Culture, competency and risk management: where will the three meet?

Camping Magazine, Nov-Dec, 2003 by M. Sky Gray, Nina S. Roberts

Cultural considerations in camp programming may not be in the forefront of individual or organizational thinking. With all the preparation and planning that we do, is it really necessary to add yet another element for consideration? To not do so would be contrary to the complete package of what risk management should ultimately encompass. If an instructor or organization acknowledges the concept of environmental and human factors as contributing causes to accidents, incidents, and near misses, then we cannot dismiss the human dimension factors such as culture, race, abilities, and other diversity-related issues.

The Construct of Culture

Definitions of culture are numerous, and there is no single definition that all social scientists or anthropologists would heartily accept. And, there are several approaches that are relevant to understanding culture (e.g., communication interactions/patterns, problem solving). We have adopted the following definition for its ease of comprehension and utility: "A learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, and norms which affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of people (Lustig and Koester 1999)."

A definition that is more lengthy, yet more fully captures the essence of meaning is: "Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e., historically derived and selected) ideas, especially attached values (Banks 2001)."

Societal Changes and Challenges for the Field

Following the tragic events of "9-11," as Americans, we do not think it would be a bold statement to say people of Middle Eastern descent are now experiencing numerous risk management issues in their lives. If you take some time to consider innumerable populations who have endured injustice by virtue of their race/culture or class, for instance, what do you see, feel, and imagine their own personal and or professional "risk management" concerns might be?

It is troubling and inauspicious that the question, "What does culture have to do with risk management?" is asked so often. People with this lack of awareness--who are completely ineffective with intercultural communication skills--typically function at a cultural competency level known as cultural blindness. Cultural blindness is defined as, "denying that any difference exists between one's own culture and the culture of another (Gray & Roberts 2001; Lustig & Koester 1999; Randall 1989)."

Through workshops and a variety of appropriate training opportunities, the level of consciousness can be raised from blindness to a more competent view. People can discover how the assortment of features and characteristics relating to culture all intersect with managing the emotional and physical risks of both the staff and campers we serve. The Humanistic Risk Management Model[C] provides a visual overview of these complex concepts. With an emphasis on the "emotional" factors, it is important to note this component is much less developed in the field, and the overall model is therefore a work in progress.

In a 2001 WRMC workshop in Wisconsin, we presented figures and statistics on the ever-changing demographics in the United States that illustrate the United States is experiencing an increasingly diverse population. While the outdoor profession still reflects the dominant white culture, the Census Bureau is projecting that within thirty years European American people will be the minority population in the United States (Census 2000). A recent article supporting this trend titled "The Future of Experiential Education" by Dr. Dan Garvey was part of his keynote speech at the 2002 Association for Experiential Education (AEE) Intermountain Regional Conference. He stated, "If we don't have adequate representation from diverse populations, then how will we possibly survive in the future?" (Garvey 2002, p.19).

Often representation of people from diverse ethnic origins is limited at conferences hosted by such organizations as American Camping Association, Association for Experiential Education, and the Wilderness Risk Management Conference. Nonetheless, people from various backgrounds do, in fact, participate in our camp programs--people of various races, religions, and cultures. Statistically, however, these groups are not involved at the same level (e.g., fewer in number) as the dominant culture.

Why is that? For example based on research, it is our strong opinion there are safety and access issues--for these and other populations--that hinder participation both from a staffing and participant perspective.

According to Ewert (1996), "Although in recent years outdoor education has made progress in meeting the multicultural challenge, few researchers and practitioners have moved beyond a basic level of inclusiveness will take place when outdoor educators allow elements of diverse cultures to reshape basic concepts, theories, and practice." As outdoor educators, it is our responsibility and duty to restructure our industry to be inclusive and welcoming.