I am so happy to have had the privilege of hearing Andy Leggett speak about his experiences in his career as the clinical director at Broken Arrow. His insight into the different cultures that he has worked with was very eye opening for me. I had the chance to learn a bit about some of these cultures during high school, particularly about gas sniffing, but not in the same depth or context as what Andy had spoke about.
The biggest lesson I learned throughout Andy’s presentation to us was that when working with other cultures you do not have to know everything about a culture to be successful, you just need to be respectful and curious. Curiosity communicates to others that you are interested in them and that they are worthwhile and important.
Another important lesson was Andy’s idea of the “click” of building relationships. The perspective he gave us when talking about bids for attention was invaluable since it is going to be very common to have children say things that are not particularly nice. After hearing Andy talk about the statements as bids for attention and using them in a positive way to help form a connection with a child, I feel more confident in working with youth that are likely going to say things to test me. It is definitely a perspective that supports growth and looks at positives instead of focusing on one more negative action.
After hearing Andy speak about the First Nations, Metis and Inuit people, there were some things that I really wanted to find out more about. The first was to research more in depth about the culture and maybe find some more pictures. The second was that I wanted to research more about gas and propane sniffing and what is being done to help the youth that take part in it. The last thing I wanted to research was the Inuit rap. I ended up finding one rap group Inuit Rap Productions. They are actually really good rappers! There are some links below to my research and the rap videos.
The following is an article about youth that engage in gas and propane sniffing in Natuashish and the debate about whether or not they should be removed from their homes.
CBC News- Natuashish Kids Gas Sniffing
Below are some pictures I found of the Natuashish community.
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| People walking in Natuashish |
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| Inuit Woman and Baby |
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| Inuit Man on a Skidoo |
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| Natuashish |
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| Davis Inlet |
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| Children Sniffing Gas |
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| Some of the homes in Natuashish |
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| Innu Men |
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| Innu Children in Natuashish |
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| The Northern Lights |
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