Having been a heterosexual practicum student and an employee within White Buffalo Aboriginal Health Society and Resource Centre (WBAHS&RC), it truly defines the significance of my social location throughout this group assessment. Given my social location, the way I identify this agency and my lived experiences, all contribute to the way I perceived our assessment according to the strengths, limitations and suggestions for future social work practice for WBAHS&RC.
Within this agency, I believe I was able to see and hear about strength, which contributes to the holistic healing for many individuals, families and communities. Some of the WBAHS&RC’s strengths include: meeting the individuals where they are at, having non-judgmental stance, not tolerating discriminating behaviours or attitudes and providing an overall holistic health and healing for our aboriginal and non-Aboriginal individuals, families and communities. The director of programming also concluded, “We are white people with red hearts”. WBAHS&RC provides service and or treatment for people with drug or alcohol addictions, and considering that this is their area of specialization, I believe this agency is open and would not discriminate based on sexual-identity.
Even though WBAHS&RC is committed to the well-being and overall health for many individuals, there were a number of issues that limited this agency to offering their services to the sexual diverse community. Through the process of colonization, as well as oppression, there has been large number of Aboriginal people who are dealing or who have dealt with addictions issues. But what about the same issues regarding the queer population as they have also been a large part of discrimination and oppression as a whole? I believe this agency commits itself to dealing with addiction issues but does not involve the queer community in the process of healing. Originally, I did not see this as a huge issue because how can one agency expand their mandate to a larger population if there is no funding to provide that assistance? After reflecting on my own experience as well as communicating with my other group members it became clear. WBAHS&RC choose to limit their clientele because there are people within our community who are fighting with addiction issues which reflect in their experience of being discriminated against.
Furthermore, I believe that there is a definite need to update ways in which will allow WBAH&RC to become inclusive when working together with the queer population. Recommendations that will improve the struggle against heterosexism and in the creation of a safe and welcoming environment for the queer community could include: openness through staff development, policy decisions and public messages of acceptance, take responsibility to create a climate in which the queer community feel at ease in deciding whether or not to disclose or discuss their sexual orientation, and specialized services for the queer population that deals with the interconnected issues of coming out, family and addiction.
Being apart of this assessment has opened my eyes to the importance of my social location because it demonstrates how I see and understand the world around me. I believe this agency would not discriminate anyone based on their sexuality, as the staff work in partnership to end oppression that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people face. WBAHS&RC is not a perfect agency which allows me to see that this experience has become an awakening that agencies do not truly provide the queer communities the inviting atmosphere that is needed to feel welcomed and heard when accessing services within our society.
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