Making Our Shelters Strong and Somebody s Daughter Model

Transcription

1 Making Our Shelters Strong and Somebody s Daughter Model International Indigenous Community Safety Seminar International Centre of the Prevention of Crime Montreal, Quebec March 27-29, 2011

2 Mission Pauktuutit is the national association that represents all Inuit women in Canada. Incorporated in 1984, it seeks to foster greater awareness of the needs and priorities of Inuit women, advocates for equality and social improvements, and encourages their participation in the community, regional and national life of Canada.

3 Abuse Prevention Current Activities Residential Schools Family Violence Prevention Elder Abuse Awareness Child Sexual Abuse Front Line Shelter Workers Training Victims of Crime/ Missing and Murdered Inuit Women

4 What Makes Our Work Successful? National Inuit organization with grass-root connections; Work led by advisory groups; Strength of the communities;

5

6 2006 Inuit Demographics Inuit population increased 26 per cent between 2001 and The Inuit population is young: In 2006, over 50 per cent of Inuit were under 24 years of age. 39 per cent of Inuit were under the age of 15. Life expectancy is up to 10 years shorter than southern Canada. Birth rates and teen pregnancy rates are high. Inuit youth commit suicide at rates up to nine times the national average Up to 20 per cent of Inuit now live in southern urban locations.

7 In 2006, more than one-third of Inuit lived in overcrowded conditions. A substantial proportion of Inuit households contain more than one family. In 2006, 31 per cent of Inuit lived in houses requiring major repairs. Poor conditions foster ill health and undermine the safety of Inuit families. House designs are culturally inappropriate and do not reflect Inuit needs.

8 By working together as Inuit have done for centuries, abuse can be healed, reduced and eventually prevented. National Strategy to Prevent Abuse In Inuit Communities

9 The Abuse Prevention Strategy s Vision for Inuit Society Our vision is an Inuit society of healthy individuals who respect the past and embrace the future as Inuit, and who live in supportive families and caring communities. In our vision, violence, abuse and sexual exploitation are rare occurrences that are dealt with swiftly and justly. Abusers are held accountable for their actions, and both victims and abusers are supported in their healing process.

10 The History The Nuluaq project, which lead to the creation of the National Strategy to Prevent Abuse in Inuit Communities and the Inuit Women s Shelter Association, was the foundation for the Making Our Shelters Strong training module. The strategic priorities of the national strategy continue to guide the work of Pauktuutit in the area of violence and abuse prevention.

11 National Strategy to Prevent Abuse in Inuit Communities

12 Making Our Shelters Strong Training for Front Line Inuit Shelter Workers

13 In 2006, Pauktuutit developed the Making Our Shelters Strong: Training for Inuit Shelter Workers. From 2007 to January 2011, training workshops have taken place in all four regions. In addition to piloting the training module, the goal is to build capacity within the regions so the training can be delivered more often.

14 The Internet- Based Resource At each training workshop, feedback was gathered from the participants. The following issues, needs and priorities were identified: Lack of access to resources, best and promising practices; Lack of peer support; The need for a centralized location for information; and The need to access training without the high financial and human resource costs.

15 Making Our Shelters Strong: Internet - Based Resource

16

17 Discussion Forums

18 Resource Blog

19 Objectives Participants will have better communication/ networks; Front-line workers to gain knowledge and tools; Increased skills to work with victims of violence; and Increasing the availability of training, resources and networking to workers in isolated and remote communities.

20 Somebody s Daughter A Healing Model Everything people needed came from the land and the sea around it. Everything came from them and eventually everything returned to them. Bennett, J. & Rowley, S. Eds. (2004). Uqalurait, An Oral History of Nunavut, p.118

21 Background This program was originally developed in Rankin Inlet by the then-coordinator of the Kivalliq Inuit Association s Social Development Department, Bernadette Dean. In her words it was created for Inuit women ages as an opportunity for healing, learning traditional Inuit women skills such as sewing, tanning and the creation of Inuit clothing, or what each daughter wanted to learn or to work on; the onus of project/creation was left for each individual daughter to decide upon.

22 Somebody s Daughter is a holistic program that aims to develop self-esteem, enhance cultural identity and pride, and promote healing through the writing of personal stories and experiences. In the workshop process, this program provides an opportunity for Inuit women to learn about healthy lifestyles and alternatives. Because it is held out on the land a secure environment is created. Somebody s Daughter was developed for marginalized Inuit women (atrisk, abused, single mothers, battered women). The model is a stepping-stone program for these women to empower them to achieve a better future.

23 Learning traditional survival and sewing skills bring a sense of cultural pride and community belonging. The women learn the importance of promotion, preservation and protection of Inuit culture. The strengths and successes of all families are built upon the strengths and successes of its individual members: a strong woman means a strong family and a strong and healthy community.

24 Objectives To build and foster young women, teen mothers, single mothers, battered and at-risk women by allowing them to learn traditional women s roles as a way to increase their participation and roles in their community; To provide alternatives to address the challenges they face; To promote healing through writing their personal life experiences and self-expression; To enhance their creativity and realize their personal potential; To empower them to set higher personal goals and develop positive self-esteem; and To deliver an on-the-land program those is a promising practice model and introduce it to another Inuit region.

25 The Healing Journey The on-the-land program had a healing component in the form of writing workshops (writing as healing) because it is a good way for the women to interact as well as sort out emotions, especially anger, related to abuse. For the women to participate fully, it is necessary for the participants to develop trust with each other, as well as with the elders. As in the Elder Abuse Awareness workshop, the writing workshops were replaced with healing circles, where participants openly talked about their experiences.

26 Daily Activities Writing Activities: Rage on the page, blessings, gratitude lists, finish the sentence, journal entries and artwork were scheduled every day. Traditional Skills: The traditional skills teacher taught the participants to cure food (making pipsi, m/nikku), and cleaning and preparing skins. Counselling: The traditional skills counselor taught the participants how to make kamiks for children (infants to 12 years old) as a form of therapy and relaxation as described above. Healing sessions: There were various healing related activities such as sharing personal stories but the one emphasized every day was journal writing. Exercise: Hiking outings were encouraged to reconnect with nature and to revitalize the spirit. Recreation : Hunting and fishing were considered recreational activities, but also contributed to the food supply. Inuit games such as sock tops and string games were also enjoyed. End of day check-in: At the end of each day, participants shared their unique experiences or learning s. During this check-in, with its emphasis on feelings, Elders and facilitators were able to determine if anyone were suffering undo stress.

27 Adaptations The Somebody s Daughter model can be easily modified to meet the specific needs of the group or the community; This model can be used with male and female participants; Easily adaptable to any age group; Can be adapted to any cultural group; and Variety of topics can be covered.

28 Thank you/ Qujannamiik! Nicholas Street Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7B Sandra Tucker Manager, Abuse Prevention Policy and Programs