Creating an online Indigenous cultural safety micro-credential for public health professionals in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

Systemic racism and a lack of cultural safety measures in public health systems across Canada have led professionals in this field to form unconscious discriminatory practices towards Indigenous Peoples. In partnership with a public health unit (PHU) in Ontario, Canada, we developed and pilot-tested an intensive online Indigenous cultural safety micro-credential provided to public health professionals working with local First Nations communities and urban Indigenous Peoples. Collaborating with Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Indigenous community members, the Indigenous cultural safety micro-credential highlights the strengths of the community, provides local Indigenous history including treaties, and ensures public health staff are aware of Indigenous protocols and cultural safety terminology. Indigenous community members were filmed and edited for the final micro-credential offering. An Indigenous online cultural safety micro-credential provided knowledge of Indigenous worldviews, socio-political history and contemporary issues while engaging the learner in self-reflection on the 3Ps: power, privilege, and positionality. The development of an online Indigenous cultural safety micro-credential for a small public health unit in Ontario, Canada provided basic knowledge for collaborating with Indigenous Peoples in a culturally respectful way to move towards increased awareness of including Indigenous Peoples in planning, developing and providing appropriate public health programs, services and policies.

Keywords:

• Indigenous people
• cultural safety
• micro-credential
• health education
• online education
• public health

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Educators who took the time to meet with us and guided the development of this training. The authors also acknowledge our Public Health Unit partner.

Ethical approval

This project received research ethics approval from the University of Toronto’s Health Sciences Research Ethics Board, #40144.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by eCampus Ontario’s Micro-credential Program, Toronto, Ontario, Canada as a contract.

Notes on contributors

Angela Mashford-Pringle

In Indigenous research, we self-locate to help bring context to the information provided.

Dr. Angela Mashford-Pringle is Algonquin (Bear Clan) from Timiskaming First Nation in northern Quebec but was born and raised in Treaty 13 territory known as Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is an Assistant Professor, Associate Director, Program Director, and Indigenous Health Lead at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Sterling Stutz

Sterling Stutz is a settler of Ashkenazi Jewish and Irish/English descent living in Treaty 13 territory of Toronto and is a PhD student at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Gabriel B. Tjong

Gabriel B. Tjong is a settler living in Treaty 13 area of Toronto and MPH candidate at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.