Update on Indigenous Cultural Competency (ICC) Training in Ontario

Since its official launch in October, 2014, hundreds of healthcare professionals in Ontario have accessed the ICC Online Training program. There has been overwhelming interest and demand for the program! In fact, all of the available seats for the Ontario specific ICC training program are currently full for this fiscal year. We anticipate that registration will open soon with availabilities beginning in April, 2015.

We are working to allocate additional funds and resources to the program, and expect to train many more participants and increase our infrastructure to accommodate the high demand.

We are very grateful to the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) of British Columbia, a brilliant organization with whom SOAHAC has partnered to bring the training to life here in Ontario and support its platform operations. We thank the South West LHIN for its ongoing support, and look forward to future partnership so the program can continue to expand throughout the Province.

If any organization is interested in supporting the ICC Online Training initiative in Ontario, bulk seats will be available to purchase at a cost of $250 each. Learn more about the ICC Program.

Reflections from the ICC Online Facilitator

“I see many non-Indigenous participants from the health field enter the training with what they think is a firm grasp of what colonization is and how they can work with Indigenous people; but when they get into the training, this often shifts. I particularly enjoy seeing participants experiencing their ‘a-ha’ moments as they figure out that there may be more to learn. ICC is a process that begins with this training and hopefully has the power to transform how health professionals see their practice. For example, a provider who may have simply seen an Indigenous patient as ‘non-compliant’ for being late to an appointment may now choose to examine what barriers may be causing the patient to be late.

The training is primarily geared towards non-Indigenous health care providers, but we encourage participation from Indigenous people as well.  Often many of the effects of colonization are not openly discussed or addressed within indigenous culture, and I’ve seen ICC open many Indigenous people’s eyes on their own journeys. I certainly understand that Indigenous people have different experiences within the training and we ensure there are various supports available for those who benefit from them.

One of the common misconceptions about this training is that it is a lot of work. The truth is that participants have 8 weeks to complete the 8 hours of online training at their own pace. You don’t have to do the training all at once. In fact, we suggest spacing it out over the eight weeks because this is an interactive process that is filled with rich, stimulating dialogue. ICC has the potential to change so many lives and we encourage everyone to register.

— Jessa Bear, ICC Online Facilitator—