AFS Intercultural Link Newsletter

At this time of the year, those of us in AFS who live north of the equator are typically planning for the exchange year ahead and getting ready to prepare thousands of sojourners, families, schools and community organizations for the learning experiences to come.

Meanwhile, AFSers in the southern hemisphere are in the throes of the school year, focused on helping program participants process their experiences in mid-stay orientations and monthly contact meetings—events that are known in pedagogical terms as “structured learning interventions.”

The critical role of these purposefully-designed reflection points in developing intercultural competence is something we discuss with one of our favorite interculturalists, Michael Paige. In an interview found on

AFS Intercultural Link | VOLUME 3 - ISSUE 2 - APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2012 | 1

Intercultural Learning:The Heart & Soul of AFSMELISSA LILES, CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER, AFS INTERNATIONAL

continued on page 2

Everyday Learning Opportunities in the WorkplaceCheck it out!

See the Learning

Session Outline on page 9

VOLUME 3 - ISSUE 2 - APRIL/MAY/JUNE 2012YOUR SOURCE FOR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING IN THE AFS NETWORK

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Connecting Lives, Sharing Cultures

InterculturalKNIL

IN THIS ISSUE Intercultural Learning:The Heart & Soul of AFSby Melissa Liles

Network And Partner InitiativesAFS Belgium French says Oui! to ICLby Paul Edinger Page 5

Institutional Relations5 Years with the JENESYS Programmeby Susan Adams Yamada Page 6

News You Can UseBuilding Your Own ICL Libraryby Charlotte Steinke Page 7

Book Review: The Geography of Thought by Elis Motta Page 8

Learning Session OutlineEveryday Intercultural LearningA New Look at Our WorkplaceInteractionsby Anna Collier Page 9

Beyond AFS ICL NewsInterview with Michael Paigeby Laura Kline-taylor Page 11

Concept & TheoriesThe Contact Hypothesisby Charlotte Steinke Page 3

More 2012 Learning Opportunitiesfor You Including Scholarships for AFSers and OthersPage 12

Conference UpdateExploring Global Perspectives of ICLPage 14

Meet an ICL ResponsibleSherifa Fayez, AFS EgyptPage 14

ICL Field Conferences & Event UpdatesPage 15


page 11, he previews findings from his latest book, Student Learning Abroad: What Our Students Are Learning, What They’re Not, And What We Can Do About It.

Paige’s practical suggestions, in combination with conclusions from Thomas F. Pettigrew in his 2011 study, “Recent Advances in Intercultural Contact Theory,” (page 3) reinforce that AFS’s approach to deeper intercultural learning is in line with current studies and literature. But ICL isn’t just for AFS. Working across diversity is a part of our everyday lives, including workplace interactions. When something goes wrong (or right) in the office, have you ever considered what cultural factors might be at play? Or, if you work from home, how connecting with others virtually can create a superficial layer of “sameness” that results in a more profound frustration when others’ behavior doesn’t match our assumptions?

On page 9, we feature a new exercise designed specifically for your workplace. Explore the Task versus

Relationship cultural continuum in order to learn more about yourself and your colleagues—and how you can have fewer early morning misunderstandings.

Finally, based on popular demand, we have put together a list of “must have” books for anyone looking to start their own intercultural learning library (page 7).

Help us grow this list, including sharing non-English titles, by visiting us online at www.afs.org/blog/icl.

Happy intercultural encounters,Warmly,

With colleagues from over 50 countries, every day is an opportunity for intercultural

learning within AFS. Regardless of where you work, cultural factors are likely a

consideration. Check out our new learning session outline on page 9: A New Look at

our Workplace Interactions.

AFS presents

ProfessorGeert Hofstedeat the AFS AcademyIstanbul, Turkey22 September, 2012

Do you know your cultural dimensions?

Register now atwww.afs.org/afs-academy


CONCEPT &THEORIES

Putting the AFS Mission into PracticeThe goal of our work as AFSers is to provide intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world. But how do we make this happen? The AFS Orientation Framework guides our work by combining experiential intercultural experiences for all our audiences with structured and planned learning opportunities to support cultural adaptation and increase comfort with difference. A recent study by Thomas F. Pettigrew and others (Recent Advances in Intercultural Contact Theory, published March 2011 in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations) has once again proven why our work in AFS – particularly when following the deliberate approach of the Framework – really makes a difference.

In this study, Pettigrew and his colleagues show how contact between individuals from different cultural groups can improve the relationship between the individuals involved, as well as improving their feelings toward the groups to which

they belong. This includes national, religious, gender, age, sexual orientation, and disability culture groups. Intercultural contact usually reduces prejudice and leads to greater trust and forgiveness for past mistakes of members of the relevant groups.

