CULTURAL SENSITIVITY IS BEING AWARE THAT CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES EXIST AND HAVE AN EFFECT ON VALUES LEARNING AND
BEHAVIOUR.
QUESTION: WHAT
IS CULTURAL SENSITIVITY?
ANSWER: THE UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTANCE OF DIFFERENCE
“HEAR WHAT WE ARE SAYING” ==è THESIS: NEED TO BE CULTURALLY SENSITIVE IN FIELD OF HEALTH CARE / MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN A DIVERSE, MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY==è SOLUTIONS: (1) MORE MINORITY SERVICE PROVIDERS (REPRESENTATIVE WORKFORCE); (2) MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION; AND (3) ANTI-RACIST “DIRECT ACTION”.
1) REPRESENTATIVE WORKFORCE (MORE SERVICE PROVIDERS) IS AN EXPRESSION OF “SUBSTANTIVE EQUALITY” – AN EQUAL OUTCOMES PERSPECTIVE CONCENTRATES ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS TO A FAIR AND EQUITABLE SHARE OF THE GOODS AND SERVICES IN SOCIETY ====> “EVERY GROUP SHOULD HAVE EQUIVALENT OUTCOMES AND CONDITIONS” — SO, RULES SHOULD BE APPLIED REMEDIALLY OR PRO-ACTIVELY TO ELIMINATE DISADVANTAGES.” [EX: EMPLOYMENT EQUITY; PAY EQUITY].
2) THE MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION CAN BE DEFINED AS A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH PROMOTES THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS TO REFLECT THE IDEALS OF DEMOCRACY IN A PLURALISTIC SOCIETY. STUDENTS ARE TAUGHT CONTENT USING INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS THAT VALUE CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND DIFFERENCES.
3) ANTI-RACISM CAN BE DEFINED AS THE PROCESS THAT ISOLATES AND CHALLENGES RACISM THROUGH DIRECT ACTION AT PERSONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL LEVELS.
{ANTI-RACISTS ORGANIZATIONS TAKE A PROACTIVE STAND AGAINST RACISM IN ALL ITS FORMS. COMMITMENT IS BASED ON AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT RACISM EXISTS, THAT IT MANIFESTS ITSELF IN VARIOUS FORMS (INDIVIDUAL, INSTITUTIONAL, SYSTEMIC), AND THAT IT IS EMBEDDED IN THE MASS CULTURE OF THE DOMINANT GROUP.
AN ANTI-RACIST PERSPECTIVE BEGINS WITH THE “UNDERSTANDING” THAT PEOPLE OF COLOUR HAVE A MARGINAL LOCATION IN SOCIETYAND DO NOT LIVE IN OR SEE THE WORLD THE SAME WAY AS PEOPLE WHO COME FROM A “MAINSTREAM LOCATION” ===è AND IT BEGINS BY “ACCEPTING” THAT THE PERCEPTIONS OF PEOPLE OF COLOUR ARE REAL, AND THAT THERE MAY BE A MULTIPLICITY OF REALITIES IN ANY ONE EVENT.}