Culture and Adaptation

The iceberg model is a great way to demonstrate the deep, far-reaching aspects of culture that fabricate what we can see in society. We can look at human culture from three different academic schools: Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology. Using these areas we can observe how culture exists in the human race, how our behaviour is shaped through our thoughts and behaviour and what agents of socialization have greater impact on how we live our lives.

Using the iceberg model I can decode certain characteristics of my culture that I present by looking deeper into how and why these traits exist.

Doing: What we can observe

People that don’t know me very well can see that in my culture: we primarily speak English; we listen to a variety of music that demonstrates our protected right to freedom of speech; we place a high value on education; we are kind to each other but respect privacy and personal space; and that we value a multicultural community and celebrate our differences. 

Thinking: Ideas that affect what we observe

Underneath the “face” of my culture lies a sociological process that fuels the behaviour people can observe. Socialization is the process in which an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behaviour, and social skills that belong to their role in society. A good example of this would be the way in which people in my culture, due to socialization, automatically line up behind someone if they are wishing to use the same service or speak with the same person. Through our agents of socialization (family, peers, media, and institutions) it is an unwritten rule that you “wait your turn” which is why we instinctively begin to line up at the bank, grocery store, and ticket booth.

Feeling: Deeper understanding of what is right and true

The best example of an unconscious value that exists in my culture is the value of freedom. We do not have to think about our freedom to know that people are not allowed to take it from us. Although we may recognize our freedom every now and then for the most part exists on an unconscious level where we think and do things, knowing we are free to do so without persecution.

Power & Privilege

To understand an anti-oppression framework, we must first understand that oppression is simply a power imbalance. However, the simplicity of oppression allows it to occur very easily as the oppressor is one of the majority in society and they are usually recognized as the “norm”.

As a community ambassador and trainer for a non-profit organization, I am well aware and versed with using an anti-oppression framework. Heterosexism is a major contributor to the oppression of LGBT individuals in society and it continues to marginalize large amounts of people in society as it goes unchallenged in our homes, workplaces, media, and schools.

Working from an anti-oppression framework allows individuals to meet on a cliché “level playing field”. This does not mean that we must ignore differences between people or the diversity that exists in the groups we are working with. It means we must recognize every trait of every individual, group, and community as a unique and valuable asset. When we speak of our differences and educate one another about ourselves, our families, our communities, our countries, we erase stereotypes, assumptions, prejudice and ignorance.

Recognizing diversity in itself as an asset will propel any development work we have at hand. Ensuring that no voice is louder or more powerful than another will allow us to hone in on the assets of the entire body of youth we are working with. The following is the framework/steps I provide my students with in order to be an ally in the workplace, which can easily be applied to the field to aid the our asset-based approach to development:

Awareness

§  Explore how you are different from and similar to people you are working with. Gain this awareness through talking with people, attending workshops and self-examination.

Knowledge and Education

§  Begin to understand policies, laws and practices and how they affect different groups of people. Educate yourself on the many communities and cultures of that exist in society.

Skills

§  This is an area that is difficult for many people. You must learn to take your awareness and knowledge and communicate it to others. You can acquire these skills by attending workshops, role-playing with friends or peers, and developing support connections.

Action

§  This is the most important and frightening step. Despite the fear, action is the only way to effect change in the society as a whole.

Gender Roles

I would never make assumptions about people that are different from me as I have experienced the effects of people making assumptions about myself. However, for the purpose of this exercise and without conducting any research on gender roles in Tanzania, I can provide some preconceived and ignorant notions of what they might look like from what I have seen in the media (news, infomercials, magazines, documentaries, etc.). These would include:

§  The majority of women with children are single mothers living below the poverty line.

§  Both men and women live in a very patriarchal society run by a few powerful men.

§  Men have very little involvement in parenting their children.

§  Women are not seen as equal to men in most aspects of society, in particular: employment, education, and healthcare.

§  Men fill the “hunter” or “warrior” roles and women are left to perform the “gatherer” and “nurturer” roles at home.

Before I depart for my project, I will challenge these assumptions by educating myself on the actual gender roles that exist in Tanzania. I will explore the many different influences within society that contribute to current attitudes and customs with regards to gender roles; religion, tradition, economy, health, demographics, and legislation.

From my experience working with diverse groups and populations I have learned a tool that will follow me to the field in Tanzania, which will allow me to learn about their culture and gender roles and to challenge some of the inequalities that may exist while keeping peace and respecting those I am working with. As a volunteer, challenging inequalities, I will ensure to remain a HERO.

Honest – Empathetic – Respectful - Open-minded

After completing some research on Tanzania, with a focus on the gender roles, I learned that although my assumptions with regards to Tanzania having a very powerful male population and a marginalized female population were correct, there is a diversity of tribal societies often with different gender roles.

I was also surprised to discover that although the labour force in rural areas is made up of an 80% female work force, women are not allowed to own their own wealth. On top of women not having the rights to ownership, they are also not able decide for themselves how large a family (how many children) they wish to have as this decision is left in the hands of their husband.

Youth Development

With 70% of the world’s youth living on less than two dollars per day, it is important that we engage their population and help them, help themselves. These youth are facing some major issues that include but are not limited to: poverty, education, employment, health, drug abuse, gender equity, HIV/AIDS and communication technology.

Because youth can be oppressed and marginalized by adult populations it is essential to connect youth with other youth and provide them with a key to prevent further marginalization: OPPORTUNITY. We can engage youth in implementing community development projects by using the following 5 strategies:

1.      Outreach: It is very important for us to reach out to youth and invite them to participate. Like any oppressed group/minority, youth may not come to seek out assistance from the larger population. It is necessary to show them that we want to come to them and seek their opinions and contributions for projects directly affecting them. Demonstrating a valid desire to include youth in community projects will provide them with an opportunity to feel a sense of self-efficacy.

