Perspectives on Diversity and Culture

        

This week finding out what others think about diversity and culture was very interesting for me  I first asked one of the moms in the program who is Mexican what she thought culture meant and what was her view?
  I loved her answer. She immediately said it is my music, art and food. I thought that was such a beautiful way to express how she felt.I found it to be interesting that she was able to relate to art as culture most people do not.

 Then I asked one of my co-workers who comes from Australia and is a young male his.
 interpretation of what culture is?


  He said that it was what has been handed down to him by his ancestors.I also liked that ,but to vague.

.My young intern from Israel said that culture for her was a mix of many things that make her who she is.
 For example she said her religious beliefs and customs, the way she dresses and the food that she eats and does not eat. That was fascinating, because we only thing about what we can eat, she explained that she does not mix dairy with meat or consume pork.You learn something new everyday.


 Then I asked them what was their definition of diversity? They all pretty much had the same answer. Diversity is just that being different I wanted them to be more in depth and have a more unique answer, but they would all say the same thing. I realized that everyone is not as well informed of what diversity really means and that maybe this is why many people are not accepting of it. Do they realize all that diversity includes, family compositions, and different ethnic groups and race? It seemed to me that they just thought of color, and being from a different country.

MY CULTURE JOURNEY

I really enjoyed this week’s blog assignment, I was able to think what would I be able to bring that I could latter look at and feel my roots and culture .As I looked around my home I realized that I have many religious artifacts that have been handed down to me by family members. The one that stood out the  most is a large golden cross, that my Godmother gave me when I was baptized. This was brought from the Dominican Republic and belonged to her mother. I would take this to be able to explain that Latinos have a strong Christian religious belief and to confirm mine.

The second item would be a picture album with all my families pictures This album has all of my family photos in it including pictures of my grandparents and the home in which my dad was born in Cuba .I would take this to make sure never to forget where we came from and to explain how different yet how alike we all are..

The third item would have to be a cooking utensil called Pilon, this is used to mash plantains and to make what we call  adobo which is garlic, salt and oregano. You mash it in the pilon and season your meats, poultries and etc. This is the heart to Latino cooking .I am positive that I would not be able to buy this where I was going. Since food is the taste of different cultures this would be an opportunity for me to give them a taste of mine.

When thinking about which one I would chose, it was difficult because I was torn between memories, religion and food .I went with the pilon. The answer   is that I think that memories cannot be erased and religion is inside our souls. The magic of food brings everyone together and gives us the opportunity to share our diversity and feel at home where ever we go.

RESEARCH JOURNEY

        

Research has proven to be a very interesting and important subject for me. I have gained many insights that I was not aware of. For instance there are many different techniques and uses that are involved in the research process. I was under the impression that research was a simple process and that all you had to do was collect information and analyze it and that was that. This course has taught me how to take a professional approach on early childhood research and take a deeper look at what the true meaning of research is. Many factors are indispensable in research and they cannot be overlooked, they must be followed to get to the outcome goal. For example researchers must decide what research design they will use and they have to think how will  they choose their participants. They must use ethical and correct procedures when working with children. Researchers should be educated on child development and use age appropriate methods. I understand the importance of using young children as participants in research and know that it is beneficial. In spite of all these positive outlooks I, have a difficult time accepting the issue that young children are developmentally ready to understand and consent to being researched. I hope that in the future researchers can come up with a solution on this issue and respect the rights of young children. This course has opened my eyes on looking at the whole picture not just what is in front of me, but what are the configurations of things. I have a new view when my little students ask why? This to me shows that they are thinking like little researchers looking for answers and trying to find outcomes and reasons for the world around them. I would also like to thank Dr. Davis for all her knowledge, patience and passion that she has shared with all of us. Again Walden receives an A for educators.

INTRNATIONAL WEB

     This week we had to research international websites I was very impressed by Early Childhood Australia: http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/ ,This site explores many early childhood issues such as ECA calls on all political parties to respond to national early childhood priorities, Budget implications for early childhood, Government must act to end child detention and Making a positive transition from pre-school to kindergarten. I was very interested in the topic on child detention this caught my eye and I looked into this in a more in depth way and would like to share the article with all of you.

MEDIA RELEASE
Tuesday 1 May 2012

Government must act to end child detention

Detention of children in Australia must end and the 428 children currently waiting for immigration processing in detention must be placed in the community, according to Early Childhood Australia (ECA), the peak organization dedicated to advocacy for young children in Australia.

In May, the global End Immigration Detention of Children campaign is putting a spotlight on Australia’s ongoing immigration detention of children.

ECA Chief Executive Officer Pam Cahir said she wholeheartedly supported the campaign and hoped its special focus on Australia this month would motivate the Federal Government to take action to properly protect children’s rights.

“It’s a huge concern that children are being put into detention in this country. A compassionate Government should be promoting and protecting the rights of all children and young people, including those seeking asylum.

“The government needs to show moral leadership in dealing with the complexities of this situation and place families with children and unaccompanied minors in the community while their claims are assessed.”

