Critical Experiential Learning in the Native American Community (CELNA)

Experiential Learning is a pedagogical approach to education that moved learning from a classroom setting into the broader community for a direct experience. Part of the IV-E Scholar Program includes experiential learning events in the Native American community.

The Experiential Learning Days are an opportunity for interactive learning outside of school walls. This is accomplished through learning new concepts and their application to practice. The days will include visits to historical and sacred sites and current service settings. We discuss the impact of historical trauma; connections between concepts, historical experience, racial disparity and child welfare in the American Indian community, and how all of this affects child welfare practice. The days will include guided tours, small and large group discussions, and some time for personal reflection.