Piers recently attended the Housing First for Indigenous and Metis Peoples Workshop at the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society. Through this, not only were we reminded of the importance of partnership and connection within our community, but also of the need for cultural awareness and understanding.
We are incredibly fortunate to live in such a culturally diverse Country, but – like most things – it comes with its pro’s and con’s. Different cultures come with different beliefs, which does not allow us to comfortably live under one set of laws.
Here in the Okanagan, the Indigenous community has had to implement their own government, housing, and law enforcement in order to actively practice their way of life and pursue their cultural traditions. As much as this seems like an achievement, the reality is that even though our Country thrives on diversity, the emphasis on our differences can potentially result in a negative stigma. In order to bring our community closer together and embrace our diversity, we need to understand the cultures that surround us and diminish cultural stereotypes.
There are some great resources in the Kelowna area where you can educate yourself and share in our local cultural traditions;
- Kelowna Community Resources (https://kcr.ca/) provides information on workshops and training, as well as volunteer opportunities and ways to give back to the community.
- The French Cultural Society (http://www.leccfo.org/) offers everything from language courses to dance classes, and even puts together group activities where you can come together and meet others within the community.
- The Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society (https://www.kfs.bc.ca/) offers counselling and wellness services, as well as housing supports and various types of education and resources.
Here at Piers, we address our cultural challenges and extend our knowledge by providing training and workshops on diversity. We support our clientele by having access to various resources within the community, as well as an understanding on the steps necessary to achieve the goals in place.
This article below provides some great tips on degrees of cultural awareness, and how to manage cultural diversity.
http://www.culturosity.com/articles/whatisculturalawareness.htm
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ―