Study of cultural safety practices developed on the North Shore to support the educational perseverance and success of Innu youth and adults
Christine Couture, UQAC; Élisabeth Kaine, UQAC; Julie Rock, UQTR; Sylvie Pinette, Institut Tshakapesh; Emmanuelle Aurousseau, UQAC; Amélie Blanchet Garneau, UdM; Marie-Pierre Baron, UQAC; Mathieu Cook, UQAC; Jacinthe Dion, UQAC; Catherine Duquette, UQAC; Élisabeth Jacob, UQAC; Anne Marchand, UdM; Loïc Pulido, UQAC; Jean-François Vachon, BRV; Marie-Laurence Tremblay, UQAC
Collaborators
UNESCO Chair in Cultural Transmission among First Peoples as a Dynamic of Well-Being and Empowerment, UQAC, Centre des Premières Nations Nikanite, UQAC, Boîte Rouge VIF, Institut Tshakapesh, Canadian Commission for UNESCO, York University
Concerted Action Partners
Research funded by the Ministry of Education of Quebec (MEQ), the Société du Plan Nord (SPN) and the Secrétariat aux relations avec les Premières Nations et les Inuit (SRPNI), in collaboration with the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et culture as part of the Concerted Actions program.
Through encounters promoting sharing, recognition and appreciation, this collaborative research presents specific examples of practices involving cultural safety, for the joint development of knowledge on educational practices. Its strength lies in the cultural knowledge and experience of the people who shared what they do on a daily basis to support the educational perseverance and success of Innu youth and adults on the North Shore among educational services from early childhood to university in both Innu and provincial settings. The findings offer courses of action which all communities can draw on to better welcome and support First Peoples youth, adults and families.
Issue
One of the defining issues in supporting the educational perseverance and success of First Peoples would be the connection between their culture and educational practices. This context of connection offers significant challenges in matters of language, culture, pedagogical approaches and programs (MEQ, 2015). To address these challenges, practices involving cultural safety provide opportunities to be explored regarding the transmission of language and culture, learning models, pedagogies, knowledge, educational practices and other elements relating to child development and the health and well-being of learners (Battiste, 2017 and 2018; Campeau, 2015; CCA, 2009; CVR, 2015; Mashon, 2010). Although the implementation of cultural safety as an educational approach is still relatively new, a mobilization of the education sector is underway. In this context, the main objective of this research is to document what people who work with First Peoples learners on a daily basis have developed in terms of practices to better assist and support them on their learning path.
Main research question
The main question that guides this research is: What practices of cultural safety support the educational perseverance and success of First Peoples youth? In connection with this question, an image of cultural safety was created by Innu artists Jean and Shanna St-Onge from Uashat mak Mani-utenam, based on words evoked by research participants and a theoretical overview (Ball, 2008; Blanchet Garneau et al., 2012 and 2019; Curtis et al., 2019; Lévesque et al., 2015; Koptie, 2009).
Image of cultural safety with words in Innu...
Figure 1: Representation of cultural safety
(by Jean and Shanna St-Onge of Uashat mak Mani-utenam)
This image evokes the meaning jointly developed by participants and co-researchers. It represents: 1) the relationship between cultures (hands); 2) in a process of individual and collective transformation of practices, structures and organizations (staff and schools); 3) to ensure the safety of children, pupils, students and families (canoe); 4) in egalitarian relationships that respect identity, values, language and culture (teueikan, tent and gathering).
Methodology
With the intention of conducting research "by and with" Innu partners rather than "on and for" them (McNaughton and Rock, 2003), a process of jointly developed knowledge, inspired by co-creation (Kaine et al., 2016) and part of a collaborative research approach (Desgagné et al., 2001), was set up to document examples of cultural safety practices in accordance with the research protocol principles of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador (2014). In fact, 50 encounters of sharing and discussion, held between March 2021 and June 2022, provided examples of cultural safety practices deriving from the accounts of 81 participants, including 41 Innu, and learners from the North Shore region. These encounters (by videoconference and in person, in a COVID-19 context) are part of an iterative approach aimed at promoting the actions of people involved with Innu children, pupils, families and students.
