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Youth Programs for ICL and IR
This post is part of a series by guest writer Paul Edinger comparing the fields intercultural relations and international relations.
There are many educational programs for young people in the fields of intercultural learning and international relations. While their approaches may differ due to the unique subject matter of the two fields, these programs have an overall goal of increasing understanding and knowledge across societies.
One of the most well known youth driven international programs with a basis in international relations is Model United Nations. These programs allow young adults to represent a different member state of the United Nations in a setting that mimics the actual deliberations and functions of the real United Nations. Through these events, students can argue their own nation’s position or a completely different nation’s position. Together, the students debate international issues, draft resolutions and form diplomatic alliances.
While these programs take the form of fun, friendly competitions, they allow students to learn about the various cultural and political issues that are on the forefront of global affairs. They learn about why states have their particular positions on issues and use this knowledge to collaborate on common interests and bridge differences.
There are also many youth organizations that provide education 
about differences from an intercultural learning standpoint. For example Youth Peace Camp is one such organization that uses ICL to educate youth from conflict ridden regions. At the initiative of the Council of Europe in 2004, this organization has had a presence in areas of Europe, Asia and the Middle East. A more culture specific organization is the UK-German Youth Ambassadors Programme. This initiative engages youth interested in German and British culture to participate in seminars and other activities in order to advance the understanding of people from both countries.
In each organization, culture is studied on its own term on a very personal level. This is in contrast to an international relations (IR) centered youth program, such as the model UN, because IR focuses on formal policies among different governments. However, there are other youth centered international organizations that combine the government policy centered approach of IR and the culture learning strategies of ICL. YC Social Diplomacy is a non-profit that seeks to enhance the tolerance and understanding of young people of the Black Sea region through a combination of youth-driven government policy research and essay writing and cultural exchanges, seminars and other personal educational activities. This organization combines concepts of IR and ICL into one comprehensive program designed to advance awareness and understanding throughout the region.
AFS is a youth organization that is centered in the principles of ICL. Its programs offer culture learning in an educational context. While different, IR based programs and ICL based programs enrich each other. They offer different perspectives on many overlapping topics, all of which are firmly based on the principle that education is the key to understanding differences.
Paul Edinger is a contributing writer for the ICL Blog. He was an intern at AFS International in 2011 in the Development and Branding department, and continued in 2012 in the Intercultural Learning department. He holds a B.A. in International Studies.
New feature on the ICL blog – ICL Conferences overview
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.
Language + Culture with VWZ Roeland
Intercultural Learning is becoming increasingly recognized as a necessary piece of how modern, global citizens are educated. Some argue that a necessary characteristic of all global citizens is the ability to communicate in a language other than the native tongue. As many languages correspond with one or more cultures and fluency in a specific language could imply competence in a society and culture that speaks that language. To separate the two institutions of language and intercultural learning is to ignore a critical aspect of culture.
Roeland, a Belgian non-profit company promoting language skills in youth, seems to agree. In cooperation with AFS International, Roeland and AFS Partners in Argentina, China, Finland and Switzerland, provided the first group of students to participate in a full English language immersion camp that carried an intercultural component in the United Kingdom this summer.
The aim of this pilot was to test alternative ways of delivering short language programs with an extra focus on intercultural learning, while also being targeted toward a younger age group. Sixteen AFSers between the ages of 13-16 spent 12 days with 50 Belgian students in Sutton Valence, England to gain both linguistic and cultural knowledge. Apart from participating in intensive English language lessons, there were a number of activities, workshops and sport opportunities focusing on ICL, a trip to London and various daily themes such as British Day, Rhythm and Rhyme Day or Fame day. Throughout the camp, students had to follow a very strict “English-only!” rule.
Belgian and AFS Student Participants
Three very dedicated AFS volunteers: Jens Poulsen (AFS Switzerland), Sonja Gustafsson (AFS Finland) and Meng Zhou (AFS China) took charge in bringing the intercultural learning component into action, helped to deal with support issues throughout the camp and supported various other activities at the camp. The work of these volunteers showed how cooperation with like-minded organizations can help us to further the AFS mission of providing intercultural learning opportunities.