These positive effects can evenbe passed on to friends of the person who had an intensive experience with those from other groups. The Contact HypothesisThis is a powerful argument in favor of the so-called Contact Hypothesis, which Gordon W. Allport introduced in his book “The Nature of Prejudice,” in 1954. Allport indicated that increased inter-group contact reduces prejudice – however, not in all situations.

He wrote that it is common for human beings to think in terms of their own group (“in-group”) versus all other

groups (“out-groups”) they don’t identify with. When there is limited contact with members of out-groups, attitudes towards them are often negative and shaped by stereotypes and prejudice. Sometimes, members of out-groups are even seen as less human.

Allport believed that inter-group contact would significantly improve the relations between different cultural groups. He thought if

members of both groups had enough personal contact, prejudice and stereotyping would decline and intergroup friendships would develop. Necessary FactorsHowever, Allport warned that intergroup contact would not always lead to this result. He suggested that contact can only successfully reduce prejudice in inter-group contact situations when the following conditions are met:

possibility to get to know each other as persons, not only superficial interactions)

or customsIn their recent study, Pettigrew and colleagues showed that Allport’s four

The Contact HypothesisCHARLOTTE STEINKE,

INTERCULTURAL

LEARNING SENIOR INTERN,

AFS INTERNATIONAL

“when an intergroup-friendship is established, prejudice and stereotypes are

reduced dramatically”

“after building opportunities for contact, the next step toward increasing intercultural

competence is to provide structured intercultural learning opportunities”


conditions do help to facilitate the positive effects of intercultural interaction – but that the positive effects sometimes exist even without these criteria. They also show that when an intergroup-friendship is established, prejudice and stereotypes are reduced dramatically.

Implications for AFSBuilding connections between people from different cultures is at the heart of what AFS does. However, we don’t want to stop at reducing stereotypes – the goal of AFS is to develop

ICL INTERNS & VOLUNTEERS

Paul Edinger

Working to support AFS organizations in

their development of national ICL

strategies, Paul has an undergraduate

degree in International Studies with a

concentration in Latin America. While

studying, he taught English, Spanish and

computer literacy courses to Guatemalan

and Salvadoran immigrants to the U.S.

Paul regularly comments on differences

and similarities between the fields of

intercultural communications and

international relations on our blog:

www.afs.org/blog/icl.

Charlotte Steinke Michelle Chan

Michelle is a volunteer who assists in

maintaining www.afs.org/icl as well as

contributing to the ICL …for AFSers

document series. Michelle holds a B.S. in

Business and Economics, studied abroad

in Italy, and taught English in South Korea

for two years. Currently, Michelle is a

master’s candidate in the International

Education program at New York

University, concentrating in International

Development and Cross-Cultural Training.

Obrigada Elis Motta!

We say thank you and goodbye to Elis whose internship came to an end in March. For now, Elis has returned to Brazil where she

resumes her AFS Brazil volunteer career – and continues to contribute on the international level as an AFS Intercultural Link

Qualified Trainer.

Charlotte is the new Senior Intern for the

Intercultural Link Learning Program. She

is pursuing a master’s degree in

Intercultural Communication Studies at

the Viadrina University in Frankfurt

(Oder), located on the German-Polish

border; her undergraduate degree is in

Cultural Studies. She has a background in

German as a foreign language and has

both taught and studied languages in the

People’s Republic of China and Brazil.

intercultural competence in its audiences! As Michael Paige strongly emphasized in our interview with him on page 11 of this issue, after building

opportunities for contact, the next step toward increasing intercultural competence is to provide structured intercultural learning opportunities.

This more sophisticated approach leads to deeper insights about cultural norms, values, and communication styles to help AFS audiences successfully cope

with new environments and intercultural interactions – not only within their exchange programs, but in the many other intercultural settings in

which they will likely find themselves in the future. In other words, adding structured reflection points allows for

better intercultural learning.

By connecting people and then supporting their contact with appropriate structured intercultural learning opportunities, AFS can further improve its way of promoting peace and justice.

“adding structured reflection points allows for better intercultural learning”


NETWORK AND PARTNER INITIATIVES

AFS Belgium French says Oui! to ICLPAUL EDINGER,

INTERCULTURAL LEARNING INTERN,

AFS INTERNATIONAL

AFS Belgium French is focused on providing high-quality intercultural learning (ICL) opportunities to its participants, volunteers, staff, and others as part of their organization’s strategic plan. The result? A more visibly education-focused organization.

