AFS INTERCULTURAL LINK NEWSPAPER V3i1 Jan/march 2012

AFS Intercultural Link | VOLUME 3 - ISSUE 1 - JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 | 1

VOLUME 3 - ISSUE 1 - JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

IN THIS ISSUE

The State of Intercultural Learning (ICL) in the AFS Network, Update on Prioritiesby Melissa Liles

Concepts & Theories: The Feeling of Cultureby Dr. Milton Bennett & Dr. Ida Castiglioni Page 3

Network & Partner Initiatives: Starting the Link: A recap of 2011 AFS Intercultural Link Learning Program eventsby Laura Kline-Taylor Page 6

Conference UpdateSymposium on Intercultural Competence and Conflict Resolution in Swedenby Marcel Grüninger Page 8

Beyond AFS ICL News:Interview with Milton Bennettby Anna Collier Page 9

Network & Partner Initiatives:Executive Development in Intercultural Competenciesby Paul Claes Page 10

Conference UpdateExperiencing the Young SIETAR Congressby Melissa Hahn Page 11

Engaging with Difference: The Essential Work of AFSby Christian Kurtén Page 13

Upcoming AFS Intercultural Link Learning Program Opportunities Page 14

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

A fresh year—in this case both 2012 and the Year of the Dragon, or —is

often associated with starting anew. Indeed, as we well know within AFS

(and the AFS Orientation Framework!), taking the time to reflect at the

end of a cycle before entering the next one is essential and can lead to

different perspectives and new initiatives.

If you are not already taking part in one AFS’s many new Intercultural

Learning (ICL) opportunities in 2012, there is still time to become

involved and kick off your year as an intercultural one.

“Sharpening our Focus” will be the theme of the upcoming AFS World

Congress, an event where our leaders from around the globe gather to look

ahead. We will be doing this on the subject of ICL and anticipate a week

filled with inspiring, yet practical discussions about how all AFS

organizations can do their part. continued on page 2

YOUR SOURCE FOR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING IN THE AFS NETWORK

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Get linked in... more information on page 6


However, as important as fresh

beginnings can be, a new year doesn’t

mean we forget the past. Continuity, or

coherence, as our friend and advisor

Milton Bennett puts it, is critical to the

AFS network-wide ICL strategy of

Ensuring our Expertise. That is,

continuing to do the work of further

developing ourselves as education

providers. We recently interviewed

Bennett to ask his suggestions for AFS

while we do this work (page 10).

We also took the opportunity to reflect

on the idea that he and Ida Castiglioni

raise in their 2003 article about

intercultural experiences and

embodiment. A key component of

competency, affect, or feeling, is one of

the most neglected subjects in the

formal study of intercultural

communications.

Those of us at AFS though, are highly

attuned to this element of ICL, at least

subconsciously: As practitioners, we

share the joys and sorrows along with

everything in between that the

sojourners and host families on our

programs experience.

To give academic insights on the topic

and help us reflect deliberately on the

topic, we have included an excerpt of

the Bennett and Castiglioni article in

this issue (page 3) and, to complement

it in practical terms, have created a

related learning activity for you to use

in your next ICL gathering (page 5).

“Improving how we help others connect” is the tagline of the AFS

Intercultural Link Learning Program,

the training and assessment program

for our volunteers and staff worldwide.

Eloquent in its statement, we strive to

include this not only in our training, but

also in our daily interactions. Helping

others connect is Intercultural

Learning, in whatever way that may

take place.

With this in mind, don’t forget your

intercultural sensitiveness when you go online. To state the obvious: the

internet is an amazing tool. It is great

for sharing ideas and discovering new

ones and there is an ease of

communicating online that has only

increased with the advent of social

media.

Consider though: How does your

appreciation of other cultures change as

you watch lives unfold online? There

are many ongoing and perhaps

unanswerable (at least for now) debates

about how tech-driven communication

helps or hurts intercultural

communication and as major changes

happen in different parts of the world,

we are observing these through eyes of

others. It is more personal now, but

how much is too personal, and do

people post things that they may never

say face to face with other people? This

has been a key theme at intercultural

relations conferences for several years

now.

Recently, a Facebook exchange

involving AFSers was witnessed by

many. “It hurts my heart” as one of my

colleagues says, “to see some of the

vitriol and polemics happening online

in conversations across cultures.”

