Culture & Diversity “Thinking Outside the Boxes”

Culture & Diversity Committee  Goals  “Thinking outside the box.”  Provide awareness, knowledge, and skills to promote respect for diversity so that we may be more effective engaging shareholders

What is Culture?  Culture influences view of reality and every aspect of life  It is a way of thinking, feeling and behaving that is passed from one generation to the next  Multicultural perspective recognizes that client may hold values/ beliefs that are different from the counselor  Diversity is a two-way street- we bring out own cultural heritage and clients bring theirs

What is Culture?  Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes and religion by a group of people generally without thinking about them. “Those who are willing to address cultural differences directly are those who do not perceive them as impediments and those who view these differences as positive attributes will most likely meet and resolve the challenges that arise in cross-culture interaction. Such an individual is ‘culturally-skilled.” (Sue and Sue 1990)

What is Culture?  In its BROADEST sense, culture includes not only race and ethnicity but also:  Social class  Gender  Age  Affectional orientation  Disability  Marital status  Religion, etc.

Examples of Culture  Language, Practices, Customs, Food, Clothing, Religion, Superstitions, Architecture, Holidays, Celebrations, Dating Rituals, Art, Music

National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards Principal Standard Provide effective, equitable, understandable and respectful quality care and services that are responsive to diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, health literacy and other communication needs.

National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards  Governance, Leadership and Workforce  Advance and sustain leadership that promotes CLAS and health equity through policy, practices and allocated resources.  Recruit, promote and support a culturally and linguistically diverse governance, leadership and workforce  Educate and train using culturally and linguistically appropriate policies and practices

National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards  Communication and Language Assistance  Offering language assistance to individuals who have limited English proficiency and/or other communication needs  Engagement, Continuous Improvement and Accountability  Creating culturally competent goals within the organization  Regularly assessing services provided  Maintaining accurate data  Partnering with community resources

Culturally Diverse Shift  In our culturally diverse society it is essential that we are able to practice in a multicultural competent manner  The United States is shifting from a society comprised of people from primarily White European backgrounds to one in which most will be from non-White, non-European backgrounds

Demographics State & County Wide People Quick Facts South Carolina Aiken County Population, 2013 estimate4,774,839NA Population, 20104,625,364160,099 Persons under 5 years, percent, %5.6% Persons under 18 years, percent, %22.1% Persons 65 years and over, percent, %16.5% Female persons, percent, %51.6% White alone, percent, 2012 (a)68.4%71.8% Black or African American alone, percent, 2012 (a)28.0%24.9% American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent, 2012 (a)0.5% Asian alone, percent, 2012 (a)1.4%0.9% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent, 2012 (a)0.1% Two or More Races, percent, %1.8% Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2012 (b)5.3%5.1% White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent, %67.5%

Demographics with ABDMH Gender Male910 Feamle1169 Race White1161 African- American838 Spanish American13 American Indian1 Other26 Ages

Projected Statistics  It is estimated that by 2050:  The percentage of white population will decline from 67% to 47%  The African-American population will represent 15% of the population  Latino population will make up 29% of the U.S population  Asian and Pacific Islander will represent 9%  American Indian and Eskimo will represent 1%  LGBT population is estimated to represent 5 % of the U.S. population over 18 years old  (Pew Research Center)

Culture & Diversity Services Offered within the Community

Knowledge  Seek out knowledge that will enhance understanding of clients who are culturally different from them  Knowledge about history of other cultures  Understanding implications of racism, oppression  Knowledge of language or slang of other cultures  Knowledge of resources  Knowledge of counseling interventions that are appropriate. Arredondo et al., 1996; Pendersen et al., 2002)

The South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs The Southeast US has become the new settlement area for Hispanics between 1990 and  North Carolina 575% population growth  Arkansas 508% population growth  Georgia 450% population growth  South Carolina 327% population growth

African-American South Carolina African-American Guide Public Resource Notable SC-Americans Timeline Historic African-American places in SC church, schools, communities, landmarks and museums Festivals and Events

African-American Historical Alliance Non Profit organization Leading resource for education and celebration of African American Civil War and Reconstruction History in SC

African-American SC Chamber of Commerce Advocate for prosperity, progress and the success within every county and community in SC as it relates to African-American Business Many Companies: law firms, accounting, insurance companies, marketing and advertising firms Starts with idea for a company, the Chamber looks into what the idea needs to transition into a company, then they contact the companies in their network to help make it into a reality