The staff at AFS Belgium French have worked to make intercultural learning a priority within their organization.

“Establishing clear goals and a comprehensive,

step-by-step National ICL Strategy to pursue their ICL

goals has been key.”- Fabrice Gonet, Partner Director

AFS Belgium French’s new materials on display at the

AFS International office in New York.

Four of their twelve staff members are focused on ICL and work directly with volunteers involved in support, schools relations, and volunteer development from an educational perspective. ICL-centered activities include designing tools, organizing trainings, and interacting with schools and host families.

In addition to an intercultural learning section on their website, AFS prominently displays ICL on their homepage

(www.afsbelgique.be). The education section offers easy to understand definitions of the concepts behind intercultural learning and relates the pedagogical approach back to the overall mission of the AFS Network.

AFS Belgium French prominently has realized that establishing clear goals and a comprehensive, step-by-step National ICL Strategy to pursue their ICL goals has been key.

JENESYSプログラムと歩んだ5年間

2007年に安倍晋太郎首相（当時）が、今後5年間に渡ってアジアから毎年約6,000人の青少年を日本に招く「21世紀東アジア青少年大交流計画」（JENESYSプログラム）を提唱して以来、AFS日本協会はプログラムを実施する一団体として、アセアン事務局より委託を受け、日本政府の指導の下、プログラムを実施してきました。オーストラリア、インド、インドネシア、マレーシア、ニュージーランド、フィリピン、タイのAFSパートナーの多大な協力のもと、このプログラムを実施することで得たものは多く、また異文化理解教育の観点からも成果をあげました。

このプログラムが計画された目的は「東アジアにおいて強固な連帯を促進する」ことで、将来に向けて「協力的な」関係を築くと同時に、青少年の交流を通して、相互理解の促進と良好な対日感情の形成を促進することにあります。JENESYSプログラムは青少年を対象とした、招へい事業（長期及び短期）、派遣事業、交流事業（東アジア学生会議など）の3事業で構成されています。

プログラム受託団体として選定されるにあたり、AFSネットワークに属する国際教育機関として、AFS日本協会が長年に渡り外務省から一定の評価を受けてきたことも助けとなりました。AFS日本協会が受託したのはプログラム全体の10%にあたる720名の招へい事業ですが、得意とする1年間の招へいプログラム、また他団体とは異なり13か国同時に招へいし、1週間のホームステイを含む短期プログラム（長期招へい参加者同様に短期招へい参加者の90%が帰国一年後もホストファミリーとの連絡を継続）を実行できる力及び、参加者や日本人にとって有意義な異文化理解教育の機会を提供できる点がAFS日本協会の強みです。ボランティアや職員にとっても、素晴らしい経験となりました。

JENESYSプログラムの当初の目的は達成されたでしょうか。参加者と日本の将来に渡る関係に良い影響を与えることができるでしょうか。JENESYS最終年を記念し、また日本を含む多くの国からの参加者を歓迎するために12月にJENESYSフェスティバルを開催しました。アジアの様々な国からやって来た参加者同士が交流し、帰国後も連絡を取り合うことを約束している姿が見られたフェスティバルは活力にあふれた素晴らしいものとなりました。外務大臣政務官よりプログラムの継続に向けて力を注ぐという話があった際には、参加者の輝く表情と盛大な拍手で「YES」が会場中に響き渡ったのでした。


EDUCATIONAL RELATIONS AT THE INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL

5 Years with the JENESYS ProgrammeSUSAN ADAMS YAMADA, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, AFS JAPAN

Read the English version in the AFS Inbox or the Digital ICL Library

Young people from over 13 countries celebrating learning and friendships at the JENESYS Festival

AFS Intercultural Programs President and CEO, Vincenzo Morlini, at the closing ceremonies

We hope these suggestions inspire you in creating or expanding an ICL library in your AFS office or chapter. These resources can help us better understand what happens during the intercultural encounters that we all experience in our work with AFS (and otherwise) and can help us better support AFS sojourners, families, schools, volunteers, and staff.


NEWS YOU CAN USE

Building Your Own ICL LibraryCHARLOTTE STEINKE,

INTERCULTURAL LEARNING

SENIOR INTERN,

AFS INTERNATIONAL

1. 52 Activities for Improving Cross-Cultural Education (Donna Stringer and Patricia Cassiday), 2009. With 52 easy-to-implement group activities for improving cross-cultural communication, this book is designed for a variety of audiences, including exchange students, staff in an international working environment, and organizational leaders.