From the ether back to the physical.

Late last year, some 200 or so people

had the privilege of attending a

symposium with Nobel Peace Prize

winner Martii Ahtisaari and other

diplomats along with AFSers young and

old as they discussed the timely topics

of intercultural competence and conflict

resolution, as well as AFS’s role here.

Read some of the highlights (page 9) as

well as the inspiring words shared by

Christian Kurtén (page 14) as he

opened the event.

Finally, a big thanks and au revoir to a

friend and colleague, Lisa Cohen. Lisa

has been instrumental in AFS’s refocus

on Intercultural Learning during the

past two and a half years. A member of

AFS’s International ICL Work Group,

you can read about her many

accomplishments (including with this

newsletter) on page 4. As she moves on

to new adventures, she will be missed

not only for her wise insights and

helpful contributions, but also for her

infectious enthusiasm on the subject of

learning within AFS. We intend to

maintain her legacy through this

newsletter.

Warmly,


This article is an adaptation of an excerpt from Dr. Milton Bennett and Dr. Ida Castiglioni’s article “Embodied Ethnocentrism and the Feeling of Culture” (2004). It explores the link between cultural adaptation and awareness of one’s physical and emotional reactions. For further information on their work, as well as the complete original article, please visit www.idrinstitute.org.

We want to speak of the feeling of

one’s own culture and the feeling for

other cultures. This subject is

important to interculturalists because

much of their work concerns

ethnocentrism, and the most

important fact of ethnocentrism is that

things simply “feel right” in one’s own

culture. To counter ethnocentrism with

cultural self-awareness, it is not

enough to know the values and

common behavior patterns of one’s

own culture. It is also necessary to

become sensitive to the feeling of

appropriateness that goes with those

patterns.

Another major concern

of interculturalists is

facilitating adaptation to

other cultures. Once

again, awareness or

knowledge of a culture

is insufficient—one also

needs to have a feeling

for it. For instance, a U.S. American

might be aware that Italy has a culture

that is different from that of the

United States. He or she might be able

to recognize behavior as more U.S.

American or more Italian. This U.S.

American might also know a lot

about Italian culture, typically its

objective culture (e.g., art,

architecture, history). She or he might

even know about Italian subjective

culture and be able to analyze cultural

differences in communication style or

values. Yet this same person could lack

a feeling for Italian culture. Without

this feeling for the culture, our U.S.

American would be limited in the

depth of his or her understanding of

Italians and in his or her ability to

adapt to the culture. The main issue

here is not so much what the cultural

patterns are but how we feel them.

Our bodies develop habits, and the

experience of the world for the body is

a truth. By inhabiting the world in

particular ways, the body takes the

form of the feeling of those habits and

this develops an “embodied feeling” of

what is truth, or correct, according to

our bodies. This feeling can also be

described as ethnocentrism. The body

does not know (or care) that

interculturalists think that

ethnorelativism is better than

ethnocentrism. Whatever way we

inhabit the world is the “right” form of

things, because it gives us the feeling

of “rightness.”

Taking the definition of ethnocentrism

as “assuming one’s culture is central to

reality,” we can see several

implications. First, individuals who

lack cultural self-awareness also may

lack awareness of their physical and

emotional states in different cultural

environments. Second, people who are

ethnocentric (DMIS Denial and

Defense) avoid contact with cultural

difference. This can be explained as

their avoiding situations that

unconsciously put them in unfamiliar

states, which makes them very

uncomfortable. Third, people who are

ethnocentric (Defense) may use power

as a way of structuring

their physical and social

environment in familiar

ways. This form of

control continues into

the stage of

Minimization on the

DMIS, although it takes

the less obvious form of

positive judgments about similarities

with one’s own culture.

