Intercultural Link News Magazine v4 i1 – Global Edition

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Anna.Collier

The newest edition of the Intercultural Link News Magazine has just been launched. Read it on-line or download it here. Enjoy!

AFS Intercultural Programs is pleased to announce the January/February/March/April 2013 issue of AFS Intercultural Link Newsletter volume 4, issue 1 – Global Edition, which can be shared with everyone interested in learning more about intercultural education.

The AFS Intercultural Link News Magazine is the quarterly magazine on intercultural learning in the AFS Network. The magazine features content shared by the Intercultural Learning Work Group as well as other AFS Partners and guest writers, including information on trends in intercultural education, interviews with experts in the field and overviews of upcoming and previous conferences.

“Me Exchanged” – an unusual perspective on impact of study abroad

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Eva Vitkova

From http://www.inakoehler.de/ausstellung.html

From http://www.inakoehler.de/ausstellung.html

When we talk about intercultural experiences of young people abroad, we focus primarily on the internal changes that are happening with the young individual. We can hear that “the young person has become a real adult”, “s/he is more mature”, “s/he has learned a new language” or that “s/he is now more prepared to face the reality of our globalized world”. A number of researchers have attempted to describe and interpret what is happening “inside” of the young person. But have you ever thought about what kind of change happens on the outside?

German photographer Ina Köhler posed this question after she saw how her own daughter changed after spending a year abroad. Her experience then motivated her to explore the topic through art, namely photography.

In her project, Ina aimed to capture the impact that a year abroad can show in a person’s face. She invited 30 high-school students from Berlin to pose for a portrait photography both before leaving for abroad as well as after returning home after a year. The collection of portraits was first displayed in her gallery in Berlin and it is now touring various schools in Germany. You can view sample of the portraits on her website or read a more detailed article about the exhibition.

Do you know about any other art projects inspired by intercultural exchange experience? Let us know!

Concept of “Cultural Intelligence”

Posted on March 19, 2013 by arturo.romeropereda@afs.org

Today we recommend an article on the concept of “Cultural Intelligence” by Clodagh O’ Reilly. The article is published on the site TrainingZone.co.uk, a portal with resources and articles for trainers and educators.

“Cultural Intelligence” is a concept that is directly related to cultural values and dimensions and to cultural adaptation. Generally, cultural intelligence consists of understanding the values, attitudes and behaviors of a culture group and a knowledge of how to appropriately apply this to achievement a specific goal (Earley & Ang, 2003). One’s own cultural intelligence is therefore developed not only by learning about other cultures, but also by interacting closely with people of cultures other than our own. By paying special attention to the motivations and emotional maturity of others during our own process of developing cultural intelligence, we can better foster this ability in others. According to O’Reilly, cultural intelligence also requires an intrinsic demonstration of respect for the other culture.

Cultural intelligence is relevant for individuals, but also for teams. Research shows that in multicultural teams and organizations, especially those with diversity in leadership, can offer more creative and innovative outcomes. However, diversity does not just happen by having diversity within a team. Unmoderated cultural diversity may increase team conflicts and miscommunication; therefore, cultural intelligence is necessary in teams in order to minimize the chances of experiencing conflict and increasing the successful communication that leads to innovation, Earley and Ang (2003) say.

To read more about cultural intelligence, check out Earley and Song’s book Cultural Intelligence: Individual Interactions Across Cultures or several books by David Livermore. Also, the Center for Leadership and Cultural Intelligence in Singapore and the Cultural Intelligence Center in the US are important points of reference in the study of this concept, not only with their research but also with professional and educational activities.

While defined differently by different groups of researchers and trainers, cultural intelligence is a concept that can expand the focus AFS places on increasing intercultural competence. As we learn more and incorporate frameworks and concepts into our work, we should keep an eye on research and practices in cultural intelligence that connect with our Intercultural Learning in focus (for instance: understanding values, attitudes and behaviors) and in our mission to promote heightened understanding between cultures.

The Value of Intercultural Skills in the Workplace

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Anna.Collier

Intercultural Skills is becoming a buzzword in educational and work environments, but why do employers value such skills? And which specific skills are employers actually looking for? British Council, together with Ipsos and Booz Allen Hamilton (a market research and consulting company, respectively), recently conducted a study on the Value of Intercultural Skills in the Workplace which addressed these particular questions.

The study found that “employers are under strong pressure to find employees who are not only technically proficient, but also culturally astute and able to thrive in a global work environment.”

The intercultural skills that where shown to be most important were:

The ability to understand different cultural contexts and viewpoints
Demonstrating respect for others
Knowledge of a foreign language

And these skills were so highly valued because employees with them:

Brought in new clients
Worked well within diverse teams
Supported a good brand and reputation for their organization

The study also suggested that policy makers and education providers could contribute to the development of these intercultural skills by prioritizing:

Teaching communication skills
Offering foreign language classes
Opportunities for students to gain international experience

These results from British Council’s study provide further justification for the importance of developing intercultural skills and sensitivity to differences – especially for the younger generations who have not yet entered the job market.