2. Maximizing Study Abroad (Michael Paige et al), 2010. A guide to strategies for improving language and cultural learning abroad, this resource includes numerous ready-to-use activities and self-tests that can increase understanding of how we are shaped by our culture(s). This book was written with US-audiences in mind, but it can also be applied in other contexts.

3. The Silent Language (Edward Hall), 1959. This classic by the North American anthropologist Edward Hall describes the meaning of culture. It is easy to read and full of vivid examples that help readers to understand his perceptions of culture.

4. The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence (Darla K. Deardorff, Ed.), 2009. An overview of the different aspects of intercultural competence, including articles about intercultural leadership, international differences in the concept of intercultural competence, assessments of intercultural competence, and many more.

5. Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication. Selected Readings (Milton Bennett, Ed.), 1998. This book introduces the key ideas about what intercultural communication is, and is designed for a general audience. A second, updated edition will soon be released – first in Japanese and then in English.

6. The Psychology of Culture Shock (Ward, Bochner, & Furnham), 2001. This updated edition (original 1986) explores the psychological and social elements of intercultural interactions. It discusses the importance of learning new culture-specific skills and managing stress in an unfamiliar environment, among other themes, in order to reduce the sometimes negative effects of cross-cultural interactions.

AFS organizations around the world are looking to make available more interculturally-focused books and resources for volunteers and staff – both to help them prepare AFS training and orientation sessions, as well as for their own personal interests. With so many books to choose from today, though, it is easy to be unsure about the quality and relevance of different ICL materials.

ICL Team to the rescue! Following are suggestions that would be strong additions to any ICL library, traditional or digital (many of these are available as e-books). While these are not the only books relevant to the AFS context, they are ones that we find practical and accessible, especially to those who are new to intercultural topics.

Although these materials are in English, we will feature non-English resources as well as more advanced ones in future issues of this newsletter. In the meantime, check out our blog at www.afs.org/blog/icl for more suggestions or to add your own.


AFS Intercultural Programs is an

international, voluntary, nongovernmental,

non-profit organization that provides

intercultural learning opportunities to help

people develop the knowledge, skills and

understanding needed to create a more

just and peaceful world.

We pursue our mission by providing

quality intercultural learning opportunities

for a growing number of young people,

families, other stakeholders and wider

audiences, thus developing an inclusive

community of global citizens determined

to build bridges between cultures. Real life

experiential learning, supported by

structured reflection, is the core of our

programs. We endeavor to link our

intercultural learning opportunities to the

defining global issues facing humanity.

We reach out to past, current and future

participants, volunteers, and other

stakeholders using the media and

technology they use. Volunteers and

volunteerism are who we are. Our

organization brings about changes in lives

through and for our global community of

volunteers.

We are recognized as an educational

organization by schools and the

appropriate authorities. We work to

create a regulatory environment that

supports our programs. As a learning

organization, we welcome change and

critical thinking. We are innovative and

entrepreneurial in advancing the strategic

directions, working together with others

whenever appropriate.

To learn more about our global network

and get involved today, visit www.afs.org.

Our Mission and Vision

Book Review: The Geography of ThoughtELIS MOTTA, INTERCULTURAL LEARNING INTERN,

AFS INTERNATIONAL

“You know, the difference between you and me is that I think the world is a circle, and you think it’s a line.” This is one of the opening sentences in psychologist, Richard E. Nisbett’s book, The Geography of Thought (2003). The quote is from a Chinese student speaking with the author who is a US American.

In his book, Nisbett uses cultural psychology combined with an historical analysis of cultures to explore how people perceive, process, relate with, and act differently in the world due to distinct social structures, philosophies, and educational systems.

Since he discusses such a large range of national and regional cultures, Nisbett notes in his introduction that writing such an all-encompassing book made it necessary to make some generalizations. Therefore, by East, the author means eastern Asia, mainly China and countries that, historically, have been heavily influenced by Chinese culture, such as Japan and Korea; and by West, all peoples

heavily influenced by the European culture, that is, Europeans and Americans.

The main points highlighted in the book and among the most relevant for AFS, are:

worldview, paying attention to the whole, to contextual cues, and to focusing on the relationship and interdependence among objects; whereas Western cultures tend to see the world as full of salient objects or people, independent parts focusing on the attributes that assign each to specific categories.

oriented towards circularity, feelings, and acceptance of contradiction; whereas cultures influenced by Greek civilization tend to emphasize linearity, logic, objectification, and elimination through contradiction.