The key to getting beyond

ethnocentrism is cultural self-

awareness, or experiencing one’s self

as operating in cultural context. We

CONCEPT &THEORIESThe Feelingof CultureDR. MILTON BENNETT &

DR. IDA CASTIGLIONI

“To counter ethnocentrism with cultural self-awareness, it is not enough to know the values and

common behavior patterns of one’s own culture. It is also necessary to become sensitive to the feeling of

appropriateness that goes with those patterns”

When you are in a foreign cultural

context, can you feel what is appropriate?


suggest that body awareness

techniques can add an

ethnophysiological dimension to

cultural self-awareness. Our bodies

offer the last resistance to

ethnorelativism. We can learn

culture-general strategies of

adaptation, we can learn culture-

specific constructs, we can learn the

language, but we generally do not

learn how to adapt our bodies

consciously into the “appropriate”

cultural form. This can be done first

through the observation of how we

carry our bodies in our cultural

context and then of how our bodies

react to cultural differences in space,

shape, rhythm, and so on.

On the ethnorelative side of

development, people appear to be

more aware of their embodied

feeling of culture and have greater

cultural self-awareness. Also, they

recognize that experiencing other

cultures provides them with access

to different ethnophysiological states,

and that access to those states

benefits them.

Of course, it is necessary to know as

much cognitive information about

another culture as possible, and

certainly there are attitudes that

appear to either help or hinder

adaptation. But we are adding an

additional link that is the feeling for

the other culture. With that feeling,

behavior appropriate in the other

culture can come naturally to us, just

as it does in our own culture. The

challenge is to create methods to use

in intercultural training that will

provide learners with (a) access to

the embodied feeling of their own

culture, (b) techniques for

understanding the embodied feeling

of other cultures, and (c) the

mindset necessary to support these

skills.

In intercultural training sessions, we

can create simulations and other

situations in which people can

experience their body’s reactions. In

these situations, we draw attention to

the feeling of the situation. We ask

the participants to pay attention to

their bodies — feeling a vibration,

slowing the breath . . . and little by

little we learn to transform these

perceptual experiences into

something that has to do with our

way of being and our emotional

(embodied) experience.

How do different environments affect you

physically?

Lisa Cohen, Senior Organizational Development Specialist and head of international training at AFS International, has long been passionate about Intercultural Learning and has inspired many colleagues around the world to embrace the topic with similar enthusiasm.

Having worked in multiple capacities at both AFS International and AFS USA over the past 18 years, Lisa’s most recent focus has been on training as a core aspect of organizational development.

In addition to being a curriculum designer and master trainer, she is a certified administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory and a Certified Facilitator for Cultural Detective®. She holds a Masters degree in International Education from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University, both in the US.

Lisa has been instrumental in initiating the AFS Intercultural Link Learning Program as well as this newsletter; she was its first editor. Lisa’s professional tenure with AFS will come to a close in March, but we hope she will continue to contribute to both AFS and the Work Group’s efforts as a trusted advisor.

AFS Network Intercultural Learning Work Group MemberLisa Cohen


LEARNING SESSION OUTLINE (LSO)The Feeling of CultureBecoming Aware of ourEmbodied EthnocentrismANNA COLLIER, INTERCULTURAL LEARNING SERVICES MANAGER, AFS INTERNATIONAL

The AFS Intercultural Programs education department is happy to share one of our newest exercises that is appropriate for intercultural learners of all ages! For more information, including suggestions on how to use this within the AFS Orientation Framework, please contact us at [email protected].

SESSION GOALThis session aims to raise awareness of how our bodies react physically and emotionally to changes in our environments, especially paying attention to the difference in reactions between personal and cultural changes, and understand how a greater awareness of such reactions supports one’s progression from an ethnocentric to an ethnorelative worldview.

LEARNING OBJECTIVESAfter this session, participants will be able to:

• Describe some of their physical and emotional reactions to change.

• Understand the important information our physical and emotional responses can provide us about our comfort with our surroundings.

• Understand why self-awareness is such a key element in the development of an ethnorelative worldview.

SPACE REQUIREMENTSChairs in a semi-circle or around a table, so that everyone can talk to each other as well as view a computer or projector screen.

NECESSARY MATERIALS Digital camera (each participant)

Computer with monitor or projector & screen

Paper and writing instrument

HANDOUTS Excerpt from Milton Bennett and Ida Castiglioni’s article, “Embodied Ethnocentrism and the Feeling of Culture,” (2003), found on page 3 of this newsletter.

STEP-BY-STEP SESSION DESCRIPTIONIn AFS, many of our Intercultural Learning discussions and trainings involve the concept of the ABCs – Affective, Behavioral, and Cognitive skills – of intercultural competence. Out of these three elements, affective skills are the most difficult to develop and to assess, yet the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS), among other models, describes the necessity of developing affective skills such as empathy and emotional code-shifting for an ethnorelative point of view.