The Center African American History, Art, and Culture Has not opened yet Vision is to bring tourism to Aiken County as a stop on the SC National Heritage Corridor Forum for celebrating both Aiken's diversity and it's sense of community

PASOS Founded in 2005 Help Latino Community and service providers work together for strong healthy families They accomplish this through education, support, and grassroots leadership Family and Community Health Programs Education to individual and families on Family Health and Prevention Prenatal Education

Hispanic Connections, Inc Founded in 2000 Provide interpretation and translation services Advise on creative marketing Offer courses of Spanish or English as a second language Publish the South Carolina Hispanic Business Directory Promote the annual Cinco De Mayo festival in Columbia, SC

SC Hispanic Leadership Council Non profit organization established in 2002 Specialize in advocacy, education and networking Based in Columbia, SC Lobby for Immigration Reform Sponsor the “REACH” Scholarship for Latino Students.

Native American SC Native American Affairs Non Profit Influencing public policy and state services Develop and implement statistical data Addressing the needs of the population 7 State recognized Tribes 1 Federal recognized Tribe

SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center Provide education and advocacy to our states legislative delegation on immigrants rights and the need for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level

Filipino Filipino-American Association of Greater Columbia Non profit organization Goal is to promote inter-cultural education and understanding To preserve and promote the cultural heritage of Filipinos

Chinese U.S. Chinese Culture Center Non Profit Classes that educate about Chinese Culture such as Tai Chi, martial arts, Chinese Calligraphy, Cooking, Chinese Cultural Training Prepare others to teach in China

Muslim-Islamic  First Ever Islamic Shrine in SC was started in 2002 in York County, SC  Information Center-Graniteville, SC  Anderson, (7)Charleston, Clemson, (5)Charleston, Conway,(2) Florence, Greenville, Monks Corner, Orangeburg, (2)Rock Hill, Spartanburg

Services Utilized and Offered by DMH   Palmetto Interpreters

Transportation  Best Friend Express  Logisticare (Medicaid Transportation)

Cultural Competency in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Populations  Societal Norms  Deafness is not a disability.  Respecting a Deaf person’s primary language shows respect for them.  Deaf people value each other, their culture and their shared experiences.  Hard of Hearing people often identify with Hearing culture.  Mild to Moderate Hearing Loss can often be more frustrating to live with than deafness.

Barriers to Accepting Others  Perceptions  Bias  Prejudice  Stereotypes

Racial Stereotypes & Misconceptions  All Muslims are terrorists.  All white people don't have rhythm.  All Blacks are lazy.  All Asians are sneaky.  All Hispanics don't speak English very well or not at all.  All Jewish people are greedy, selfish money hungry people.  Caucasians can't dance.  Russians are violent.  All Americans are cowboys.  All Italians are stylish and sophisticated. They are usually painters, sculptors or fashion designers.  Germans are Nazis or fascists.  All Asians are Chinese.  All Asians speak Pidgin English.  All Native Americans love to gamble.  All Middle easterners hate America.  All Italians are good cooks.

Negative Stereotypes & Misconceptions  All blond women are dumb.  All red heads are sluts.  Christians are homophobic. They are blinded by God and will recruit you if you go near them.  All politicians are philanders and think only of personal gain and benefit.  If I wear Goth clothing I'm a part of a rock band, depressed, or do drugs.  Girls are only concerned about physical appearance.  Guys are messy and unclean.  Men who spend too much time on the computer or read are geeks.  Men who are not into sports are termed as gay.  All librarians are women who are old, wear glasses, tie a high bun, and have a perpetual frown on their face.  Girls are not good at sports.  All teenagers are rebels.  All children don't enjoy healthy food.  Only anorexic women can become models.  Women who smoke and drink do not have morals.  Men who like pink are effeminate.

Positive Stereotypes & Misconceptions  All Blacks are great basketball players.  All Asians are geniuses.  All Indians are deeply spiritual.  All Latinos dance well.  All Whites are successful.  Asians have high IQs. They are smarter than most in Math and Science. These people are more likely to succeed in school.  African Americans can dance.  All Canadians are exceptionally polite.  French are romantic.  All Asians know kung fu.  All African American men are well endowed.  Italians are good lovers.