So-called Interdependence/Independence Polarity is further related to different concepts of “self” which, to Easterners, tends to directly relate to being part of a group and

changes according to the occasion/context; whereas for Westerners, it focuses on the individual and is not a flexible concept. This is tied to Westerners’ preference for autonomy, while Easterners tend to favor guidance from authority figures.

closely related: Western languages tend to classify objects into categories much more than Eastern languages, which usually describe objects in terms of relationships. As well, studies have shown that Western children learn nouns (that is, objects and their categories) much faster than verbs (that is, the relationship among things), and the opposite is true for East Asian children.

The Geography of Thought is a fascinating read, demonstrating that there is no single, universal and “correct” way to think and understand the world. As Nisbett himself states in the introduction, “the book has implications for how East and West can get along better through mutual understanding of mental differences.”

For those organizations that already stocked their ICL libraries with the basics, this is a highly recommended addition that explores how cognitive styles are also cultural constructs.


SESSION GOAL

This session aims to raise awareness

of how everyday actions can be

based on one’s values. It also aims to

increase acceptance of cultural value

differences, focusing on the task

versus relationship continuum.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After this session, participants will be

able to:

continuum of Task versus

Relationship.

this continuum.

passing value judgments based on

another person’s behaviors, in relation

to this continuum.

their behavior/attitude to be more

accepting of variations along the Task

versus Relationship continuum.

SPACE REQUIREMENTS

An open space to allow people to

spread themselves along a line on the

floor. Chairs in a semi-circle facing a

flipchart.

NECESSARY MATERIALS

Flip chart (and flip chart pages) or

white board

Colored pens/markers

HANDOUTS

Everyday Intercultural Learning:

Supporting Theories (see AFS In Box

or the Digital ICL Library)

STEP-BY-STEP SESSION

DESCRIPTION

Interactive Session (up to 75 minutes

total)

STEP ONE:

AWARENESS OF PERCEPTIONS

(10 MINUTES)

1.1 Open the activity with a question

to the group: What are the first things

you do when you arrive at the office

in the morning? Example answers

could include: drink coffee in the

kitchen, grab coffee and sit down

immediately at your desk, greet

everyone who is already in the office,

etc.

1.2 Ask people to determine if their

actions are more focused on

completing a task or building

relationships, and then invite them to

place themselves along a line that has

“very task-focused” at one end and

“extremely relationship focused” at

the other. Once they have decided on

their place along the line, each person

can quickly share what they do in the

morning and why they think it is more

task or relationship based. Next,

people return to their seats and,

without speaking, write down how

they perceive the people’s actions at

the other end of the line (i.e., most

different from themselves).

STEP TWO:

THE THEORY BEHIND THE ACTIVITY

(20 MINUTES)

2.1 Lead a brief discussion/

presentation on the following topics:

1) the idea that people naturally feel

more comfortable with and tend to

have greater trust in people who

they see as more similar to

themselves, and 2) one of the main

goals of intercultural learning is

increasing people’s comfort with

difference and there are several

concepts within intercultural

learning that link directly to our

interactions with people at work –

both inside and outside of AFS.

LEARNING SESSION OUTLINE

Being more thoughtful and aware of cultural

differences, including increased cultural

self-awareness, helps us improve our

interactions with people from other cultures,

even in situations as everyday as the workplace.

This new Learning Session Outline (LSO) from

our education department supports the themes

present in the Contact Theory (p.3) and Michael

Paige’s advice for AFS (p.11).

EverydayInterculturalLearningA New Look atour WorkplaceInteractions

Are you more relationship oriented?


For a full LSO including suggestions on how to use this within the AFS Orientation Framework, please contact us at

[email protected] or AFSers can visit the AFS Digital ICL Library (http://icllibrary.afs.org; search term: Task versus Relationship).

2.2 Using the handout, Everyday

Intercultural Learning: Supporting

Theories, as a guide, briefly introduce

and discuss the intercultural

concepts of:

a. Task versus Relationship

b. Time Orientation

c. Communication Sty les and

Face-Saving

d. Risk Avoidance

STEP THREE:

TASK VERSUS RELATIONSHIP:

WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE AND WHY

IT MATTERS (30 MINUTES)

3.1 Engage your audience in a more

in-depth discussion on task-focused

actions compared to

relationship-focused ones. Provide

examples of actions as “artifacts”

(visible indications) and the

underlying values attached. Some

examples might be: Immediately

starting to answer emails

(task-orientation) could be related to

valuing other people’s time and

wanting to respond to their

questions/inquiries as soon as

possible; Conversing with colleagues

(relationship-orientation) could

reflect one’s value of companionship

among colleagues.

3.2 In pairs, people share their

answers to the following questions.