AFS International is now in the process of evaluating this pilot program in the hopes of using lessons learned to design a format for possible future collaboration. In the meantime, we hope that this was an opportunity for the almost 70 young students to get a taste of the life-long intercultural learning path, one that has inspired them to explore further avenues with AFS programs and other language-learning organizations.
Do you know your preferred learning style?
Over the last 50+ years, many theorists have explored the idea that people have different preferred learning styles and strengths. These theorists have also developed techniques and approaches to guide your learning experience so that it is most beneficial for your preferred learning style. The first step, however, is to pinpoint which type of learner you are!
Howard Gardner
Each learning style theory is different and there is no “best” theory. In this post, we are featuring several free on-line tools to determine your learning style based on Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences.
The first site, businessballs.com, offers a relatively detailed overview of Gardner’s theory as well as offline learning style surveys you can download (one even self-calculates your scores).
A second online resource is learning-styles-online.com, which gives you free information on which type of learning style suits you and and how to use that knowledge to your advantage. The 70-question test gives you clear, graphic results to best guide you to your most optimized learning experience! Or you can browse the types of learning styles and read about each one.
This visual (to the left) and the text provided on the website explain how the different learning styles interact and are related.
It’s very useful to be aware of the approaches that support your preferred way of learning, allowing you to maximize your learning potential. Also, if you identify the learning styles that you struggle with the most, you can use resources like those on the website, Brain Training Games, for example, to improve aspects of your learning.
As noted, Howard Gardner is just one of numerous theorists who have explored the concept of learning styles. His theory is not perfect, nor does it speak to everyone, but it is a very useful tool for analyzing and reflecting on our preferred ways of learning. There are several books available on Gardner’s theory, if you are interested in more information.
Happy learning!
Any Questions?
The United Nations.
An essential part of developing intercultural competence is the ability to analyze and understand a situation. Interculturalists strive to understand how a member of a given culture perceives the world. Similarly, a person with a background in international studies must look at the various reasons why a society or people pursue certain policies. People working within both of these fields ask questions when addressing a situation. Some of these basic questions exemplify how intercultural learning (ICL) is distinct from international relations (IR). Take these questions as examples – In each pair, one question relates more to ICL and the other to IR. Can you guess which?
A) What type of person has authority in this culture?
B) What does the concept of authority mean to the people of this culture?
A) What advantages does this society’s natural environment offer?
B) What does the society’s relationship with the land tell us about its value system?
A) How has a national government planned for long term international challenges?
B) What is the time orientation (long term or short term) of people who belong to the nation’s dominant culture?
The three questions preceded by the letter ‘A’ are typically asked by a person with a background in international relations. The main focus of these questions is to seek answers about how a society organizes and governs itself. In an international context, the answers to these questions would increase our knowledge of the society’s leaders, the practical consequences of its natural resources and overall governing policies.
In contrast, the three questions preceded by the letter ‘B’ relate more to the concepts and theories of ICL. The answers to these questions could help us understand a culture from its own perspective. They could provide us with information about the given culture’s view of authority, why its people interact with the environment in a particular way and in what context the people plan for the future.
While all of these questions focus on foreign cultures, they provide answers that are unique to either the field of international relations or intercultural learning. At AFS, it is common for a sojourner to question why a foreign culture values a particular behavior or belief system. It is equally common for the AFSer to use increased understanding of a host culture as a way to become more accustomed to different situations and interact with different people throughout life. At its core, ICL offers educational strategies to view and comprehend difference on a more personal level. Hence, the concepts and theories are more uniquely suited to the needs of AFS than other subjects with an international focus.
Paul Edinger is a contributing writer for the ICL Blog. He was an intern at AFS International in 2011 in the Development and Branding department, and continued in 2012 in the Intercultural Learning department. He holds a B.A. in International Studies.
Up With People, Up with ICL!