This activity and accompanying pre-reading are meant to raise awareness of our (dis)comfort with difference from a physical and emotional perspective, rather than an intellectual one.

Preparation (10 minutes – to be completed the day before the interactive session begins)

1. Read handout, the excerpt from Milton Bennett and Ida Castiglioni’s article, “Embodied Ethnocentrism and the Feeling of Culture” (2003).

Interactive Session (up to 90 minutes total)

2. Getting started: When you wake up, begin your morning with a centering activity. Use one you already know from yoga or meditation, or simply close your eyes, with your feet flat on the floor and your hands on your legs, and breathe deeply for a few minutes, paying close attention to your heart-rate, breathing patterns, and other senses in your body. Attempt to clear your thoughts and focus on your body and your feelings (physical and emotional sensations).

3. At home activities: Change two (2) things about your personal morning routine. For example, eat breakfast at home instead of in the office or drink your morning beverage from a different type of cup. Be sure to pay attention to your physical and emotional sensations while you make these changes. Take pictures that represent your changes, to share with the rest of the group.

4. On your way to work/this meeting/ etc. activities: Put yourself in three (3) new cultural situations. For example, take a different bus to work, buy tea or coffee in a store attended or populated by people of a different cultural background, get off the bus at a midway stop and walk around the block before continuing your trip, or walk inside a building you have never been to. Take pictures that represent those situations.

Reflection (30 minutes)5. Each participant reflects individually for 10 minutes on the questions below, recording one’s answers on a piece of paper.

• What did you notice about your body’s physical and emotional responses? Did they match your mental reactions?

• Was there a difference between the changes you made at home (personal) and the changes you made on the way to work (cultural)?

• Which type of difference was more difficult (different)? What does this tell you about your “(dis)comfort with difference”?

• What have you learned from this activity that you can apply to your personal life? Your work in AFS?

6. Gather as a group. Each participant has an opportunity to share the pictures that s/he took during the change activities, with the trainer asking each person to reflect out loud on the reflection questions and describe the emotional and physical sensations s/he noticed during the activity. Focus especially on applications to AFS work.

REFERENCES“Embodied Ethnocentrism and the Feeling of Culture,” by Milton Bennett and Ida Castiglioni (2004). Available at www.idrinstitute.org or in the book Handbook of Intercultural Training, edited by Dan Landis, Janet Bennett and Milton Bennett (2004).

Try somethingnew today!


2011 was a busy year for the AFS

Intercultural Link Learning Program

that is just now officially launching.

CURRICULUM & METHODOLOGY

Consulting with fellow experts, a team

of nine internal Intercultural Learning

(ICL) specialists from around the world

have developed a standard curriculum

that provides basic then progressively

more advanced intercultural content for

AFS staff and volunteers.

The design team has also created an

AFS-appropriate approach to deliver

the Program, using a combination of in-

person events and distance (e.g. online)

learning opportunities.

QUALIFIED TRAINERS

Last October, a Qualifying Trainers

Workshop was held in Copenhagen,

Denmark. Over the course of four days,

18 volunteer and staff trainers from

around the AFS network were taught

the Learning Program’s global training

approach, as well as how to deliver the

content in the standardized curriculum.

The group’s diverse intercultural

experiences and training skills made for

rich conversation and debate on the

topic of intercultural learning within

AFS and beyond.

LEVEL 1 IN-PERSON EVENTS

Just a month later, in November, six of

these Qualified Trainers (José Manuel

Buyatti, Tommy Soberanis, Victoria

Soto, Adele Blackwood, Jason Lee and

Vidhi Jain), together with members of

the curriculum design team as Lead

Trainers, conducted the first two in-

person Learning Program events for the

Central American and Asia-Pacific

regions of AFS.

Content focused on connecting ICL

theories and concepts directly to the

AFS operational areas of support,

orientation, and training. In other

words, the workshops help AFSers put

theory immediately into practice.