AFS is proud to have a long history of providing opportunities for its audiences to develop intercultural skills – as an exchange student, host family, volunteer, or staff! Read about the AFS Educational Goals and the Intercultural Link Learning Program as examples of how AFS activity contributes to this global theme.

A fascinating journey around the World… through photography

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Eva Vitkova

Have you ever dreamed of traveling around the World? Embarking on a journey where you are not limited to a tourist experience, but rather learn about people’s lives, listen to their stories and get an idea of what their usual day looks like? Nothing compares to a real life experience, but you can also do all this without getting on a plane or even leaving your own living room/desk.

Menzel's book, Material World: A Global Family Portrait

Photojournalist Peter Menzel has taken numerous trips around the world and invites us to join him in visiting people’s homes through the photographs that he had taken. Besides being respected for his coverage of international feature stories on science and the environment, Menzel is also known for producing a number of books that capture the realities of people living in different parts of the world.

His book Material World: A Global Family Portrait (1994) focuses on the material possessions and daily lives of average families around the world. It depicts 30 families from 24 different countries with all their possessions in front of their homes. Pictures are accompanied by essays and background stories of the photographed families. Women in the Material World (1996) is another documentary book, based on his previous work, but focusing specifically on lives of women across the globe.

Another fascinating journey, this time through people’s diets was captured by Menzel in Hungry Planet: What The World Eats (2005) and also in his latest release What I eat: Around the World in 80 Diets (2010). In the first book mentioned, families share what they week diet looks like; in the latter, 80 people are captured with the food and beverages they consume on an average day.

Images from Menzel's book, What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets

To learn more about Menzel’s work and browse through a gallery with a sample of pictures, you can visit Peter Menzel Photography website. Are you and educator and do you wonder how to use this for educational purposes? Then explore the link to educational materials that were developed in addition to the books and that represent an inspiring example of how to bring global perspectives into the classroom.

Intercultural Competence in European Youth Work

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Eva Vitkova

If we search for the definition of Intercultural Competence, we find a whole variety of answers – the term is defined differently by experts on Intercultural Communication, consultants working with Global Teams or by Intercultural Education theorists. The definition also varies across countries and regions of the World. Given this reality, we might be asking: Is there a need to redefine what seems to be well defined already? Probably not if our societies were static organisms that are not impacted by migration, to name just one global trend observable in many parts of the World, including Europe.

Changes that have occurred in society in the last decades and, in particular, trends that will shape Europe in the next ten years were the driving forces of a long-term project started by SALTO Cultural Diversity. The goal of the project was to redefine and review the concept and practice of Intercultural Competence Development in youth work at European level, in order to be able to provide more adequate support to youth workers and youth leaders in the future.

The belief that the traditionally used tools and approaches based on the understanding of culture as a static concept are not always achieving the educational objectives of youth trainings led SALTO to develop a new definition of Intercultural Competence:

Intercultural Competence (ICC) developed and demonstrated within the framework of European youth work…are qualities needed for a young person to live in contemporary and pluralistic Europe. It enables her/him to take an active role in confronting social injustice and discrimination and promote and protect human rights. ICC requires an understanding of culture as a dynamic multifaceted process. In addition, it requires an increased sense of solidarity in which individual fear of the other and insecurity are dealt with through critical thinking, empathy and tolerance of ambiguity.

This working definition (as defined by the SALTO Intercultural Competence working group in 2009/2010) was at center of the Research, which aimed to investigate it’s validity as well as link it to current practice.

It is by no doubt valuable for organizations who work with ICC development, such as AFS Intercultural Programs, to be familiar with how other actors see and define it. It is remarkable that the above presented definition can be easily linked to AFS Educational Goals. It’s context (Non-formal Education and Youth work) makes the definition also extremely relevant for any other organization working with Youth.

To learn about the practical outcomes of the research as well as about the reference literature behind it, access the full Research Report in English.

Intercultural Leadership – 7 Links to Learn More!

Posted on January 30, 2013 by arturo.romeropereda@afs.org

Leadership is a word that we hear a lot nowadays. The concept has been studied from multiple perspectives and one of them, intercultural leadership, is becoming increasingly relevant as organizations become more culturally diverse. Many theorists see leadership as a set of practices that anyone can perform in relationship with others, whatever our role may be: “[Leadership is] a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task” (Chemers, 1997, An Integrative Theory of Leadership).

