are recovering from addiction, in spite of the failure to meet their needs. Regardless, as this study indicates, urban Native women experience unique difficulties in their efforts to find a new way to live, difficulties that could be mitigated by providing holistic and integrated services.

2003-11-01T00:00:00Z Baskin, Cyndy http://zone.biblio.laurentian.ca:8080/dspace/handle/10219/410 2011-12-02T14:31:23Z 2003-11-01T00:00:00Z

Title: ""Within the Outsider": Challenges of an Indigenous pedagogue" Authors: Baskin, Cyndy Abstract: I am Cyndy Baskin, marginalized Aboriginal woman. I am Cyndy Baskin, university instructor and PhD. candidate. I am made up of multiple identities. Until recently, I never had teachers who were not non­ Native, readings that were not written by non-Native authors and fellow students who were not non-Native. I was always the only one who was "different". Being at school was painful. I was an isolated, persecuted, sad student. And yet, I learned how to read and write in these places and this became my escape from the hurt. No matter what was done to me, it could not stifle my desire to learn. The harder schooling became for me, the more I delved into my studies. The more I heard that I would not make it to university, the more I grew determined to do exactly that. Great damage was done - some of it has been repaired while some of it never will be. It is a part of who I am. There were many downs, drop outs and changes of direction, but education is clearly my calling. My story is, of course, a familiar one for many Aboriginal people. Education has more often than not been our enemy - a major arm of colonialism. For me, this is a lived reality. Being in the academy and becoming an educator, then, is one of my most powerful acts of resistance and anti-colonial activity.

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