Ms Cahir said the healthy psychosocial development of children depends in large measure on the nurturing and stimulation that children receive as they grow, and on the opportunities that they have to learn new skills.

“For refugee children, healthy development and wellbeing also requires coping effectively with the multiple trauma of loss, uprooting from culture and place and often more damaging experiences.

“For children in detention the trauma of this experience is exacerbated. ”

Ms Cahir said ECA would like to see the government act swiftly to ensure that not one more child is placed in detention in Australia.

ECA have developed the following recommendations in relation to refugee children and children of asylum seekers:

• Families with children and unaccompanied minors should be placed in the community while their claims are assessed.
• In the event that an application for refugee status is unsuccessful and families and unaccompanied minors cannot return to their home country, families and unaccompanied minors should continue to live in the community until such time as they can return home.
• Families should have access to the support they need to care for their children and participate in the community.

This has been very disturbing for me to learn,  and I would expect this from a third world country. It is good to know how other countries view children’s issues.

POSITIVE RESEARCH

I AM VERY INTERESTED IN CHILDREN'S MENTAL WELLBEING AND NEW RESEARCH DONE ON THIS ISSUE, I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE THIS ARTICLE.

School-based mental health support results in positive outcomes for children

27 March 2012

A study of more than 18,000 children across England found that embedding mental health support in schools as part of the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) programme led to greater improvements in self-reported behavioural problems among primary pupils. The benefits were even more pronounced where schools also provided pupils with self-help leaflets explaining how children could help themselves if they were feeling stressed or troubled.

The three year longitudinal study followed children in 25 local authorities across England and also found that tools designed to improve communication between health and education professionals (such as the Common Assessment Framework), good links between schools and specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and the provision of mental health information to pupils were all associated with reductions in pupils’ difficulties in controlling aggression and anger in secondary school.

These findings come from an independent evaluation of TaMHS, led by UCL and involving eight academic institutions and other organisations across the UK (Universities of Manchester, Leicester, Durham, York and Glasgow, The Anna Freud Centre, the Institute of Psychiatry and the National Institute for Economic and Social Research).

Over the course of the project, researchers tracked and analysed the progress of 18,235 children in 526 schools.

The TaMHS programme aimed to help schools deliver targeted support to those with, or at risk of, mental health problems. Between 2008 and March 2011, £60 million was allocated across all local authorities in England in order for them to develop additional provision of mental health support in selected schools, including individual, group and whole-school interventions.

One in ten children in the UK has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem and the authors of the report recommend intervening early as a key to managing behavioural problems. “It may make sense to prioritise mental health work with primary school pupils in relation to behavioural problems to have maximum impact before problems become too entrenched,” says the report.

This report indicates that targeted help in primary schools has helped reduce behavioural problems and should continue.

Dr Miranda Wolpert

The report also suggests that inter-agency working and improved relationships between secondary schools and specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, as well as provision of materials to help young people find and access support, should be prioritised.

Dr Miranda Wolpert of the UCL CAMHS Evidence Based Practice Unit led the research. “This report indicates that targeted help in primary schools has helped reduce behavioural problems and should continue,” she says. “It also indicates the need to build on the good work already happening across schools and the health services to ensure joined up services and support for

IMMIGRATION AND YOUNG CHILDREN

 The topic that I am very interested in and would like to find out more in depth information is, the effect of immigration on young children.I would like to learn  how this might affect children's development now and later on down the road.I work with a large imigrant population and this can

help me better understand the children I serve.Young low-income children of immigrants remain

twice as likely to be uninsured ( Anderson.Capps, Fix).

This also is an issue with cognitive development and the engagement in school and their ability to be

emerging citizens, as pointed out by Professor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, 2011 As an early childhood

professional It is essential that I have a clear understanding of all these important issues.I would like

any information that anyone can offer on this subject.I would also like to share one of my favorite

websites that offers many free courses and tons of educational information on young children.I hope

you will visit the site and find it useful.http://www.cceionline.com/index.cfm?id=47

CONSEQUENCE

First of all my thank to Dr. Klien for opening my eyes to the needs of our most vulnerable ones,and her guidance.You are truly what the word teacher means.


In these past weeks I have been able to see the faces of many EC issues and needs.A consequence from this has been, that I was able to join many discusions  on  Linkedin with other international professionals and learn about how they see Ec issues.

My second consequence has been being able to join Save the Children organization.I receive many valuable newsletters and up dates on international, as well as local children's issues.Although I would have loved to have a direct contact,their letters were very educational and had a ton of important information.

My third consequence was being able to have the opportunity to read all my classmates blogs with b such interesting and educational information.It was wonderful to read how others view EC.

I have truly been able to look inside myself while taking this course, and I realized that I am 100% correct in wanting to pursue my passion of being an advocate.I consider this class one of the most educational journeys yet.I know that all the knowledge that Dr. Klien has subjected us to has not been in vein.