Innovation in the way people are connecting is becoming more and more mainstreamed into youth culture, creating global citizens in such a multicultural world. Yet, there are several organizations, like AFS, that have had this as part of their missions for decades. One such organization is Up With People, a global educational organization that brings the world together through service and music. Founded in 1965, Up With People emphasizes the need for a global perspective, along with an attitude of volunteerism, community, and intercultural understanding. As they explain on their website:
Up with People was founded on the principle of using music as a means to communicate with and inspire people. In each city we visit, Up with People cast members perform a vibrant and inspiring musical stage show that brings the community together to enjoy a night of entertainment while sparking people to take action in meeting the needs of their communities, countries and the world.
Beyond performing with a talented group of international singers, Up With People also offers service opportunities for those participating in its programs. These service opportunities include hosting music summer camps and taking part in intercultural education initiatives, among other activities.
Learn more by visiting their site, or viewing the video below:
Many AFS participants return from their time abroad invigorated to contribute more toward intercultural understanding. Up With People is a great example of a way you can continue interacting with cultures and expanding even further your intercultural competence. Whether you were an AFS participant, host family, volunteer, classmate, or otherwise touched by AFS, you may feel a calling to further promote global interconnectedness and understanding. With organizations such as Up With People, its clear that your options are not limited, and hobbies are not necessarily secondary.
EU: an Intersection of ICL & IR
Intercultural learning and international relations are distinct fields, but they often overlap at the practical level. An example of this interconnectedness is the considerable amount of activities funded and implemented by the European Union (EU). While the European Union is primarily thought of as an international political and economic organization, it fosters many initiatives specifically related to intercultural learning.
The Agenda fo Culture proposed by the European Commision singles out intercultural dialogue as one of its key aspects. Furthermore, projects such as “Sharing Diversity” are funded by the EU to increase understanding among Europe’s diverse cultures by way of intercultural learning. The European Union collaborates with many different organizations and think-tanks that are dedicated to the advancement of intercultural learning and understanding. At the same time, the European Union works with its members at the political and state level on other issues that are less related to ICL and more related to international relations. People who work for the EU can work heavily in either field.
As a result we can see how the two separate fields intertwine and complement each other not only at the educational or scholarly level, but especially at the practical level. Within Europe, the EU’s economic and politcal agreements, traditionally aspects of international relations, help create a platform to advance opportunities for intercultural learning, while the increase of intercultural learning facilitates the politcal cohesion of the Union. The European Union can serve as a vast, real world example of how international relations and intercultural learning, while distinct, are so interrelated and complementary.
AFS helps its audiences form global relationships and increase their intercultural competence through its educational content. Both of these are essential skills for those individuals aspiring to work in the fields of intercultural learning and international relations.
Paul Edinger is a contributing writer for the ICL Blog. He was an intern at AFS International in 2011 in the Development and Branding department, and continued in 2012 in the Intercultural Learning department. He holds a B.A. in International Studies.
How important is Intercultural Competence to international diplomacy?
Is intercultural competence considered essential to diplomacy by the field of international relations?
Within the field of international relations, there will always be those people who believe that the field’s emphasis on power relationships among states naturally leads to minimization of cultural difference. For example, the need for economic and political collaboration at the state level forces governments to work together, regardless of cultural differences.
Yet there are many within the field of international relations who believe that the need to understand cultures and cultural norms is not only critical, but will also continue to grow in importance. People working with companies, governments and international organizations must understand the cultural contexts of other societies in order to successfully collaborate.
For example, when working with people who live in a culture that relies on direct communication methods, it is important to know that they may not understand forms of communication common in cultures that use more indirect communication (such as non-verbal signals and contextual cues). Indeed, miscommunications such as this can often make or break a cross-cultural project. Nancy Adler, currently at McGill University in Montreal, Canada uses the following example to illustrate this common miscommunication:
“A Japanese businessman wants to tell his Norwegian client that he is uninterested in a particular sale. To be polite, the Japanese says, ‘that will be difficult’. The Norwegian interprets the statement to mean that there are still unresolved problems, not that the deal is off. He responds by asking how his company can help solve the problems. The Japanese, believing that he has sent the message that there will be no sale, is mystified by the response.”
