Cultural Immersion Presentation

III. Ways I Can Be a Culturally Competent with Diverse Clients (cont.)

Cultural Immersion Presentation

Breona Bryant

This Experience Helped Me...

• Identify any generalizations I had about people from the Caribbean and how there were discrepancies in said generalizations
• How easy it is for prejudices or biases to form and can impact the helping relationship with a client from a diverse group
• Pointed out that I need to consider cultural aspects of human services techniques and approaches

II. Discrepancies in Generalizations

Cultural Plunge

Caribbean Birthday Celebration

My interviewee, actually dispelled many generalizations and she also fit some of the generalizations.

• There were various types of music being played, soca, reggae, calypso and dance hall.
• Jamaican staples such as curried goat, oxtails, coco bread, beef patties, black cake and ginger beer
• Haitian staples such as, bouillon, clairin, sugar cane, fresco, joumou soup and double fried plantain
• Everyone was dressed in their best clothes,
• People wearing white so when they spread 'good spirits' with paint it will be all over the clothes
• Those who were celebrating the birthday girl blessed her and her family
• People brought an assortment of food and presents as gifts or blessings

Examples:

- Caribbeans lay around all day, and live an extremely leisurely lifestyle

+ She is a very hard worker and seems to always be busy

- Caribbeans all have African descent

+ She actually is from countries that are from African descent, Haitian and Jamaican

- Caribbeans all have the same accent

+ She does not have an accent

- Caribbeans can be cocky and arrogant

+ She actually is very humble about many of her accomplishments

- Caribbeans all smoke marijuana

+ She actually does not smoke at all

- Caribbeans are not "fully" educated

+ She has a college degree and is working on her master's degree

III. Ways I Can Be a Culturally Competent with Diverse Clients

• Reflect upon my own personal values or beliefs
• Treat clients from backgrounds different from mine or what I am used to with respect and understanding
• Make sure to convey attitudes of acceptance and (unconditional) positive regard
• Go out of my way to conduct research, understand and gain knowledge about different cultures
• Learn more about approaches or interventions with diverse clients (focusing on education, empowerment and advocacy

I. Overall Experience

Stereotypes and Generalizations

The overall experienced greater enhanced my knowledge of people from the Caribbean.

The cultural plunge allowed me to dispel many generalizations, stereotypes and biases I heard through various types of media.

It showed me that people from the Caribbean are warm and friendly, and can attribute to the stereotype of being easy going people.

• Caribbeans live a leisurely lifestyle of just sipping coconuts and fishing
• Caribbeans are all from Jamaica
• Caribbeans all have an accent
• All Caribbeans practice Voodoo
• Caribbeans are not very educated on their history
• Caribbean governments are all corrupt
• Marijuana is legal and everybody does it
• All Caribbeans live in huts or shacks
• Caribbean cities are poor and rampant with crime