Nunatsiavut Government Sponsored Bachelor of Social Work Program
- Adult education
- Cultural preservation
- Community development
- Intergenerational relations
- Indigenous cultures
- Mental health
- Social work
Sandy
Kershaw
Nunatsiavut Government Sponsored Bachelor of Social Work Program
Nunatsiavut Government Post Secondary Student Support Program
Yes
Inuit people.
Government.
More than 5 years
Inuit with strong academic backgrounds working respectfully with other Inuit in culturally appropriate ways - a new way to offer social supports to our people.
Growth (the project is up and running and is starting to move forward)
The graduating Inuit social workers will be able to combine western knowledge with Inuit teachings thus creating a new, specialized knowledge that will eventually enable the Inuit of Labrador to develop its own culturally relevant path to healing and health. Our people will have the skills, confidence and knowledge to develop wellness frameworks designed to further our own healing. To support students as they work toward this goal, specialized academic, counselling & cultural supports have been integrated into the program-as students learn to master their studies, they also learn to master themselves, achieving whole new levels of clarity, confidence & sophistication in writing and speech. Many are learning of new and empowering aspects of their culture, teachings which will be passed on.
Our goals are to retain all students, add even more cultural content & further the growth & development of learners.
Our graduates will be working in vastly underserviced Inuit communities offering culturally appropriate and respectful services to both aboriginal and non aboriginal individuals, families and groups. Our team will be on the ground floor, working to develop and implement a wellness framework that forges a path to healing and health. By virtue of their specialized knowledge and education, our students will be leaders locally, provincially and nationally-advocating for social change for Inuit. They will competently complete the all important daily tasks required of social workers while simultaneously working to further our healing. Well supplied with the intellectual, emotional, professional and cultural tools to do the job well, our goal is to see Inuit working respectfully with other Inuit
Central to the program's success is the partnership between Nunatsiavut Government and Memorial University. Memorial works with Nunatsiavut to ensure the program reflects Inuit culture while preserving academic and accredition integrity. On a daily basis Nunatsiavut staff and MUN administrators, faculty and sessional personnel work together on program planning and course content. A tremendous amount of work is done in order to ensure the Inuit culture is reflected in each course's content as well as the processes used to implement culturally relevant practices/traditions. Without the genuine respect and professionalism shown by each group to the other, a true partnership could not be forged nor could history be made.
Integral to the program's success are the Labrador Institute who hires non-social work instructors and the College of the North Atlantic who provides classroom and office space.
The Nunatsiavut Government Department of Education and Economic Development is the sole funder of the Labrador based Bachelor of Social Work Program; volunteers & community based agencies (e.g. RCMP, Child Youth & Family Services) have proven to be the lifeblood of the program, working with staff & instructors to supplement course teachings free of charge. Elders from all aboriginal groups (Inuit, Innu, Metis, First Nations) have presented in class. Community based agencies such as the Friendship Centre, Family Justice Services & 19 others have all supervised students during the first of two four month long field placement experiences(a MAJOR feat in a small northern community). To ensure our continued success, organizers must maintain & grow partnerships between the program & community.
Yes (answer the next two questions)