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A Youth Leader's Guide to Building Cultural Competence [PDF]
Appendix
These questions are offered as guides for you to use in examining your
cultural background and life experiences. Answering them
will help you focus on what has shaped your views and how those views
might affect
your interactions with others.
It is important to approach
each question honestly and with an open mind. There are no
right or wrong answers. The questions are not intended
to judge or categorize, nor to offend. They are merely individual
tools of exploration designed to help you get to know yourself
a little bit
better.
Some of your answers may surprise you, other may inspire
a range of emotions from anger to fear. Give yourself time
to reflect. Talking with
a trusted individual may help. Just remember that your discoveries
are means to an end; providing the best education you can
for the young people
you serve.
Consider these questions both in the context of
your present life as well as your experience growing up as a child and
young adult. Reflect
on the differences between your current home and the one
in which you were raised.
Language
What language or dialect is spoken in your home? Is it different or
similar to the language used in your household growing up? Do you understand
or speak another language from your ancestral heritage? Do members of
your family? Is there a generational split among your family members
with regard to speaking English versus another language?
What body language do you typically use when speaking? How about members
of your family? Are there certain non-verbal signals that are considered
polite or rude, such as eye contact, physical closeness or tone of voice?
Are there different rights or status of speaking in your household or
family? Are some members listened to more than others?
Do children or teens in your family have the same rights to speak? What
rights to speak did you have growing up as a child and then as a teen?
Were they similar to other members of your family who were of the same
generation? Did those rights vary by gender?
What forms of communication are common in your family experience? How
common are joke-telling, sarcasm, story-telling? How freely are emotions
expressed? How common or appropriate was/is touching or physical forms
of affection in your family?
Health
How is illness treated in your family? Do certain behaviors or beliefs
play a role in illness? What behaviors or remedies were used to prevent
or cure illness? To whom did you turn inside the family when you were
sick? To whom outside the family?
Family Relationships
What is your family structure? Is your current family structure different
from the one you grew up in? Who is considered to be a member of your
family? Are there individuals to whom you are not related, but who are
considered family such as longtime friends, neighbors or godparents?
What was the division of labor and responsibilities in your family?
Did that vary by gender or age or other forms of status? How about now?
How important is it to have children? How many children are in your
household? Was there value placed on having children of one gender or
the other?
What family members were typically involved in major family decisions?
Were you included in these discussions? Who in your family is included
now?
How involved is your family in marriage decisions? Are marriages arranged?
By whom? Is there a balance of responsibility between both families involved
in the marriage?
What are/were the expectations of what responsibilities you have to
your parents or family? What responsibilities did/do your parents have
to you? What are the expectations about living at home? Does that change
in the context of marriage?
Are there any openly gay, lesbian or bisexual members of your family,
including you? Are they acknowledge? Accepted? Are same-sex life partners
or opposite sex partners considered to be family members as well?
What are your views on marriage outside your cultural group? What are
your family's views? How do you view dating or sexual affairs? What about
your family's views?
Sexuality
What do you consider to be the "ideal" body type for a man
and for a woman? What do members of your family think? How are your ideals
influenced by your upbringing and images in mainstream advertising? Are
you generally happy with your body? Do you think your view is atypical
of those around you?
In what ways do you express different levels of intimacy? Do you think
you have different needs for intimacy than most members of the opposite
sex? Do you consider displays of public affection acceptable or in poor
taste?
How do you express closeness to members of the same sex? To friends
of the same or opposite sex?
When and how were you allowed to date? Was dating in the conventional
American sense the norm for your household? Were you allowed to socialize
in co-ed groups? Were there any specific restrictions or unspoken rules
about these activities?
Which gender was encouraged or expected to take the initiative in heterosexual
romantic relationships? Who was supposed to ask first? What expectations
were there for the opposite sex in response?
Are some sexual acts taboo? If so which ones and with whom? When? How
do you view masturbation? Have your responses changed from your childhood
and adolescence? If so, how?
If you have had heterosexual intercourse, at what point was contraception
a part of your sexual experience? Your sexual education? How was the
subject treated in your family? Who was responsible for purchasing and
using contraception, including condoms?
How do you view homosexuality? How does your view influence or not influence
your treatment of others? Your own behavior?
Are gay, lesbian, and bisexual people accepted as members of your community?
The community you were raised in?
Are you gay, lesbian or bisexual? When did you come out to yourself?
Are you out to friends? Family? Employers and co-workers? Why or why
not? How many other members of the gay, lesbian or bisexual community
do you know? How involved are you in organized gay, lesbian or bisexual
community activities?
What behavior constitutes flirting? What are your expectations of people
engaging in flirtatious behavior? Are there certain behaviors that are
unacceptable?
At what age did you first express yourself physically in asexual relationship?
Was that considered an acceptable age by your family for someone of your
gender? Was it typical of your peers? What age was considered acceptable
for males to have sexual intercourse? For females?
What did you learn about child sexual abuse growing up? About forced
sex between partners? About sexual harassment? How is that knowledge
different or similar to what you know now?