They should answer them in the

order they are presented here. After

people have had a few minutes to

discuss a certain question, ask if

anyone would like to share with the

large group.

a. Why do you think you have the

focus you do? What values and

perceptions are attached?

b. What comes to mind when you

interact with and/or observe people

who have another focus? What values

and perceptions are attached?

c. What effect can these different

perceptions of the importance of Task

versus Relationship have on our

interactions with others?

d. What implications does this have on

our interactions with others during

our workday, with our AFS colleagues

as well as people external to AFS?

STEP FOUR:

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

(15 MINUTES)

4.1 Invite people to observe their

actions and perceptions over the next

few weeks around Task versus

Relationship, as well as the actions of

their colleagues, and to ask

themselves:

a. Are you avoiding interactions that

do not reflect your preferred

orientation on the Task versus

Relationship continuum?

b. What are your initial reactions when

interacting with someone with your

preferred focus versus someone with

the other focus?

c. What do these observations lead

you to, in regard to your next steps in

increasing your comfort with

difference?

4.1 As a concluding question, ask

people what are some things that

they can start doing immediately to

improve their interactions with, and

understanding of, people who operate

on a different place on the

task-relationship continuum than

they do?

CONCEPT REFERENCES

Time Orientations: Edward T.

Hall

Uncertainty avoidance: Geert

Hofstede

Communication Styles and

Face-Saving: Edward T. Hall,

Stella Ting-Toomey

Task versus Relationship:

Harry Triandis, Nancy Adler

Do you prefer to focus on tasks?


BEYOND AFS ICL NEWS

Interview with Michael PaigeBASED ON AN INTERVIEW WITH LAURA KLINE-TAYLOR,

INTERCULTURAL LINK LEARNING PROGRAM MANAGER,

AFS INTERNATIONAL

Dr. R. Michael Paige is Professor of International and Intercultural Education at

the University of Minnesota in the US. Among his many accomplishments, he has

contributed to important research projects such as the SAGE (Study Abroad for

Global Engagement) study (2009) and is the author of numerous books on

intercultural topics. AFS is connected to Paige through a long-lasting friendship.

We had the opportunity to talk with him about his most recent study and

upcoming book, and hear his advice for AFS.

How did you get involved in theintercultural field? I joined the US Peace Corps and volunteered in Turkey in the 1960s. During this time I became fascinated by the training the Peace Corps did and didn’t do, and my intrigue led to my becoming an intercultural trainer for the Peace Corps for five years.

After this experience I completed a PhD in International Education and have continued in the Intercultural field to this day.

How and when did you get to know AFS? I had known about AFS for many years and was familiar with the important work it had done on cross-cultural orientation in the 80s. Then in 1985, I was asked by the Indonesian government to work on an orientation project for Indonesian students about studying in the United States. Through this project, I met Irid Agoes from AFS Indonesia. More recently I have stayed connected to AFS through discussions about its Intercultural Link activities and as a faculty member at the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communications (SIIC) in Portland, Oregon, USA where there is a strong presence of AFSers. [Editor’s note: Dr. Agoes is currently a member of the AFS Network Intercultural Learning Work Group.]

How can we ensure successful development of intercultural sensitivity in our AFS Participants, Volunteers and Staff?I see two responses to this question: First, AFS needs to insure that there is a strong cultural component for all of its audiences – something that links

intercultural theory to the practical work and experiences of AFS. Some excellent sources for information on cultural values include the GLOBE study and Geert Hofstede, among others. Donna Stringer’s 52 Activities For Improving Cross-Cultural Communication is also a very good reference. [Editor’s note: For more on this as well as Paige’s own book, see page 7.]

Secondly, AFS needs to combine its current work on the ABC’s of culture (affective, behavioral, and cognitive) with a developmental framework. It is not enough to provide bits and pieces of the ABC’s. If the goal is to demonstrate an increased level of intercultural sensitivity, these theoretical and practical pieces must be combined with a framework that shows what and how much AFS audiences are learning and improving. Assessment of intercultural development and learning is crucial.

We are excited to hear more about your new book, Student learning abroad: What Our Students Are Learning, What They’re Not, And What We Can Do About It. What did you discover?In the new book I have co-edited with Michael Vande Berg and Kris Lou, we present three types of evidence (research, knowledge from the disciplines, and actual programs) about the effects of studying abroad on intercultural competence development.

Our main takeaway is that if you want

students to progress in their intercultural development and skills, and if you want them to expand their worldview, you need to offer them structured, facilitated learning opportunities because they won’t all do this on their own.

