Behind the Pandemic in Aboriginal Communities - Interagency ...

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Facilitator’s Note:These backgroundnotes providefurther information onthe historical, social,cultural, political, andeconomic factors thataffect HIV vulnerabilityamong Aboriginalpeoples and communities.You can use thisinformation to supportthe conversations withparticipants duringStages 2 – 5.Background Notes for Facilitators: Further information on factors affectingHIV vulnerability and impact among Aboriginal peoplesMany factors affect the likelihood that an Aboriginal person will be exposed to the HIVvirus and that affect their ability to live well once infected:The personal circumstances – or the social, physical and economic environments - inwhich a person grew up and lives their daily life affect the likelihood that they willengage in behaviours that may expose them to HIV as well as their ability to stay healthyonce infected. These include whether a person has or can get the things they need tolive comfortably such as education, employment, health care, decent housing, food, andclean water; whether they feel that they belong to and are valued and respected by theircommunity; whether they are able to take part in society; and whether they haveexperienced traumatic life events such as childhood abuse, sexual or physical assault, orbeen taken away from their family and placed in the child welfare system.The everyday lives of Aboriginal peoples are affected by the general socio-economic,cultural and environmental conditions in Canada. This includes broad issues likethe economic and social policies of our governments, the performance of the globaleconomy, the design of our neighbourhoods and the health of our environment.Many of present day challenges and injustices faced by Aboriginal peoples are a result ofsystemic and structural inequalities related to colonization, racism, entrenched poverty,and historical trauma. These inequalities are a result of the unjust nature of the politicaland economic systems in a society and they affect a particular group of people as awhole.While Aboriginal peoples are disproportionately affected in Canada’s HIV epidemic,it is important to recognize that not all Aboriginal peoples are at risk of HIV infection.Some people are more vulnerable than others as a result of other forms of social andeconomic exclusion related to gender, race, sexual orientation, and ability.As well, Aboriginal peoples and communities have individual, family, community, andcultural strengths that provide a protective buffer from vulnerability. Resiliency is theability of individuals and communities to “bounce back” from and cope with stressfuland challenging circumstances better than expected.The factors in diagram 1 reflect the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC)determinants of health. The National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) hasidentified additional factors – called the broader determinants of Aboriginal health- that contribute to present day injustices and health disparities faced by Aboriginalpeoples. PHAC has identified twelve determinants of health that affect the healthof Canadians and contribute to health inequities, including income and social status,education, employment and working conditions, social support networks, healthychildhood development, social environments, physical environments, personal practicesand coping skills, biology and genetics, health services, gender, and culture. The broaderdeterminants include colonization, globalization, migration, cultural continuity, access,territory, systemic poverty, and self-determination.80
Colonization• Indigenous peoples globally have a shared history of colonization which ischaracterized by exclusion, separation from their territories, banning of spiritualpractices, isolation and stripping of political power, all intended to remove theirindividual and collective identities.• Colonization can be understood as the unequal relationship between the Stateand Indigenous peoples, resulting in paternalistic policies, insufficient investmentsin infrastructure and separation from socio-political and spiritual resources. Thedirect consequence is individual and collective damage, forced poverty, and culturaldisruption.• Aboriginal peoples’ systems of governance, education, health care and justice wereviewed as inferior and replaced with incompatible systems based on Europeanvalues and methods.• The residential school system is a key example of colonization in Canada. The federalgovernment and churches used residential schools as a tool to force First Nations,Inuit and Métis children to conform to European/Western norms and lifestyles.Residential schools were an emotional weapon used against Aboriginal peoples as away to break their spirit, family and community systems.