Gender Roles
Were tasks in your home assigned by gender? Are they now? Which things
were traditionally done by men in your family? By women?
Were both yourself and members of the opposite sex encouraged to stay
in school? Go to college? To work outside the home? Were there certain
hobbies or extracurricular activities that were encouraged in one gender
and not the other?
Were you allowed or encouraged to express emotions freely? Was this
similar for members of the opposite sex in your family? Did this differ
by age? Were some emotions more appropriate in one gender or another?
Who takes care of the children? What respective roles do members of
your sex and members of the opposite sex have in raising a child?
Are either males or females expected to be more knowledgeable, interested
or experienced in sex? Is one gender supposed to be more interested in
monogamy or abstinence before marriage?
Religion
What religion or religious beliefs do you adhere to? Is this different
or similar to that of your family? If you do not follow any religion,
why? How observant are you with regard to specific traditions, beliefs,
holy days or daily practices?
What are the basic beliefs of your religion? What are its teachings
about gender roles, pre-marital and extra-marital intercourse, homosexuality,
contraception, childbirth and abortion?
What role does fate or predestination play in your life? In the context
of your religion? How do you regard death? Do you believe in life after
death? Does your religion? What about members of your family?
Do you belong to the same religion as the one you were raised in, or
the one your family follows? Are you as religious as your family members?
Is this different from when you were a child or adolescent? Do young
people express their religious beliefs differently? How observant are
young people in your family now compared to adults?
How is religion incorporated into your daily life? Do you follow some
teachings more than others?
How important are religious leaders in your life? In your family's?
How often and in what situations are/were they consulted by you or your
family?
Are there behaviors or foods are taboo? Which ones and when?
How is your religion perceived in your ancestral country? Is it the
dominant or minority religion? Is it respected and/or tolerated?
Acculturation
How would you consider yourself under the categories of acculturation?
Bicultural? Traditional? Marginal? How about members of your family?
Does that vary by age?
If you are not Native American, how long has your family been in the
United States? How long have you been in the U.S.?
If you are Native American, what is your family's tribal history?
What values, beliefs, attitudes, customs, traditions, or behaviors have
you retained or adopted from your ancestral heritage? Has that changed
over the years? How about for your family?
Immigrant Status
What is your citizenship status? What is the status of members of your
family? What are the reasons behind having or not having U.S. citizenship
in your family? Do you or any of your family have dual citizenship?
What was your ancestors' migration experience? Did they arrive alone
or with family members? Are there family members still living in your
ancestral country? Are you in contact with them? Do they receive financial
support from you or other family members?
If you immigrated, what was your migration experience?
Do you live in a community with others from your ancestral country or
heritage? If you live in a community that is multi-racial and multi-ethnic,
how do all the various groups get along?
Do you or your family members plan to stay in the U.S. or do you or
they hope to return to your ancestral country?
Have you ever visited your ancestral country? With or without family?
How did that experience affect you?
Have you ever moved within the United States?
Political Power
How well-represented do you feel members of your cultural group are
in local, state or national politics?
How many women representing you cultural group hold a political office?
Is it common for most members of your cultural group to be U.S. citizens?
To be registered to vote? To vote? To be courted by candidates? If so,
how and by whom?
What advocacy organizations work on behalf of your group? How well do
they represent diversity in your group?
How active are members of religious organizations in social movements?
What is the political situation in your ancestral country? If you or
your family are recent immigrants, what kind of political participation
if any was encouraged? Are elections held? Are they believed to be fair?
Racism
What has been the impact of racism on you? On your culture group as
a whole? What is it today?
How do you feel affected by racist attitudes and practices? What about
your community? Does it vary for men and women? How about children and
teenagers?
How do formal and informal leaders talk about racism now? How did they
in the past?
Do you see yourself as a victim or perpetrator of racism? How and why?
What has it been like to try and do something positive about racism in
your life?
Poverty and
Economic Concerns
What was the standard of living in your family when you were growing
up? Was it similar to other people in your community or in your extended
family?
Are you currently employed? What kinds of jobs have you held in the
past? Are most adults in your community employed? In what kinds of jobs?
Do most women work outside the home? How high is the average standard
of living?
What is the level of involvement in illegal industries? What is the
degree of violence in your community? How has that had an impact upon
you?
Have you or family members ever received public assistance? How has
that influenced your perspectives?
How safe are the public schools? Are they well-staffed? Adequately funded?
How many children are in private or parochial school?
How are health needs serviced in your community? When and how do you
seek medical treatment? Do you have medical insurance? Do most people
in your community?
Oppression
What is the history of your ancestors and your cultural group in the
United States? What laws and policies have affected your group? What
laws and policies today?
What is the history of your cultural group in your ancestral country?
Has it experienced oppression in some form? Does it today?
Source/Citation:
Messina SA. A
Youth Leader's Guide to Building Cultural Competence. Washington,
DC: Advocates for Youth, 1994.
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