Volunteers and staff from AFS

organizations in Dominican Republic,

Costa Rica, Colombia, Mexico,

Panama, and Venezuela, as well as

China, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia,

New Zealand, and the Philippines came

together in Panama City and Kuala

Lumpur, respectively. Within in the

Program’s thoughtfully structured

environment these learners shared their

own cultural experiences and worked to

identify methods for applying the newly

acquired knowledge and skills.

LEVEL 1 DISTANCE EVENTS

But the learning is far from over!

Now that they are enrolled in the

Learning Program, next up are follow

up events that will allow the 2011 class

to share successes and challenges in

applying the learning at home. They will

also have the opportunity to interact

with their Learning Program

counterparts in other regions of AFS.

Distance events will include reflection

calls, debriefing sessions on

assessments, plus live webinars with

experts from around the world.

LEVELS 1, 2, AND MORE IN 2012

In 2012, participants will also be invited

back to take part in Level 2 offerings.

In addition to Central America and

Asia-Pacific, in-person Learning

Program events will expand to Europe

and North America, and distance-only

events will begin.

NETWORK & PARTNER INITIATIVES

Starting the LinkA recap of 2011 AFS Intercultural Link Learning Program events and a glimpse of things to come in 2012LAURA KLINE-TAYLOR,

LEARNING PROGRAM MANAGER,

AFS INTERNATIONAL

Go to http://icl.afs.org/learning

to watch 2011 Learning Program highlights!

The Learning Program curriculum is delivered in three stages, covering seven categories of content


In conjunction

with a meeting

of the AFS

Board of

Trustees in

Stockholm last

year, AFS

Sweden held a

public event on

21 October:

The AFS

Symposium on

Intercultural

Competence

and Conflict Resolution.

Along with distinguished international

dignitaries, the symposium brought

together AFSers and friends from

different age groups and backgrounds to

discuss the importance of intercultural

competencies as a means to both prevent

and resolve conflicts.

Almost 200 people gathered at a

conference center in downtown

Stockholm keen to hear panel discussions

on politics, international relations,

intercultural communication exchanges,

and, last but not least, how AFS has and

can influence these areas. The guest of

honor was Her Majesty Victoria, the

Crown Princess of Sweden.

“The importance of intercultural education to avoid violence and conflicts: What is needed and who is responsible to make it happen?”

The first of three panels centered on

these questions. It featured Martti

Ahtisaari, former president of Finland

and 2008 Nobel Peace Prize winner; Jan

Eliasson, former minister of foreign

affairs of Sweden and former Permanent

Representative to the UN in New York;

Anders Milton, former chair of the Red

Cross in Sweden; Lars Heikensten,

former head of the Swedish National

Bank; and Madeleine Ströje-Wilkens,

former Ambassador of Sweden and

current AFS Trustee. With local TV host

Karin Hübinette moderating, some of the

more intriguing remarks included:

“There is no backlash on multiculturalism but we have not done enough for integration.” - Martti Ahtisaari

“Cultural sensitivity is essential to conflict mediation.” - Jan Eliasson

“More people are interested in contributing to making a difference today.” - Anders Milton

“Youth enthusiasm was a positive effect of the Arab Spring in 2011.” - Madeleine Ströje-Wilkens

“AFS changes international and personal perspectives for participants.” - Lars Heikensten

“AFS can bring the individual action into a larger perspective.” - Jan Eliasson

“Are AFS students future ambassadors for peace?” and “How is intercultural understanding applied in reality by students, before, during, and after the program?”

This was the topic of panel two,

moderated by Anders Fernlund, former

AFS Sweden. Participants in this

discussion were current AFS exchange

students and alumni who shared views

such as:

“Teachers need to make time for intercultural learning in school for all.” - Richard Walls (from Australia)

“Schools should give their students the opportunity for informal learning.” - Aviva Katzeff Silberstein (went to USA in 2010)

“I wanted to discover the world, that's why I became exchange student.” - Donatello Piancazzo (from Italy).

Other panelists included Natasha Pickup

(from New Zealand) as well as former

AFS participants Astrid Johnson (went to

Mexico in 2009), Filip Ängby (went to

Italy in 2009), and Annika Becker (went

to USA in 1965).

“What is the role AFS can plan in peace building?”