For those of you interested in the topic of leadership and education, we have prepared a list of seven links with interesting research areas and examples of intercultural leadership in different cultural/regional contexts and roles:

Educating global leaders: Exploring intercultural competence in leadership education: An introductory paper on the importance of intercultural competence in Leadership Education by Justin Irving, published in the Journal of International Business and Cultural Studies.
Ten tips for the intercultural leader: Ten quick tips on intercultural leadership from a business perspective.
Intercultural leadership: Lessons from leaders in Southeast Asia: Report on practices and testimonies of leaders in Southeast Asian organizations and contexts by Arnaud Despierre for Spencer Stuart Consulting.
A leader’s experiences of intercultural education in an elementary school: Changes and challenges: The experience of an Icelandic school principal introducing Intercultural Learning in an elementary school and the challenges faced.
Intercultural competence for future leaders of educational technology and its evaluation: An editorial on the role of intercultural competence in Teacher Education and how it should be an integral part of education professions.
List of resources on Global Leadership from the Global Leadership Advancement Center in San José State University, California.
Distance program at the International Institute for Global Leadership: self-directed and based on readings by level and written assignments.

Humans of…

Posted on January 22, 2013 by arturo.romeropereda@afs.org

The Internet can be a window into familiar spaces as you had never seen them.

In 2010, photographer Brandon Stanton had a simple idea that would become a big project: he would create a photographic census of New York City. Everyday, he took and posted pictures of New Yorkers on the street. “Humans of New York” soon became a larger project than anticipated; more than 500,000 people currently follow HONY on Facebook and on its website and witness, through Stanton’s eyes, the cultural diversity of New York and the stories of regular New Yorkers of all ages, occupations, backgrounds and life styles.

What if you do not live in New York? Inspired by HONY, many photographers took the initiative of portraying their cities or countries in ways that would transform the ideas and preconceptions that we may have about those places. In Pakistan, Khaula Jamil has made “Humans of Karachi” one of the most followed sites, with over 13,000 followers! Through daily postings by Jamil and weekly submissions from regular people who happen to capture a fun shot in Karachi and have an interesting story to go with it, “Humans of Karachi” shows us one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse cities of Asia.

Other “Humans of…” to follow? Take a look at the photographs of “Humans of Rotterdam” in the Netherlands, “Humanos de La Paz” in Bolivia, “Humans of Lebanon” or “Humans of India“!

The diverse “Humans of…” sites not only serve to capture the cultural diversity of these places. With little snippets, they tell us about the people who live in cities that we may know or that we may have never visited: insights into the lives of people against whom we might otherwise hold stereotypes. These photography projects tell us more about the human side of people, something that we might otherwise not have the chance to see.

New feature on the ICL blog – ICL Conferences overview

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Eva Vitkova

We are happy to announce the most recent addition to our blog – next to the ICL related books, movies and online resources; you can find a brand new ICL Conferences section. In this section, we will be sharing an overview of conferences and larger educational events that are related to Intercultural Learning or other relevant areas.

Anna Collier (AFS International) presenting a poster on the AFS Intercultural Link Learning Program at the NAFSA (Association of International Educators) Annual Conference in Houston, Texas USA in June 2012.

We hope you will find this new section of our blog helpful for your work and that you will benefit from attending events where you can meet like-minded professionals, make new contacts and learn about the topics interesting to you. As an inspiration, we are sharing with you what conferences we are planning to attend.

All the listed events are organized or co-organized by international platforms, think-tanks, universities and international organizations, including AFS. Is your event missing? Let us know! We are updating this list weekly, so in case you have a suggestion for an interesting conference that we should add, please leave your idea in a comment. We will be happy to add it to our list.

International Education and Engagement – one country’s national strategy

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Stephanie

The beginning of each year reminds us to think about our new year’s resolutions. 2013 is no exception. In November 2012, the U.S. Department of Education released its first International Strategy on issues surrounding globalization and the growing importance of international education in U.S. schools. The document “Succeeding Globally Through International Education and Engagement” outlines U.S. strategies in advancing education both at home and abroad.

The report encourages people’s development of ‘transglobal communication skills’ or an ability to communicate effectively with others around the world. These skills are seen as high priority, as goods and services continue to exchange across country borders. The report also cites a rise in global competition over jobs and an added value in learning how to be more cultural aware with those with backgrounds different from what we might be used to.

Adaptability is also key to rising global challenges. With the spread of disease, climate change, and financial crises, the ability to work collaboratively across international teams in spite of race, religion or nationality could be priceless. Moreover, as technology advances, understanding these issues can only strengthen diplomacy.

The U.S. Department of Education developed their International Strategy with the following goals in mind: to educate the increasingly diverse U.S. society, promote diplomacy, and strengthen the ability to address global challenges, as well as reflect upon the importance of international engagement.

The U.S. is not alone in creating such educational strategies. If you are not from the U.S., are you aware of your country’s educational and/or intercultural policies and strategies? And if you are from the U.S., do you know where your State government stands on these issues?