The Beat: Cultural Competence
School should be a safe space for all students to learn. But too often lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth are taunted and bullied in class, the hallways and the schoolyard.
A new online workshop from national sex education organization Answer focuses on making schools more inclusive and increasing awareness of LGBTQ issues. Called LGBTQ Issues in Schools, the workshop provides strategies, resources, and interactive exercises for health professionals and teachers working with middle school and high school students. It also highlights the importance of acknowledging LGBTQ youth in life education and health classes. And it provides specific suggestions for...
A new report released in October by Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition paints a grim but thorough portrait of the dangers facing Native women involved in prostitution. Based on interviews with 105 prostituted Minnesota women ages 18-60, “Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota” also explores the relationship between sexual trafficking and women’s earlier experiences of youth homelessness and trauma.
NCFY spoke to Nicole Matthews and Guadalupe Lopez, two of the study’s authors, to learn...
Q: A youth in our shelter was just diagnosed with HIV. How can we best help her? And how can we help other young people in the program who may not understand what it means to have HIV?
A: The best way to support this young woman is to first take stock of her situation, says Latisha James, who coordinates youth programs at The Women’s Collective, a Washington, DC, organization that provides services and support to women and girls living with or at-risk for contracting HIV.
“Most people want to find youth medical care right away,” James says. “But before starting medical treatment, you want to make sure young people are ready to accept it.”
First, assess whether the young person is ready to accept the diagnosis. Signs that she’s not ready include...
“Community, Family, and Peer Influences on Alcohol, Marijuana, and Illicit Drug Use Among a Sample of Native American Youth: An Analysis of Predictive Factors,” Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, Vol. 9, Issue 4, 2010.
What it's about: Researchers investigated whether three theories commonly used to study teen drinking and drug use could be used to study substance use among Native American young people. They tested the theories using data collected from Native American middle-school and high-school students in Montana.
Why read it: The three theories most commonly used to study the connection between social problems and substance use -- social bonding theory, social learning theory and social disorganization theory – have not been tested on non-white youth. This article aims to fill a void by seeing if the...
Q: I think it's important for my youth-serving organization to be culturally competent in its dealings with all young people. But when it comes to Native youth, I'm not sure where to start.
A: For Tribal and non-Tribal organizations alike, cultural competency is essential to serving young people with respect and dignity. But with 564 Federally recognized Tribes in the United States, each with its own culture and history, building your organization’s ability to work with Native youth can feel overwhelming.
Brighton Ncube, who directs health promotion activities at Riverside-San Bernardino County Indian Health recommends spending time with Tribal leaders to learn about a Tribe’s customs and ways of life. Ask someone to drive you around a reservation, he says. If you’ve never been and you don’t...
"LGBTQ Youth Issues: A practical guide for youth workers serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth," Child Welfare League of America, 2010.
What it's about: This comprehensive, research-based resource on LGBTQ issues has concrete tips at the end of every chapter about what youth workers can do to engage and support LGBTQ youth.
Why read it: There are likely LGBTQ youth, and families affected by issues of gender identity or sexual orientation, in every youth serving agency across the country. But many youth work professionals don't have adequate knowledge about the needs of LGBTQ youth to address them effectively when those young people walk through the door in crisis. The discussion in this guide ranges from basic...
“What Increases Risk and Protection for Delinquent Behaviors Among American Indian Youth? Findings from Three Tribal Communities” (abstract), Youth & Society 41(3):382-418.
What it's about: This article identifies the factors that make Native American youth in three Tribal communities more or less likely to get into trouble for violent behavior aimed at themselves or others. The researchers surveyed youth, parents, elders and youth workers, aiming to get a full picture of the influences on youths' lives.
Why read it: This study is one of few to employ methods that allow tribal members to...
Tom Baker’s organization has something every mentoring program wants: guys. Typically, programs prefer to match children with mentors of the same sex. “As men we experience problems and challenges specific to our gender and it’s easier to learn from someone who has gone through the same things that you have,” says Baker, vice president of programs for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh. Put simply: Boys need male role models.
But in many mentoring programs, the waitlist for boys seeking mentors is always longer than that for girls. Baker’s program was no exception. Like his peers across the country, he counted recruiting male mentors as one...
Throw an African American “knowledge bowl”—a team contest inspired by quiz shows—in February as a fun and creative way to celebrate black history. It’s competition, education and empowerment rolled into one.
Here are some tips from NCFY staff:
Divide youth into teams. Whether you’re planning a small competition (within a youth program or school) or a large one (among students in a school district, county, or city), placing students in pairs or small groups is a good idea. They’ll learn teamwork and leadership skills. And competitive young people can channel their energies into a positive activity.
Give young people time to study. Holding the event toward the end of February enables you to integrate it into a month-long series of lessons about black history...