2.      Communicate: In order to engage youth we must ensure they have an equal opportunity to communicate in their own way and to ensure their message is comprehended with the context they intend to portray. This includes providing youth with access to information/communication technology that other youth have available to them. If youth feel their message can be portrayed through art (visually, dramatically, musically) then we must ensure they are provided with the materials and outlet to do so.

3.      Empower: Providing youth with the opportunity to have, hold and experience responsibility is to provide youth with the opportunity to succeed with a sense of ownership of their achievement. Give youth a project (or a piece of a project) with an achievable, realistic goal and provide them with the materials and time to complete their task with independence and respect.

4.      Collaborate: When it comes to a community project, partnership is a strong strategic element that allows two individuals or parties to combine their assets and become a stronger team. Youth should be presented with the opportunity to collaborate with other groups of youth or adults within their community to provide them with a sense of unity and equity in their environment.

5.      Recognize: Much like adults, youth may disengage from community development projects if there is no result or recognition. Do not treat youth any differently when it comes to recognizing their accomplishments in projects in order to keep them engaged for future development. Those youth that have had the opportunity to achieve and been recognized will only encourage and engage future youth to follow in their footsteps. 

International Development

The International Development 101 material, including the history of development and the information regarding YCI’s asset based approach, allowed me to understand and recognize the purpose and importance of international development. I was drawn to volunteer with YCI because of its strong mission and vision statement, specifically, “Youth innovation drives positive social change.”

Using an asset based approach we (YCI) are able to recognize and empower individuals and whole communities to use their own assets to drive change in their communities. Much like a coach aides students/athletes to discover the talent they have within and allow them to develop and hone their skills to achieve a goal; YCI’s volunteers are there to help individuals and groups recognize the skills they possess and encourage them to use these assets to drive positive change. The greatest benefit to using asset based development is that is gets the citizens involved in the development with a high rate of participation, which provides them with ownership and pride (it fosters a sense of accomplishment).

YCI’s Asset Based Approach to Development utilizes the following five strategic approaches:

Youth Development: With the involvement of youth in the development process, the community is able to ensure future generations are empowered, educated and prepared to drive innovation and positive change.

Volunteerism:  The reciprocal nature of YCI’s volunteering fulfills both the mission and vision statements for not only the youth overseas but also the volunteers. The volunteer experience sees innovation and positive change in everyone involved.

Partnership: YCI recognizes and makes use of partnerships as necessary connections to achieve its goals within a community. Partnerships bring two or more people together to strengthen the pursuit of a common goal.

Equity: Operating in a fair and equitable manner YCI leads by example, demonstrating the power that comes from recognizing diversity as a strong and influential element of communities.

Advocacy: YCI is committed to advocating for youth when it comes to changing public policy and influencing governments to recognize the assets their youth possess.

Pre-Project Learning

As a part of our requirements before heading over to TZ, all volunteers were asked to complete five activities to get our minds geared towards the project and environment we will be working on and living in.

These brief activities definitely helped me think a little more about the differences between Canadian and Tanzanian culture as well as the style or approach to international development YCI takes.

• International Development
• Youth Development
• Gender Roles
• Power and Privilege
• Culture and Adaptation

I thought I would share my thoughts with you.

Enjoy the following posts.

Placement Location: Morogoro, Tanzania

Youth Challenge International is sending eight volunteers to Tanzania this fall on my project and we have been placed in three different locations: Arusha, Zanzibar and Morogoro.

I was placed in Morogoro! I thought I would share a little about my project location with you:

"The city of Morogoro with an urban population of 206,868, lies at the base of the Uluguru Mountains, part of the Eastern Arc chain. Its close location to the peaks makes Morogoro an important stop for hiking trips to the Ulugurus. The mountains are notable for their ancient forests, which botanists estimate to be around 25 million year old — some of the oldest forests on the continent. The ancient woodlands support an incredible array of bird and insect life, as well as diverse plant species. The indigenous Luguru tribe offers cultural tourism programmes around the Ulugurus and outside Morogoro."

Although I won't be in the safari capital of Arusha or on the picturesque island of Zanzibar, I couldn't be happier; being placed at the base of a vast mountain range with miles of trails for me to hike. In my downtime, when we are not working, it will also provide me with a natural environment to train for my kilimanjaro trek that I will be completing in December when we are done our project.

Welcome to my blog!

Hello Friends,

As a long-time advocate for those in- need and an activist for equal rights, I have always wanted to take my passion overseas and change the lives of those less fortunate. I have recently been selected to represent Canada on Youth Challenge International’s Tanzania project. With my diverse and applicable experience and education I hope to make a difference in the lives of youth that have not had the same priviledges and opportunities as myself.

After high school, I achieved a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and began working with children in social services, providing specialized care to those affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder and other related exceptionalities for a nonprofit organization. After several years, I returned to school to complete a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management and I am now working on my professional designation (CHRP). I am very excited to not only have one of my dreams come true but also help youth at an international level. To empower people to make changes in their own lives and in their own communities is something that I have always strived to do. Whether it was the youth that I work with at the group home, the students at Georgian, or the youth I support through PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), I love to help people see the positive in themselves that allows them to succeed!

With an aspiration to combine my education, experience, and passion for serving others to discover my niche in the world, whether it is local or international, I am incredibly excited to participate in YCI’s Tanzania Project.

Sincerely,

Ben Yurkiw