Figure 2: A collaborative approach
Main findings
An initial analysis using emergent categorization (Paillé and Muchielli, 2008) identified 12 categories for classifying cultural safety practices in various fields of professional practice, with language (mentioned 435 times by participants) and culture (mentioned 229 times) as transversal concepts.
Figure 3: Various fields of professional practice
stemming from emergent categorization
These various fields of professional practice include:
Support (282 instances), including 6 examples of practices on establishing a relationship of trust; the role of a guidance counsellor; support and guidance for students; the tasks of liaison officers; psychosocial intervention; and a seminar for parents.
Institutional collaborations (71 instances), inter-professional collaboration (55 instances), collaboration with parents (39 instances), among students (26 instances) and with the community (16 instances), including 4 examples related to poetry in French class; recognizing the needs of community; as well as language and culture courses, which are part of several categories.
Management and organization of services (192 instances), including 4 examples of practices pertaining to the Baie-Comeau CEGEP welcome committee; welcoming and supporting students; language and culture at school; and responding to the needs of communities, also included in institutional collaborations.
Education and teaching (153 instances), including 7 examples on the bilingual approach; poetry in French class, already mentioned in the collaborations category; literature by First Peoples authors; language and culture courses; arts at school; an optional course in humanities at CEGEP; and what takes place in vocational training.
Cultural transmission (118 instances), including 3 examples of practices concerning elders at school; language and culture; and the setup of a shaputuan.
Welcoming environment (95 instances), including 5 examples of practices regarding a designated room for First Peoples students; the layout of the premises and organization of collective activities; a living environment project; a graduation event; and a welcome kit offered by the Tshakapesh Institute for non-Indigenous ressource personnel.
Professional services (94 instances), including 3 examples of ortho pedagogical support; guidance counseling; and a community-based approach developed at Institut Tshakapesh.
Staff training and support (90 instances), including 5 examples of practices involving the Institut Tshakapesh’s welcome kit for non-Indigneous support staff, also part of the welcoming environment category; professional seminars organized by ITUM, Institut Tshakapesh and Éclore Côte-Nord; support for teachers; workshops to overcome prejudice; and a short program in preschool education jointly developed by UQAC and Institut Tshakapesh.
Programs (87 instances), including 6 examples relating to the sensory approach in preschool; language and culture programs at the Institut Tshakapesh and CRÉA of Pessamit; a reflection on programs shared by ITUM participants; the Springboard to a DCS program at CEGEP de Baie-Comeau; and the short program in preschool education which was already mentioned.
Pedagogical resources (63 instances), including 6 examples of practices regarding the French-Innu lexicon for programs at the CEGEP de Baie-Comeau; the Innu dictionary from Institut Tshakapesh; children's literature, a reading approach, and a phonological awareness kit developed at Institut Tshakapesh; as well as resources from Production Manitu.
Community service (48 instances), including 3 examples of practices regarding raising awareness on motives for compromise; psychosocial intervention and establishing trust, also included in the support category.
Cultural encounters and exchanges (47 instances), including 2 examples of practices relating to the activity “Under the shaputuan”, offered by Institut Tshakapesh; as well as the layout of the premises and the organization of collective activities also part of the welcoming environment category.
School represents the most frequently mentioned context in which cultural safety practices take place, including early childhood education services (224 instances), followed by the classroom (129 instances), the community (92 instances), organizations (18 instances) and family (16 instances). Consequently, a collective dimension emerges from shared practices since they primarily take place at the school level. The work of principals, liaison officers, counsellors, teachers, educators and resource personnel, in collaboration with communities, contributes to transforming practices in provincial and Innu environments, by mobilizing knowledge, practices and values of Innu culture. This overview illustrates the significance of interconnections among early childhood educational services (daycare), the classroom, school, community and family in working together for the well-being and success of First Peoples youth in a reassuring and stimulating living environment that enables them to assert their identity with pride. The results of this research shed a different light on perseverance and success through the criteria evoked by the participants, which mainly concern language, culture, pride, interest, curiosity, laughter, smiles, mutual aid, social integration and the importance of having a goal in life.
