College Programs

Indigenous Community Health Approaches (Enionkwatakariteke)

Related Links
Tyendinaga Delivery Dates 2009-2010	Six Nations Delivery Dates 2009-2010
Staff Bios

The Indigenous Community Health Approaches Program is pleased to offer an information session. To request an information session please contact:

Christine Loft, Health and Environment Department.
613-396-2122 ext. 136 or e-mail chrisl@fnti.net

Description/Learning Approaches

The Indigenous Community Health Approaches program explores Indigenous knowledge and philosophies as they relate to human health and the natural environment. The program is rooted in Indigenous knowledge and exposes First Nations health professionals to cultural teachings which broaden their understanding about health, health care and environmental and human health issues facing First Nations communities.

This one year graduate certificate program provides the First Nations health professional with the opportunity to acquire new skills and understandings. This program of study outlines how cultural knowledge can be applied in resolving health issues facing First Nations communities, while creating opportunities for enrichment of their own personal cultural knowledge.

The program is offered through a partnership agreement between FNTI and St. Lawrence College.

This program is available for delivery from a Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe context.

One Year Graduate Certificate

This is a one year graduate certificate program that provides the learner with the opportunity to acquire new skills and understandings about culture, health and ecological matters. The program of study outlines how cultural knowledge can be applied in resolving health issues, while creating opportunities for enrichment of the learner's personal cultural knowledge.

The program is offered through a partnership agreement between First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) and St. Lawrence College.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
The learner should possess an Ontario College Diploma, Ontario College Advanced Diploma Degree, or Equivalent in a health related field. It will be an asset for learners to be currently employed in the health field. HOWEVER, learners that do not possess a post secondary diploma/degree may apply under the Prior Learning Assessment process.

Course I - Orientation
Course II - Introduction to Indigenous World Views
Course III - Indigenous Community Health
Course V - Models of Indigenous Health and Healing
Course IV - Indigenous People's Health
Course VIII - Medicine Plants I Course IX - Medicine Plants II
Course VI - Food as Medicine I: An Indigenous Perspective Course VII - Food as Medicine II: An Indigenous Perspective
Course X - Health and Wellness Spectrum
Course XI - Community Health Strategies Course XII - Community Based Practicum

Program Schedule

Learners will be required to attend eight one-week in-class sessions from September - August (approximately once per month).

COST

Total tuition for the program is $1,500 per semester for a total of 3 semesters ($4,500). Course handouts and books are included in tuition fees. All travel and accommodation will be the responsibility of the learner (or the sponsor).

Program Contacts

For an application or more information about the program:

To register please contact:
Buffy Hill, Registrar
Phone: 613-396-2122 or 1-800-267-0637 ext. 187
Email: buffyh@fnti.net

Suzanne Brant, Manager Health and Environment
Phone: 613-396-2122 or 1-800-267-0637 ext. 125
Email: suzanneb@fnti.net

Christine Loft, Health and Environment Department
Phone: 613-396-2122 or 1-800-267-0637 ext. 136
Email: chrisl@fnti.net

Courses/ Program Requirement
Semester 1
FNTI 31 Intro to Indigenous Worldviews
FNTI 32 Orientation into Indigenous Health
FNTI 33 Indigenous Community Health
FNTI 34 Indigenous Peoples Health

Semester 2
FNTI 38 Plants that Heal
FNTI 39 Plants that Heal II
FNTI 40 Food as Medicine I
FNTI 41 Food as Medicine II
FNTI 42 Models of Indigenous Health & Healing

Semester 3
FNTI 35 Community Based Practicum
FNTI 36 Community Health Strategies
FNTI 37 Health and Wellness Spectrum

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

ORIENTATION INTO INDIGENOUS HEALTH

This orientation course will utilize the symbolic use of wampum to engage learners in an orientation exercise. The course will present an introduction to learning styles, research skills, presentation skills and critical thinking skills. The course will utilize reflective approaches to facilitate a greater understanding of holistic perspectives of health. Learners will engage in a portfolio development process that will assist the learner in recognizing the varied skill and knowledge both personally and within the group. An introduction and explanation of the program will also be discussed.

INTRODUCTION TO INDIGENOUS WORLDVIEWS

This course examines Indigenous concepts of health and healing. Learners will develop an awareness of Indigenous whole health, including the restoration of health and approaches to wellness. This will be demonstrated through an examination of Indigenous worldviews and cultural teachings. The course provides a foundational understanding for how colonization has impacted Indigenous peoples' health and their environment. Content will focus also on Indigenous ways of knowing and promote the need for Indigenous community-based research.

INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY HEALTH

This course assists learners to determine their community's strengths and weaknesses in meeting their health care needs. Learners will engage in an examination of an Indigenous model of health that is based on a network of relationships that begin at the level of the individual, moves through the family, community, and extends to the natural environment. Learners will also review the Regulated Health Professions Act. This course focuses on the need for environmental assessment and examines the relationship between changes in environmental health and how these impact human health.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' HEALTH

This course emphasizes the critical need for strengthening the health of Indigenous people. Strategies for re-building a concept of personal power that is based on an individual's spiritual connection to people, land and environment will be discussed. Various cultural practices and principles such as the sweat lodge, fasting, and cleansing traditions will be examined. Course content stresses the need for motivating people to accept more responsibility for their personal well-being and for engaging in practical actions and activities to support their individual healing.

MODELS OF INDIGENOUS HEALTH AND HEALING

This course offers a critical analysis of the linkage and relationship between Western and Indigenous models of health and healing. Using Indigenous language definitions, traditional Indigenous processes for restoring balance and for extending the definition of well-being into the economic, political, and social (educational/spiritual/cultural) realities of Indigenous communities will be examined. The protocols and practices associated with Indigenous processes for healing the effects of stress and trauma on health will be a key focus of discussion. A field trip to an Indigenous community health program that utilizes traditional Indigenous and western approaches to health will be arranged.

FOOD AS MEDICINE 1: AN INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE

This course will look at the spiritual relationships that Indigenous people have with traditional foods and the role this relationship plays in restoring balance. The social ethics and etiquette of working with medicine in a spiritual context associated with the relationship that Indigenous people have with food will be addressed. A definition of Indigenous nutrition that includes accurate and up-to-date information will be provided.

FOOD AS MEDICINE 2: AN INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE

This course concentrates on the importance of Indigenous foods and their use within traditional practices and ceremonies. It will provide learners with accurate and up to date information on nutrition, health and the importance of traditional foods as it relates to Indigenous people. This course will look at phytochemicals and the role they play in genetic expression specifically with regard to Indigenous people. The course will look at the relationship between nutrition and specific diseases such as diabetes in Indigenous communities.

PLANTS THAT HEAL 1: AN INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE

This course is designed to familiarize the participant with terminology and Indigenous concepts of plants as medicine. It is designed to provide an increased awareness and understanding of traditional healing practices using plant medicine. The learner will understand the rationale and processes for the preparation and application of plant medicine, the natural and spiritual laws/processes governing when and where to gather medicine, and the ethics and protocols of dealing with natural medicine.

PLANTS THAT HEAL 2: AN INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE

This course discusses Indigenous concepts of both "good and bad medicine" and includes a special focus on plant medicine. The use, preparation and application of plant medicine within the context of Indigenous healing practices will be further addressed. An examination of the various types of plant medicines and their healing properties will be conducted within the local environment. A comparative study of Indigenous and western remedies will be undertaken.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS SPECTRUM

This course introduces the learner to complementary and "alternative" healing methods, their philosophies and benefits to human health. An understanding of the notions of genetic expression and genetic predisposition will lead to the development of the "critical thinking" skills necessary for making conscious and informed choices in regard to health care. Determining the role that complementary and alternative healing practices have within an Indigenous community health plan will be a highlight of this discussion.

COMMUNITY HEALTH STRATEGIES

This course provides learners with the opportunity to synthesize learning associated with the facts, concepts, methods and processes studied to date. The development of a plan of action for transferring Indigenous knowledge of whole health to community members and future generations will be a primary task. In the preparation of the plans of action, indicators of social change will be considered and strategies for the implementation, measurement and evaluation of their community-based work will be devised. Information related to the issues of legal liability, cultural and intellectual property and the social implications of this work will be provided and discussed. A final report of the learner's personal and community-based practicum experiences will be required.

COMMUNITY BASED PRACTICUM

This course will explore the practical application of knowledge and skills learned and developed throughout the previous courses. Learners will present their findings for critique and review by their colleagues as well as a specifically designed panel of invited experts in the field of Indigenous health science. This will develop the means of providing the background for future funding proposals to support community health initiatives.