Well.. the end of the semester has arrived! I have learned so much about being culturally competent in this course that will help me as I enter the Child and Youth Worker field.
One of the first class trips that I went on in the course was to Quinte Mohawk which was my first "out of my comfort zone" kind of experience. The class got to help celebrate a day of thanks with the students and staff at the school. One of my favorite things beside turkey dinner was learning two of the dances. I remember doing the duck dance with one of the students and she showed me how to do the dance. I really enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere and I learned a lot about the school and their focus on respect.
Another assignment that I learned a lot from was when I went with a group of my classmates to a restaurant in Toronto called the O'Noir. This restaurant is a pitch black room where you are served by people who are blind. I did this assignment with an open mind and I learned what it might be like to eat a meal with no vision. This experience really opened my eyes to some of the "blind culture" and I am already applying that knowledge to volunteer work. I am an on-ice coach for a special needs hockey team called the Kawartha Komets. This season we got a new goalie named Robbie. Robbie has been diagnosed with Non Hodgkens Lymphoma and he is legally blind. He has always wanted to play goalie and this is his first season playing hockey. Two coaches stand on either side of him while he plays in the net and stops puck for the Komets. My experience dining in the dark taught me about how losing vision strengthens other senses. I use that to help Robbie on the ice by making sure that only one coach is talking at a time. I know that Robbie can hear the players coming towards him when he is on the ice which helps him save the puck. Here is a video from a fundraiser game on December 8th, 2013 when the Komets played the Peterborough Petes and the game lead to a shoot out with Robbie in net.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3MUhsgNfdg
Something that helped my learning in this course was when we had guest speakers talk to us about the LGTBQ community. Our guests were so open and willing to teach us anything that we wanted to know and they made us feel comfortable. I really enjoyed listening to what they had to say and I learned lots of new terms from their presentation. After listening to our guest speakers, I was invited to the Loyalist College Rainbow Group's movie night. I had a great time making new friends and watching a movie with a positive message. I would like to go to more Rainbow Group meetings either at the college or in Peterborough because I realize the importance of being an ally.
I was really looking forward to our field trip to Sir James Whitney this semester, and I was not disappointed! We got a tour of the school and the residence and we got to learn about the "deaf culture". I learned how to clap in sign language which was really cool! It was interesting to learn about the number of schools for deaf children and other resources in the community that I will remember when I am working with families.
This course has taught me so much about taking off my "cultural lenses" and being open to learning new things. I am so pleased with the learning that this course has provided me with as I prepare to start a career as a Child and Youth Worker. Although I am not an expert on other cultures, I have learned a few things that will help me in the future. I am aware that there are other cultures out there other than my own, and I am taking steps to understand cultures from around the world. I am committed to continuing my cultural learning and I look forward to the new experiences that are ahead!
