Behind the Pandemic in Aboriginal Communities - Interagency ...

vulnerability of their female partners who may think they are in a monogamousrelationship.• For many Aboriginal communities, even heterosexual sex is not an easy topic todiscuss openly, and understanding and accepting the reality of men who have sexwith men is even harder and creates silence around its existence in communities.Resiliency and Protective FactorsMany Aboriginal people and communities thrive in the midst of stressful or challengingcircumstances. This resiliency is fostered by protective factors at the individual, family,community, and system level. These include:Individual Strengths:• The way that people see and feel about themselves affects their choices aboutrelationships, sex, and substance use. A positive self-concept supports healthydecisions.• Self-concept is affected by family and social environment. People are more likely tofeel good about themselves when they are accepted, appreciated, and included.• Critical awareness means understanding how people’s life circumstances, choicesand actions are shaped by broader historical, social, cultural, economic, andpolitical factors. Critical awareness can help marginalized people to de-personalizeexperiences of stigma and exclusion, and help them to see that the circumstances oftheir life is influenced by these broader factors.Social Inclusion:• Social inclusion means people are accepted, valued, and have equal opportunities.• Social inclusion promotes a positive self-concept and helps people to access theresources they need to be healthy, such as education, meaningful employment,housing, good food, and clean water.Cultural Continuity:• Cultural continuity refers to the intergenerational connectedness of individuals,families and communities. It is the way in which Aboriginal languages, spiritualpractices and cultural traditions are transmitted and maintained.• Elders carry out a sacred role of reinforcing these teachings that provide an anchorfor moving through life with an Aboriginal philosophy.• Cultural knowledge and practices give meaning to life and assist with present daychallenges.Cultural Competence, Cultural Safety, and Relational Care:• Cultural competence is a term used to describe the skills, knowledge and attitudesthat enable health practitioners to provide respectful care to patients of diversecultures.• Cultural safety acknowledges that health care delivery exists within its ownsocial, political and historical context. Cultural safety shifts the focus fromcultural awareness to health care practices that attempts to rebalance the powerrelationship between health practitioner and patient.• Cultural safety is successful when the complete being of an Aboriginal patient isrespected and health care interventions and follow-up is negotiated by both parties85