The international experience can be a starting point, but we have proof that facilitated intercultural learning opportunities are as important as the international component in helping sojourners make the most of their experience.

One of the study abroad programs we examined, AUCP (the American University Center of Provence), has achieved extraordinary results regarding their students’ progress in intercultural learning. What differentiated them from other study abroad programs was that they have a guided and structured learning program that all students attend before, during, and after their stay abroad. Their students progressed substantially and have obviously had very effective learning experiences.

We found out that the content of intercultural learning (like knowledge about differing values and conversation styles) helps students to understand their

experiences. Our study shows that this knowledge gives them the words to describe and process their intercultural

experiences adequately. Without facilitated intercultural learning opportunities sojourners will not make the most of their intercultural experience.

“Without facilitated intercultural learning opportunities sojourners will not make the most of their

intercultural experience”


MORE 2012 LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU

Including Scholarships for AFSers and Others

3rd Annual Summer Academy on Intercultural Experience (Karlsruhe, Germany)

This July 30th to August 10th, Karlshochschule International University, AFS

Germany and InterCultur (sister organization of AFS Germany) will offer the

2012 edition of the Academy. Blending intercultural management and

communication, the Academy aims to foster intercultural perspectives

within the field of management theory—and develop applied solutions for

problems in business and society. Courses encourage dialogue between

researchers and practitioners of different backgrounds.

The program is offered in English and is open to individuals aged 18-35 who

have demonstrable interest in the field of intercultural communications and

management. Undergraduate students and young professionals with a

background or interest in intercultural experiences are encouraged to apply.

Approximately 50 different scholarships are available to qualified applicants.

Learn more online:

http://summeracademy-karlsruhe.org/index.php/registration/tuition-scholars

hips-open/

Asia-Europe X-Cultural Summer Academy on Intercultural Experience (Bangi, Malaysia)

From August 27th to September 7th of this year, the first Asia-Europe X-Cultural Summer Academy will take place.

The Asian and European organizers, AFS Malaysia, AFS Germany and InterCultur, working with University Kebangsaan

Malaysia (UKM) and Karlshochschule International University will offer two one-week courses on Intercultural Learning

that emphasize Intercultural Communication and Culture and Society . Focus will be put on fostering improved

understanding between European and Asian students.

The program is offered in English and is open to individuals aged 18-35 who have demonstrable interest in the field of

intercultural communications and management. Undergraduate students and young professionals with a background

or interest in intercultural experiences are encouraged to apply.

Approximately 25 scholarships are available to qualified applicants. Learn more online:

http://summeracademy-malaysia.org/fees/tuition-scholarships/


Summer Institute for Intercultural Learning (Portland, Oregon, USA)

This July 11th to July 27th the Intercultural Communication Institute’s

36th annual edition of the Summer Institute (SIIC) will offer a lineup of

courses ranging from Assessing Intercultural Competence to Facilitating

Structured Dialogue in Intercultural Conflict and over 40 other

professional development and networking opportunities.

The program is offered in English and is open to all individuals with demonstrable practical or academic experience in

intercultural communications or learning. All professionals working in education, training, business, and consulting

with a background or interest in intercultural experiences are encouraged to apply.

Registration is open through July, but early registration rates are in effect up to June 1st. Although the scholarship

application deadline will have passed on April 30th 2012, there may be additional scholarships available to qualified

AFS applicants (contact [email protected]). Learn more online: http://www.intercultural.org/siic.php

Intercultural Development Research Academy

This June 21st to June 26th the IDRInstitute will offer a coordinated

curriculum organized around two core courses: Constructivist Foundations of

Intercultural Communication: Applying the New Paradigm and Constructing

Sustainable Intercultural Development . Both offer domain-specific

applications.

The program is offered in English and is open to all individuals with demonstrable practical or academic experience in

intercultural communications or learning. All practicing interculturalists, professionals with an interest in

intercultural issues, and graduate students pursuing an intercultural specialty are encouraged to apply.

Discounts are available to qualified AFS applicants (contact [email protected]). Learn more online:

http://www.idrinstitute.org

Stay up-to-date on AFS’s take on ICL, including the latest about events and scholarships.

www.afs.org/blog/icl/


In addition to being the ICL

Responsible, Sherifa Fayez has been

the Executive National Director of AFS

Egypt since 2004.

She is passionate about intercultural

education and recognizes its

importance in the world of today,

especially with the Arab Spring in

bloom.

In 2008, she initiated AFS Egypt’s

Intercultural Peace Caravan: a bus

carrying youth from 12 countries toured

8 cities around Egypt. In each city, the

youth interacted with local students

and NGOs, shared ICL concepts and

spread the mission of AFS. ICL has

been incorporated in all AFS Egypt

orientations and trainings since.