Finally, various AFS dignitaries including

Don Mohanlal, President and CEO,

Nand & Jeet Khemaka Foundation India

and AFS Trustee; Rosario Gutierrez

Becquet, Director of AFS Colombia;

Sherifa Fayez, Director of AFS Egypt;

Vincenzo Morlini, President of AFS

Intercultural Programs (worldwide); and

William (Bill) Meserve, Retired Partner,

Ropes & Grey US and AFS Trustee/Vice

Chair shared views on AFS and peace.

“Understanding that life is enriched by differences is one of our tasks.” - Vincenzo Morlini

“Stop the isolation between East and West.” - Sherifa Fayez

“Tolerating others cannot be enough, we aim for acceptance.” - Rosario Gutierrez Becequet

“Peace is more than the absence of war, there needs to be wellbeing, intercultural learning, and more.” - Don Mohanlan

All three debates – enhanced by audience

questions – stressed the importance of

intercultural encounters and structure

education around understanding and

working through differences. Inspired by

the day, many continued the discussions

during an evening fundraising event

hosted by AFS Sweden. See more quotes

via AFS Sweden’s Twitter account:

@Interkulturellt

CONFERENCE UPDATESymposium on Intercultural Competence and Conflict Resolution in SwedenMARCEL GRÜNINGER, ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR, AFS SWEDEN

H.M. Crown Princess Victoria

Rosario Gutierrez Becquet (AFS Colombia) and Sherifa Fayez (AFS Egypt)


Based between Milan, Italy, and Portland, OR, Dr. Milton Bennett is currently an adjunct professor of intercultural studies in the Department of Sociology of the University of Milano-Bicocca and is on the Board of Directors of the Intercultural Development Research Institute (IDRI). Bennett is perhaps best known for the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS). He is also a member of the AFS Educational Advisory Council. We had the opportunity to talk with him about his intercultural work and hear some of his advice to for those of us in the field.

How did you get involved in

the intercultural field?

I had an AFS host brother from

Hamburg, Germany in

1962 and this was a

very important

experience for me. I did

not take advantage of

study abroad in college,

but went to the Peace

Corps in 1968-‘70 in

Micronesia. This was a

strong other-cultural

living experience that

was very influential in

my life.

Also, I have always been

very interested in

consciousness. I think

intercultural communication demands

that we be conscious in a way that

monocultural communication does not.

What academic field was your

entry into intercultural studies?

How do you see this link?

I passed through physics, creative

writing and English literature, cognitive

psychology, and psycholinguistics,

before shifting into intercultural

communication (ICC) for my PhD

from the University of Minnesota.

People now-a-days move into

intercultural communication from

many different fields. My

recommendation is to come from

communication theory as much as

possible because it is consistent with the

origins of ICC: understanding how we

make meaning across cultures. People

also come to ICC from linguistics or

psychology, and sometimes

anthropology or business.

Which aspect of intercultural

learning or communication has

your work focused on?

Conceptually, my

work focuses on

perception,

empathy, and

consciousness.

Perception is the

basis of empathy –

how we understand

other people in

terms of their own

experience – which

is in turn the key to

consciously

communicating

more effectively.

The specific areas

of ICC that I have focused on are

international education, multicultural

workforces and global leadership, and

social applications.

What do you wish more people

understood about intercultural

work?

The main thing is that although

anthropology, linguistics, and

psychology are all important ways to

think about intercultural issues, they are

different from intercultural education

and intercultural learning (ICL). To

understand this difference is the most

important thing. In my opinion, the

power of ICC and ICL lies in its being

approached as a unique and coherent

body of research and theory and if we

fail to recognize how it is distinct, it

loses a lot of its power.

What would you suggest for

people new to the ICL field to

read as they get started?

I would recommend a combination of

an overview of the field together with

new research and the some of the

original sources. My book, Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication(1998), provides this combination. A

book still in press edited by Vande Berg,

Paige, and Lou, Student Learning Abroad is likely to have a good

combination of current research and

original writers in the international

education field. Also, everyone should

read something by E.T. Hall, especially

The Silent Language and The Hidden Dimension.

People need to understand that

conceptual understanding must come

before the activities and exercises. Too

often, people learn how to do an

BEYOND AFS ICL NEWSInterview with Milton BennettBASED ON AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNA COLLIER INTERCULTURAL LEARNING SERVICES MANAGER, AFS INTERNATIONAL

“Perception is the basis of empathy – how we understand other people in terms

of their own experience – which is

in turn the key to consciously

communicating more effectively.”


