Resilience In Canada

Research shows that experiences of sexual abuse is related to a number of “negative health outcomes including mental, sexual and drug-related vulnerabilities” which elevates the HIV infection risk (Cedar Project Partnership et al., 2008, p. 2185). All groups and communities have experienced colonization, assimilation policies, and the resulting intergenerational trauma in varied ways and it is important to recognize Indigenous peoples of Canada as diverse populations (First Nations Health Council,

As argued by Whitley (2014), “many families may continue to fear an agenda of assimilation for their children and view educational institutions as perpetuating colonization, making the development of collaborative relationships with teachers and administrators even more challenging” (p.156). Over the course of my education to be an early childhood educator I’ve learned that a key factor of success in the classroom both academically and socially is family involvement. Therefore, if the families are apprehensive about the school system it is less likely that will get involved. Whitley, Rawana and Brownlee (2014) point out “Given the intergenerational effects of the residential school system in Canada, many families may view collaboration with school staff and a focus on success in mainstream, off-reserve schools with suspicion or as a low priority” (p.37). Residential schools although now closed are continuing to provide challenges for Aboriginal

As the first point of contact for youths, my role as a Youth worker with the Saskatoon Downtown Youth Centre

Living in Canada, we as Canadians take pride in our culture, kindness, hospitality, and sports. Everyone around the world views both Canada and Australia as kind, multicultural caring countries that accept refugees from war torn-nations. Although Canada and Australia are looked as peace-keeping countries, in the past the governments of both nations made a number of laws that had a major impact on the Aboriginal youth. I believe that the same piece of land we formed our country on is the same land built on blood, mistreatment, and oppression. To discover information on the treatment of aboriginal youth by the governments of Canada and Australia, as well as the similarities and differences of treatment, we must take a closer look back at both countries history and also at the period when the Juvenile Delinquent Act was enacted.

In 1996, the last of a number of schools in Canada created for the purposes of assimilating indigenous youth into Canadian society was shut down. The residential school phenomenon can be traced back to the late 1800’s, when the government authorized the taking of indigenous children from their families to be placed in church-run schools. While the schools did provide some education, many students suffered physical, mental, and sexual abuse while being stripped of their language and culture in favour or European language, culture, and values (Legacy of Hope Foundation, n.d.). Here, I will look at the residential school phenomenon through a picture of a young indigenous boy getting his hair cut in a classroom of a residential school, approached

The long history of colonialism, in combination with Capitalism, has heavily influenced how Aboriginal people are viewed and treated in Canadian society. The daily struggles, injustices,

We foster an understanding of the fundamental importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture to the identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We respect the strength of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, families, communities and culture that have survived the confrontation of colonisation and dispossession for over two centuries. Our services believe that we need to be continually building a foundation of respect and understanding all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families of Australia to provide a service that is more effective, responsive, sustainable and culturally appropriate.

It is important to look at the different settings in which children and youth develop and engage in. Bellefeuille and Ricks (2010) argue that “Relational inquiry is the backbone of conducting Child and Youth Care practice whether it is inquiry that fosters learning for the purpose of service or for the purpose of creating knowledge” (pg.1235), which can relate back to the importance of understanding the environments where children and youth participate and grow and how it can be used as a tool to analyse research and data, as well as to develop effective programming. Two common places that can be looked at in order to comprehend children and youth and their interactions and development are communities and social networks. Eccles and Gootman

It was Friedrich Nietzsche who coined the phrase “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”. While it has been repeated countlessly throughout the last hundred or so years is it true? People who have been the victim of serious traumas, including abuse, natural disasters, life changing accidents, and homelessness frequently suffer from long-term effects. The most common long-term negative effect, of course, being mental health issues. There has long been a belief amongst laymen that adversity leads to the triumph of being a more resilient, well-rounded person.

Clary’s article speaks of how psychologists’ interest in Indigenous Australians mental health has grown drastically due to alarmingly high statistics. These statistics particularly worried the community-orientated psychologists whom have been unable to correctly meet the mental health needs of Indigenous Australians since the European Invasion. The psychological impact this made on Indigenous Australians’ had been disregarded and communities were beginning to be affected by substance and violence abuse. With such prominent mental health issues in communities, Indigenous Australians’ themselves began to seek psychological training to enable a greater control of mental health services, specific to cultural and spiritual ways.

Strengthening resilience is a critical recommendation for self-care. Resilience allows one to recover quickly from setbacks and reframe adverse situations as opportunities to grow. Because we are all unique individuals, we make meaning in different ways. Luther, Cicchetti, & Becker (2000) define resilience as a “dynamic process by which individuals exhibit positive behavioral adaptation when they encounter significant adversity or trauma” (Ruysschaert, 2009, p. 167). Charney (2004), Rosenbaum and Covino (2005) provided 10 critical characteristics of resilience: “optimism, altruism, having a moral compass, faith and spirituality, humor, having a role model, social supports, facing fear, and having a mission of meaning in life and training”

Due to the fact that they are submerged within an environment in which they lack familiarity, the indigenous students are presumably being assimilated under a white man’s burden to be integrated furthermore into Canadian society. Assimilation is the practice of converting the beliefs and practices of someone to transition them into a majority environment. The Canadian government has imposed a White Man’s Burden owing to the fact of being convinced in their opinion of feeling the requirement of ‘teaching the aboriginals and guiding them to the correct path’. As the author suggests, residential schools are most likely beneficial to the aboriginal peoples, however the benefits can be neglected from the abundance of abuse and harassment.

They learnt how to appreciate others and how to keep positive mind in daily life. That was what Walsh say, resilience able the participants to grow stronger when they lived under the pain (Walsh, 1998).Concluding the result of the study, some protective factors of resilience can be found based on the participants’ experience such as past experience, religions or believes, goals and social support (including family and peer relationship).These factors help us to adapt and deal with different life events more quickly and

I never really gave much thought to resilience before it entered my orbit about three years ago. Even then, I was more enamored of the concept of using resilience to help others than I was with the idea that I might somehow apply resilience principles to help myself. However, the animated discussions from Friday’s class stimulated a considerable amount of introspection in me once I left the classroom.

After being aware of all that happened in the past due to our faulty educational system, and what intergenerational trauma is causing the community at present, I feel myself in debt of paying it forward to decrease the effects. Currently and in future, I see myself doing something in the childcare industry to promote the culturally responsive program for our First Nation people. I believe education is our only way forward to fix our mistakes and where to start best but with our children. Robert Laboucane emphasized this fact by saying, “First Nations are asking no more or no less than being allowed to benefit from a quality education that is comparable to that of all other Canadian children.” (CITE)By doing this, we will develop the long lost trust in the educational system and educational