Survey reveals comfort levels of urban Aboriginal people
- EFN Staff | November 25, 2014
The Aboriginal people of Saskatoon have spoken loudly that they prefer to access programs and services in Saskatoon that are Aboriginal run. Through a community workshop, an old people’s gathering and a user survey, participants indicated cultural awareness and sensitivity are the most important qualities to have in an agency that serves Aboriginal people. It showed that 73% of the respondents prefer receiving services from Aboriginal run organizations.
“The Kitaskinaw project is an important step in the delivery of services for citizens,” says Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief, Felix Thomas. “This is especially true for the First Nations population and the need for the delivery of effective, meaningful services to individuals and families. The report also highlights the need for mainstream organizations to be inclusive of Aboriginal people as employees within their organizations in order to build culturally competent service delivery.”
The Kitaskinaw project is a partnership between the City of Saskatoon, Saskatoon Tribal Council, United Way of Saskatoon & Area, and the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research. Over 1,000 programs and services have been compiled and listed following an environmental scan of Saskatoon’s Aboriginal community. The report includes feedback from Saskatoon’s Aboriginal community about the comprehensive inventory of programs and services currently accessed.
Information gathered for Kitaskinaw, which means “our land” in the plains Cree language, will assist corporate, academic and political organizations make informed decisions.
“This is a solid and reliable resource,” says Saskatoon City Manager, Murray Totland. “Knowledge of the overlaps and gaps that have been identified through community feedback is essential when it comes to policy development regarding Aboriginal service delivery in our city.”
Ashley Kayseas with the United Way sees an immediate need arising out of the scan. “The Elders services seem to be really lacking,” said Kayseas. “There is a gap there. In the mainstream there are lots of services for the elderly, but the First Nation and Métis elders are not comfortable there. We also learned that we need to build capacity on Aboriginal organizations and help other organizations be reflective of the community.”
The report noted the higher unemployment rate in the Aboriginal community and that Aboriginal people are affected more by homelessness.
“This project is the first of its kind for Saskatoon,” says Gabriel Dumont Institute Executive Director, Geordy McCaffrey. “With community voice, the inventory of programs and services, and the gathering of existing community information, the links between program and service delivery across Saskatoon may be better understood.”
The report also pointed out that the province expects 45% of all students entering kindergarten by 2016 to be Aboriginal. All of these young people need services and the good news in the report is that there are many accessible programs for cultural activities and fitness offered in Saskatoon.
Mike Linklater has lived and worked in the community his entire life and the distinction between organizations and how they welcome people is distinct. “In organizations that come from the Aboriginal community, people have an understanding of a sense of family,” said Linklater who is the Program Coordinator at the White Buffalo Youth Lodge. “We try to be welcoming no matter where you come from. What is good is that they asked the community and included so many Aboriginal people. This will be important as the community grows.”
Kitaskinaw will be available on the following partner websites in mid-December: saskatoon.ca, sktc.sk.ca, unitedwaysaskatoon.ca, and gdins.org.