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Learning Objectives
Enhancing self empowerment to determine personal values and leadership qualities for anti oppressive social work practice.
- Examining personal leadership qualities and values; and
- Exploring how to identify and nurture the potential in other people and processes.
Unpacking Personal Leadership
A leader: is anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes, and who has the courage to develop that potential.
Brene Brown, Dare to Lead
Traditionally leaders like Hereditary Chiefs were chosen based on qualities that were seen in individuals. Today, recognized chiefs are the Indian Act Chiefs based on a popularity contest. The truth is we are all leaders, we all need to find and nurture the potential in ourselves and community members.
{Insert info about Clan Systems}
Qualities of a Good Leader Exercise
Facilitator Tip:
This activity is to help participants further explore their personal approach to community members. Continue to refer to the Values & Ethics Chart, and Human Needs Poster.
- This activity can be done as a whole group or divided into smaller groups.
- Ask the group to give a 1-word answer, of the qualities or character traits, that they feel a good leader has. Allow time for discussions.
- Write answers on poster paper.
- Ask group, to reflect personally on how many of these qualities they have. What personal qualities are strengths and a focus?
- Taking the exercise further;
- Ask individuals to narrow the list down to their top 3 values in a leader.
- This can be challenging for some and may need a little extra time to complete.
- Ask individuals to share their top 3 values.
Some examples
| Guidance
Responsibility Respectful Knowledgeable Wisdom Ability Active Listener Accountable Humble |
Equality
Serving Empowering Kind Skilled Selfless Committed Connected Creative |
Integrity
Passionate Spiritual Confidential Understanding Patience Communication Honesty Trustworthy |
Humble
Gritty Resiliency Charisma Humility Strength Vision Sharing Loving |
A Body Scan
A practice to complete before visits, meetings and any interactions.
The main principle of being mindful when approaching other energies and establishing relationships:
- Asking Permission
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- Acknowledging that the other energy is aware of your presence
- Importance of taking time to connect with mutual respect
2. Energy approaching other energies
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- Extreme importance of being aware of body language, it is just as strong as words.
- Reading tension, stress and negativity; being open and approachable.
3. We all have three layers to our energies:
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- Intimate space, physical body
- Personal space, around physical body
- Environmental space, what is happening around us
Working With Youth
Senator Murry Sinclair recommendation:
Help to replace the Canadian narrative and propaganda with truth. Encourage youth to acknowledge:
- Where do I come from?
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- Foundation
- Family
- Community
2. Where am I going?
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- What do I need to be
- What can I be
- What happens when I leave
3. Why am I here, what is my purpose?
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- Reason for existence
4. Who am I? Who are we?
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- Tribal identity
- Personal identity
- Sense of belonging
Remembering:
Doing it the best way we can, by being the best Anishinaabe we can be! Doing this by using our teachings and tools!
The Serpent Teaching
Facilitator Tip:
This teaching speaks to the “tricksters” the temptations & distractions that can influence and corrupt our wellbeing. Continue to refer to the Values & Ethics Chart, and Human Needs Poster.
- This section can be expanded and elaborated based on facilitator’s knowledge.
- Share the Serpent Teaching. The Teaching of the Serpent PDF
- Once the teaching is shared, have discussion about how the story would end. What were the symbolisms.
- Ask the group to name the top 7 temptations that we face today, list on a poster paper. Allow for discussion.
- Refer to the addictions tree.
Main Lessons from the Serpent Teaching
The Colours
The colours represent what we are infatuated with. What pulls us and tempts us.
| Technology
Gas/oil Greed/money Electricity Sex Tobacco Industry |
Junk food
Convenience, Gambling Alcohol Drug/Substances Pharmaceuticals |
Lateral Violence
Gossiping Bully Behaviour Material Things TV; which promotes all of these.
|
We all feed the serpent! We all have become dependent on the Serpent.
The Destruction
The destruction represents how the serpent has influenced the people and has derailed their values and ethics. The serpent is very much present and powerful in our communities today.
These are all tied into the messages that we receive on a daily basis. There are subliminal messages that surround us in laws, legislation, processes & systems, and behaviours what we know as the “Canadian norm;” which can also be defined as systemic racism.
Where are we getting these messages from?
One example is TV and how it is used to seduce and influence:
- Drinking is a lot of fun, what really happens is fights & domestic violence.
- Sexuality, clothing choices that have become the norm and promote the fashion for young women.
- Risky behaviours that are seen on social media and tv.
- There are “toxins” all over us, feeding on the hate and fear.
When we carry a lot of trauma and do not have a healthy coping system it becomes deeply imbedded within us as pain. Pain makes us easily influenced with what makes us feel good. This is usually the convenient thing. Processing pain takes work and is not by any means convenient.
Addictions Tree Exercise
Facilitator Tip:
This activity is to give a visual with the difference between a life with culture as the foundateion, and how mainstream/colonization has deteriorated original lifeways that influenced a foreign worldview which resulted in sickness.
- Review the healthy tree analogy.
- Tie in the “temptations” with the addictions tree and the “Values and Ethics Chart.”
- Ask the group, what are some of the effects/behaviours that you see working with families?
- As a discussion, what were positives and what were things that can be improved?
Potential for a Role Play activity.
Reflection of the Serpent
Facilitator Tip:
Inform participants that this activity will only be as good as what people put into it; how honest with themselves they are. This exercise is private and is only for their benefit.
The intention is to help participants identify what are healthy forms of “self-care” and what are not. Also to identify and acknowledge what and were possible blockages are that may need to be addressed.
This would be a good exercise to give during the mini fast.
| Highlighting one side being healthy and the other side being unhealthy “the colours of the serpent”. Throughout this exercise it is imperative to be conscious of differentiating the two. | |
| Ask the group to reflect on their personal practice of self-care and to explore what the roots are. What makes them feel good and why? Remind the group they can move back and forth when thoughts pop up. | |
| Leaves | Begin at the top of tree by listing various feelings, emotions, energy and effects from their self care practices. |
| Branches | List the various activities that you consider to be self care. Being very conscious of what is healthy and what is unhealthy. This also may require thinking about frequency. |
| Trunk | What are the relationships to these activities? If these activities are skipped or not practiced is there an effect to your “leaves”, feeling, emotions & energy? |
| Roots | Why are these activities so important to you, when did you first start practicing them? How and why do these activities have such an impact on your feeling, emotions & energy? |
| Mark with a different colour if there are any blockages to any of these activities. Name the blockage. Where does this blockage come from? |
{Insert completed example}
Media Attributions
- 3 levels of intimate space