Thank you to Paul Claes for sharing this excerpt from his article about the 2011 AFS Executive Development Seminar. For the full article, see the October 2011 edition of the EFILife newsletter.

The Executive Development Seminar

(EDS) 2011, organized by AFS

International, took place in Beijing, China,

18 - 21 September.

The aim of this seminar

that brought together staff

directors from 27 AFS

organizations was to

increase the participants’

intercultural competence and development,

both personally and as the director of an

AFS organization, and to enhance their

ability to link Intercultural Learning (ICL)

with AFS’ organizational development and

health.

Sessions included interactive exercises,

using AFS’s own proprietary materials as

well as the Cultural Detective tool and the

Intercultural Effectiveness Scale survey

(IES). One of the guest facilitators was

Edith Coron, a global leadership coach and

intercultural communication specialist

based in Beijing.

Finally, to put newly acquired skills into

practice, the seminar concluded with field

trips to secondary and vocational schools in

Beijing, as well as a forum in which current

president of the China Education

Association for International Exchange and

former Vice Minister of the Ministry of

Education of the People’s Republic of

China, Dr. Zhang Xinsheng, shared his

views on the value of multiculturalism in

education today and in the future.

NETWORK AND PARTNER INITIATIVES Executive Development in Intercultural Competencies EXCERPTED FROM AN ARTICLE BY PAUL CLAES, SECRETARY GENERAL, EUROPEAN FEDERATION FOR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING

AFS Intercultural Programs is an international, voluntary, non-governmental, 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.

Paul Claes (author), Marit Gronskei during school visit

activity but they do not know why they

are doing it.

How has the ICL field

changed since you entered it?

When we first started doing ICC work

in 1973, we were the pretty much the

only ones. As the years have gone on,

our early assumption that ICC was an

important thing has come true. Many

people want to get into ICC and other

fields are trying to apply what they

know to it. One of the biggest changes

is that there are a lot more people

working in the field. In some ways they

cooperate, but in other ways they fight

for the same territory.

In your view, what are the hot

topics in ICL these days?

Everyone is talking about intercultural

competence but I personally think that

it is just another word change (e.g.,

competence, communication,

learning). Moreover, people usually do

not have a consistent definition of

competence. There are two general

ways of thinking about it: as an internal

psychological state and as an external

demonstration of a communication

ability. Since the theoretical bases for

those two are different, people need to

be aware of which of the two

approaches they are using and how

they might be trying to combine them.


Melissa Hahn is currently completing a Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Relations. We thank her for her contribution as a guest writer in this edition of AFS Intercultural Link.

At the end of October, a classmate and I

travelled to Slovenia for the Young

SIETAR (YS) 2011 Congress. As

Master of Arts students in the

Intercultural Relations program at the

University of the Pacific in conjunction

with the Intercultural Communication

Institute (USA), the YS Congress

intrigued us because it offered a chance

to learn about our field through a

European lens and to interact with

students from around the world.

Flying from the US to Europe is no

small (or cheap) task, so we made the

most of the journey by exploring both

Vienna and Budapest before taking the

train to Ljubljana. Our conference

began at Celica, a former Austro-

Hungarian and Yugoslavian prison

turned youth hostel. The setting was an

artistic invitation to modern Slovenia:

creative, colorful, and playful in the way

it put a new spin on its difficult past.

After a social evening, we began the

next morning with getting-to-know-you

activities at the city’s Ethnographic

Museum. Next, we divided into teams

to complete a scavenger hunt designed

to introduce us simultaneously to the

city’s history and landscape as well as to

Slovenian culture. It also helped us

break through our comfort zones to talk

to real Slovenes – and to each other.

That afternoon, a bus took us north to

Planica, the Olympic Training Center

and home to the second highest ski

jump in Europe. Nestled in beautiful

Triglav National Park, the location was

stunning. Many of us opted to

participate in a scenic hike; my group

walked through fluttering golden and

red leaves, and across a hill dotted by

traditional Slovenian hay stacks to arrive

at the source of the Sava River.