It is interesting to note that this research reveals examples of practices that align with components of Competency 15 asserted by First Peoples organizations for teacher education (First Nations Education Council, Institut Tshakapesh and Centre de développement de la formation et de la main-d'œuvre huron-wendat, 2020). The various examples of practices offer potential opportunities for initial and continuing teacher training, as well as concrete material available online through the website, all of which refers to components of the learning environment; language, culture, territory and knowledge; pedagogical practices and evaluation methods; learning methods; professional relations and relationships with students and families.
Key benefits
The proposal of a model that places cultural safety practices at different levels, grouped into fields of intervention (categories), also makes it possible to picture the possibilities of an approach that is taking shape. Language, culture, pride and identity are at the heart of this model, which suggests ways of linking culture and educational practices (Battiste, 2017 and 2018; Brant Castellano, 2014; Campeau, 2015; CCA, 2009; CVR, 2015; Lévesque et al., 2015; Manningham et al., 2011; Mashon, 2010; OECD, 2018).
The concept of success relative to an approach of cultural safety is first and foremost a personal and social accomplishment, inviting us to examine the criteria for perseverance and success (Blanchet-Cohen et al., 2022; Mansour, Maltais and Cook, 2019 and 2021; CSÉ, 2017; OECD, 2018; Potvin, 2010). Many participants point out the importance of mother tongue, culture, identity and pride in success, particularly those in management. Promoting language and culture in teaching, as well as pedagogical differentiation, are also identified as practices to be developed. Respectful, caring support from liaison officers, resource personnel, educational assistants, counselors, consultants, teachers and administrators, who understand the realities of First Peoples youth and adults, emerges as a central element in supporting educational perseverance and academic success. Collaboration among all partners is essential to support children, pupils, students and their families in their quest for success. The main challenges to face are closely connected to the language of instruction, assessment, school material, curriculum and the relationships to be established between non-Indigenous and Indigenous people.
This research has also led to various courses of action for the mobilization of indigenous knowledge and perspectives in education and in teacher education, as well as a reflection on programs developed in post-doctoral research.
Courses of action supported by research
The research findings support the following courses of action:
- Create and maintain a relationship of trust through respectful, caring support for youth, adults and families;
- Engage all school staff in a process of cultural safety;
- Value cultural roots in education;
- Take into account the plurilingual context of learners;
- Adjust assessment tools and criteria;
- Review the programs of several school subjects to integrate Indigenous knowledge, realities and perspectives;
- Develop culturally meaningful resources and materials for learners;
- Fully recognize Competency 15 and explicitly integrate it to the framework of professional competencies in teaching;
- Mobilize Indigenous knowledge, realities and perspectives in the training of all teachers and school staff;
- Support intercultural and interprofessional collaboration and networking;
- Promote intercultural encounters.
The main strength of this research also represents its limitations: the participation of committed individuals convinced of the importance of language, culture and identity in the development of welcoming, caring and safe practices to support the educational perseverance and success of First Peoples youth and adults. This sample provides access to concrete examples of cultural safety practices developed in environments that welcome First Peoples learners, which generates a rather positive picture of what is being done in these environments. It is important to note however, that this sample is not representative of what is done in general terms. It is not a depiction of the situation, and much remains to be done to overcome prejudice, racism and discrimination in society and in educational circles.
Needless to say, all research is important, and that it is thanks to the diversity of the subjects of study and analytical perspectives that it will be possible to propose courses of action for lasting change. We are happy to contribute to this long road to reconciliation (CVR, 2015) in the hope that the cultural safety practices shared by the participants in this research will inspire others. As stated by Lucien Saint-Onge of the Committee of Elders of the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Transmission at UQAC, “NUITSHIMAKAN. Let's learn to navigate together, let's walk together, as equals, to meet the great collective challenge of cultural safety in order to better support the educational perseverance and success of young people and First Peoples.
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