It is possible to learn much about political and economic interactions of states or global organizations, but being inteculturally competent will provide the tools to be able to understand the cultures of the people living in those states. If a person expects to successfully interact with members of a given state, he or she must demonstrate some form of intercultural competence.
At AFS, we advocate that a good way to build intercultural competence is to live within a given culture, experiencing that culture on its own terms and using the concepts of intercultural learning to maximize the learning experience. This way, each generation of young people who participate in AFS programs will have sets of skills needed to interact with others who are different from themselves in an age that is characterized by such interactions.
Paul Edinger is a strategic operations intern for the Intercultural Learning department at AFS International, where he works to facilitate the implementation of ICL strategy throughout the AFS Network. His time at AFS began in April of 2011 with the Development and Branding department and he continues in 2012 as an intern for ICL. Prior to joining AFS he taught English, Spanish and computer literacy courses to Guatemalan and Salvadoran immigrants to the United States while obtaining his B.A. in International Studies with a concentration in Latin America. He completed minors in Anthropology, Political Science, Latino Studies, and Spanish Language Studies.
How interpersonal relationships are viewed in ICL vs IR
This blog series, which explores the differences between the field of intercultural learning from the field of international relations, has established key differences between the two subjects. Among them are the contrasting top-down/bottom-up approaches of each, the place of culture in each field, and the separate focuses of the two subjects. Another area where ICL is very different from international relations is the emphasis on fostering interpersonal relationships across cultures.
Sylvia Cowan, program director for the Intercultural Relations Program at Lesley University in the United States briefly explains this emphasis that contributes to the uniqueness of ICL in the short video clip:
This emphasis on interpersonal relationships is a defining characteristic of intercultural learning. The field of international relations doesn’t emphasize connection at such a personal level but rather emphasizes formal relationships between governments and sometimes organizations. It often makes headlines when prominent individuals within the field of international relations form connections with each other on an intercultural, personal level simply because this is a relatively uncommon phenomena in the field.
Interaction on the interpersonal level has a different place in ICL then in IR.
For example, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and International Monetary Fund Chief Christine Lagarde have formed a personal friendship that is uncharacteristic of two major figures in the field of international relations. Ordinarily, the exchanges between officials are limited to state positions on issues and adhering to international protocols. It is not as common for a more personal relationship to develop.
This is not the case in the field of intercultural learning. Cultural understanding is the major focus of the field, and one cannot truly understand a culture without forming personal bonds with members of the culture. Due to this goal, personal relationships are not only hugely helpful, but they are also many times essential for a genuine intercultural learning experience.
AFS programs themselves are a powerful example of the field’s hands-on and personal nature. Students travel to a new culture and form personal bonds right from the start of their journey. An organization dedicated to international relations would not be so focused on developing interpersonal relationships. Instead, the organization would concentrate on the formal exchanges among governments or groups, not individuals. An example of an organization focused on international relations is the Eurasia Group, a company that consults and advises international actors.
Indeed, the AFS motto, “Connecting Lives, Sharing Cultures,” expresses
An example of an international organization focused on IR is the Eurasia Group (AFS is an international organization focused on ICL)
the importance of interpersonal relationships when striving for cultural understanding. Since AFS is committed to this practice, intercultural learning forms a key part of the organization’s identity and is one major characteristic that sets it apart from others.
By the way, AFS International interviewed Christine Lagarde, an AFS Returnee, back in 2008 for an issue of the AFS Janus magazine and she discussed the importance of AFS Intercultural Programs. Click here to have a look.
Paul Edinger is a strategic operations intern for the Intercultural Learning department at AFS International, where he works to facilitate the implementation of ICL strategy throughout the AFS Network. His time at AFS began in April of 2011 with the Development and Branding department and he continues in 2012 as an intern for ICL. Prior to joining AFS he taught English, Spanish and computer literacy courses to Guatemalan and Salvadoran immigrants to the United States while obtaining his B.A. in International Studies with a concentration in Latin America. He completed minors in Anthropology, Political Science, Latino Studies, and Spanish Language Studies.