Question

Discuss the relevance of cultural and advocacy competency for school-based group leaders (pp. 122 -123). What cultural diversity will you expect in your locale? How will you be prepared to work with diverse groups?

Book: Sink, C.A., Edwards, C.N., Eppler, C. (2012). School based group counseling. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Answer 1

Before attempting to describe the relevance of cultural and advocacy competency for school based group-leaders, let me describe what exactly we mean by cultural competence. Well Cultural competence may be described as the ability to work effectively with people from a variety of cultural, ethnic, economic and religious background. Cultural competence occurs when the members of the school community honour, respect and value diversity in theory and in practices; and learning and teaching are accessible to students of various cultures, races and ethnicities. In present day context, cultural competence has become an essential ingredient in the creation of a positive school climate.

Apart from creating positive and healthy school climate , Cultural competence is playing a crucial role in

• Promoting mental wellness and positive behaviour
• Supporting academic and behavioural success
• Ensuring access to the full range of school services and activities to all students.
• Engaging students and their families in the school community

School based group leaders who engage in cultural and advocacy competence practices have greater self-awareness, better understanding of cultural characteristics of groups and an increased likelihood of successful interventions and support in the context of a student’s culture.