On Monday, October 13th, as Minneapolis recognized Indigenous Peoples Day, all first year and advanced standing IV-E MSW students participated in the first of two Experiential Learning Days in the Native Community (ELNA). Experiential Learning is a pedagogical approach to education that moves learning from a classroom setting into the broader community for a direct experience. Part of the IV-E MSW Child Welfare Program includes experiential learning events in the Native American community.
On the 13th, we traveled to Indian Mounds Park and Fort Snelling in St. Paul. Students were able to walk through parts of these sites and listen and learn from a Native elder. The day provided the opportunity for conversation and discussions in both small and large groups around the impact of historical trauma, historical experience, racial disparity, and child welfare in the American Indian community, and how all of this affects child welfare practice.
We look forward to part 2 of the ELNA experience in the spring semester.
For more on the Experiential Learning Day in the Native American Community (ELNA), visit: http://z.umn.edu/elna
Several non-Field Notes blog posts have also featured the topics of Indian child welfare and the impact of historical trauma. Check out the tags historical trauma, Indian child welfare, ICWA, and race and culture for a sample.