• Another important example is the forced relocation of Inuit in northern Canada fromtheir home communities in the 1930-40s to establish a Canadian presence in remotelocations, cutting them off from traditional territories and Inuit cultural practicesthat established resilience and order within their world.• When health services are framed in a mainstream perspective/approach, they ignorethe collective history of oppression and violence experienced by Aboriginal peoplesand do not include Aboriginal forms of recovery and healing that incorporate moreholistic approaches to wellness.Poverty• Poverty affects people’s life circumstances, such as the kind of housing they live in,their access to food and clean water, and their ability to do well in school.• In many societies, people living in poverty are judged and made to feel ashamed;they are blamed for their living situation and viewed as lazy, uneducated and takingadvantage of social support.• This deprivation and stigma can affect people’s choices. Cuts to social support bygovernments mean lower benefits for social assistance – even as rent and food costsincrease – leaving single parents with inadequate resources to feed their childrenand pay the rent. Some vulnerable people may decide to engage in sex work to getfood for themselves or for their children.• Daily life is stressful without adequate money to cover one’s basic necessities,and there may be no money available to cover the non-medical and non-insuredexpenses of living with HIV such as healthy food, vitamins, and baby formula forHIV+ mothers, or even the cost of travel back to home communities and access totraditional healers.Low Literacy and Lack of Access to Formal Education• Low Literacy is one of the biggest barriers facing Aboriginal people in Canada today.• People with low literacy skills tend to remain in lower paid, low skilled jobs that offerlittle chance of improving their quality of life.81
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Facilitator’s Materials..........
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What is this Educational Resource f
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experienced traumatic life events s
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Getting Ready to Facilitate this Ed
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Table 1: Potential Audiences and Ad
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Overview of Workshop AgendaOutlined
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WorkshopEtiquette(Social Norms)5 Mi
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Fred’s Story:LandscapeThinking(co
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Facilitator’s Note:It is possible
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Facilitator’s Note:Resiliency mea
Page 27 and 28: Participant MaterialsActivity Mater
Page 29 and 30: Individual LevelIndividual LevelInd
Page 31 and 32: Family LevelIndividual LevelFamily
Page 33 and 34: Family LevelFamily LevelFamily Leve
Page 35 and 36: Community LevelCommunity LevelCommu
Page 37 and 38: Community LevelCommunity LevelCommu
Page 39 and 40: Systemic LevelSystemic LevelSystemi
Page 45 and 46: Systemic LevelArmand’s StoryArman
Page 47 and 48: Activity Materials: Resiliency Card
Page 49 and 50: Community Healing and Self-Determin
Page 51 and 52: Cultural ContinuityYou live in a co
Page 53 and 54: Building Community CapacityEveryone
Page 55 and 56: GIPA and ResearchA few years ago, t
Page 57: Handout #1: HIV Basics 11CATIE. 201
Page 62 and 63: 10/21/2010Activity Purpose• Incre
Page 65 and 66: 9/27/2010Activity InstructionsActiv
Page 67 and 68: 9/27/2010Questions for Vulnerabilit
Page 69 and 70: 9/27/2010Fred’s StoryHas no fridg
Page 71 and 72: 9/27/2010Understanding Health Inequ
Page 74 and 75: 9/27/2010Root Causes: BroaderDeterm
Page 76 and 77: 9/27/2010Broader Determinants ofAbo
Page 82 and 83: Gender and Gender Inequalities• G
Page 84 and 85: approach must be undertaken with in
Page 86 and 87: through collaboration and shared re
Page 88 and 89: Diagram 1: Factors that affect HIVv
Page 90 and 91: Card Key Issues Affecting Vulnerabi
Page 96 and 97: Individual LevelIssue Exploration T
Page 99 and 100: Card Key Protective Factors Suggest
Page 101 and 102: Card Key Protective Factors Suggest
Page 103 and 104: Glossary
Page 105 and 106: Gender norms refer to the expectati
Page 107 and 108: About the AuthorsLia De Pauw, MHSc,
Page 109 and 110: Bouey, Paul D., and Betty E. S. Dur
Page 111 and 112: Public Health Agency Health of Cana
Page 113 and 114: Mill, Judy E., Randy C. Jackson, Ca
Page 115 and 116: Scanlon, K., Travers, R., Humberto,
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