So far in 2012, AFS has attended and/or

presented at two international

conferences related to ICL.

Thanks to Laura Kline-Taylor and

Manon Mullane-Prévost for their

reportage.

International Association for Intercultural Education (IAIE), a global

organization that focuses on issues of

diversity in education, held its 2012

annual conference in Veracruz, Mexico

from 15-17 February. Titled “Tapalewilis

for Intercultural Education,” the event

featured bilingual English/Spanish

sessions and panels exploring the

“Northern” and “Southern” experiences

of intercultural education.

Special attention was paid to

identifying non-traditional ways to

promote innovative and creative

exchanges in local, national, and

regional systems of education. Other

key topics included:

Intercultural

Education;

preservation of indigenous languages in

Mexico and nearby areas in the region;

collaborative learning;

education, and critical pedagogy; and

and

constructions of difference.

Intercultural Management Institute (IMI) is an organization that works to

CONFERENCE UPDATE

Exploring GlobalPerspectives of ICL

Meet anICL ResponsibleSHERIFA FAYEZ, AFS EGYPT

It is Sherifa’s goal in AFS Egypt to make

sure that all volunteers and staff members

understand the basics of ICL and develop

expertise, if interested.

In March 2012, AFS Egypt held its first

national training dedicated only to ICL for

60 volunteers and hopes to make it an

annual event. The goal was to recognize

the importance of ICL in AFS and in life

beyond AFS; in other words, be mindful

of ICL in everyday encounters.

Sherifa is a graduate of the American

University in Cairo with a major in

economics, and is currently a pursuing a

Master of Arts in Intercultural Relations

from the Intercultural Communications

Institute and University of the Pacific in

the US.

promote cultural understanding

through innovative and dynamic

intercultural communication training. It

held its 13th annual conference from

15-16 March at American University’s

School for International Services in

Washington, D.C., US.

Bringing together individuals from the

business, education and training

sectors, key topics this year were

related to:

communication between patients and

providers;

as facework on Facebook and using

mobiles phones as intercultural

communication training platforms; and

coaching to manage corporate

challenges across cultures.AFS Mexico presented a poster on how AFS approaches intercultural learning, which incorporated our educational history and our current

relevance as a leading intercultural organization in the region.

Newsletter Editor: Melissa Liles

Newsletter Manager: Anna Collier

Contributing Writer: Charlotte Steinke


KIntercultural

NILYOUR SOURCE FOR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING IN THE AFS NETWORK

Intercultural Learning Work Group

Johanna Nemeth

Rosario Gutierrez

Annette Gisevius

Irid Agoes

Melissa Liles, ChairLucas Welter

AFS members are invited to submit proposals for articles,

news items and intercultural activities with accompanying

graphics or photos for consideration in future issues of AFS

Intercultural Link. Submissions can be AFS-specific or part of the larger Intercultural Learning (ICL) field. Simply send

your submissions to us at AFS International: [email protected]

Call for Submissions

Questions or [email protected]

© 2012 AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc. All rights reserved.

ICL Field Conferences & Event Updates

If you are aware of upcoming conferences in the intercultural area, please advise us at [email protected]

Connecting Lives, Sharing Cultures

July AugustMay June

NAFSA27 May–1 June; Houston, TX USA

http://www.nafsa.org/annualconference/default.aspx

AFS is presentingAFS is organizing

International Association for Intercultural Communication Studies (IAICS)

88-11 June; Chung-li, Taiwanhttp://140.138.168.79/2012iaics/

Intercultural DevelopmentResearch Academy21-26 June; Milan, Italyhttp://www.idrinstitute.org

Dialogin Conference: Global Leadership Competence29-30 June; Konstanz, Germany

http://www.dialogin.com/index.php?id=224

Empires, Post-coloniality andInterculturality: Comparative Education between Past, Post, and Present18-21 June; Salamanca, Spain

http://www.cese-europe.org/

Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC)11-27 July; Portland, OR, USA http://www.intercultural.org/siic.php

AFS will be present

International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS)2-6 July; Sydney, Australia http://www.isls.org/icls2012/

Summer Academy on Intercultural Experience30 July – 10 August; Karlsruhe, Germany http://summeracademy-karlsruhe.org/

AFS is organizing

Cross-Cultural Europe-Asia Summer Academy27 August – 7 September; Bangi, Malaysia http://summeracademy-malaysia.org/

AFS Intercultural Link Newsletter

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