Breathing in the

fragrant fresh air

as I stared down

into a completely

clear blue pond, I

realized that the

hike was a window

into the Slovenian

spirit. One of our

local hosts

explained that

Slovenes cherish

the outdoors, a

healthy

environment, and

an active life

shared with friends. We were not simply

going on a walk, but were, for a short

while, living a Slovenian moment.

The Congress itself had a variety of

workshops and training sessions. At one

point, my group improvised a sketch on

the recent history of the field. I also

attended a workshop on the relationship

between gender and culture, and

another on issues of humanitarian aid

campaigns perpetuating stereotypes

about regions and peoples. During yet

another session we focused on

becoming better listeners and exploring

the intersection of personality

and culture.

Congress coordinators had asked us to

bring a small item from home, which we

shared in small groups. The discussions

allowed us to appreciate ways in which

we are all similar and yet different; many

of us admitted to feeling torn between a

desire to settle down at some point and

wanting to be perpetually mobile across

the globe. The final night brought our

best chance for simply socializing and

kicking back, as some participants took

to the dance floor and others curled up

in conference chairs for lengthy

conversations. On the

morning of our last day,

we convened for the

General Assembly,

where we took care of

official business and

voted for a new board. I

had decided to submit

my name, and was

elected Education

Coordinator.

Now that I have

returned home, a few

things stand out about

the experience. One

was an appreciation for

the enormous task that developing and

carrying out an international conference

must be. Another was an awareness of

the ways that we are all working in our

own frames. Several times, I was struck

by how “European” the event felt. This

made me wonder how conferences in

the US may feel “American” even when

the organizers are trying to be inclusive.

Last, I was heartened that, despite the

mistakes that we all make as we attempt

to move between cultures, real

friendships are possible.

I can’t wait to go back.

CONFERENCE UPDATEThe Young SIETAR CongressAn Experiential PerspectiveMELISSA HAHN, GUEST AUTHOR

“I was heartened that, despite the

mistakes that we all make as we attempt

to move between cultures, real

friendships are possible.”


Keyla Colmenares is the Sending Coordinator for AFS Venezuela. Her academic and professional background is in education and the humanities.

In her current position, Keyla has many opportunities to incorporate her educational skills into participant orientations, support for Venezuelan students abroad, and working with families at home in Venezuela.

Soon after starting at AFS, Keyla began studying intercultural topics and incorporating them into her work. In March 2008, Keyla participated in her first training on intercultural learning, offered by AFS Venezuela. In March 2010, she attended a conference on intercultural psychology, given by Andrea Sebben of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Most recently (November 2011), Keyla participated in the first AFS Intercultural Link Learning Program event in Central America.

Keyla incorporates what she has learned about intercultural topics into the events she plans for AFS audiences. Very soon she and her colleagues at AFS Venezuela will be presenting an ICL action plan for 2012 to their national board based on ideas that were developed during the Learning Program event as well as an AFS National ICL Strategy Development Workshop.A number of AFSers are involved with the Young

Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research. Young SIETAR, as it’s known, is an international association in which students and younger professionals in the intercultural field work together on topics of common interest.

The organization’s mission is to contribute to a better understanding between people with different cultural backgrounds, thus turning this world into a peaceful and meaningful place. It uses digital means to unite its members – and AFS Switzerland’s Stephan Winaker is the group’s webmaster.

Jana Holla, AFS Egypt volunteer and member of the European Federation of Intercultural Learning (EFIL) Pool of Trainers, was an organizer of the group’s worldwide conference that took place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 26-30 October 2011. She explained that the key themes of this 12th annual gathering were the past and present state of interculturalism, as well as enhancing intercultural collaboration and understanding in the world.

In the case of the latter, the aim was for conference participants to get inspired by existing projects that they might be involved in, learn through case studies about various cross-cultural challenges of people, and look for and propose possible solutions.

CONFERENCE UPDATE2011 Young SIETAR Conference: Main Themes

Meet an AFS ICL Responsible

Manon Prévost-Mullane has been the Project Manager for this newsletter since March 2010. We send out a huge thank you to her as her internship comes to a close. But we say au revoir, not goodbye: Manon will remain involved in the newsletter, providing occasional support.

INTERNSHIP OPENING If you are interested in becoming involved in the AFS Intercultural Link newsletter as a future Project Manager or a contributing writer, please contact [email protected].

Merci Manon!

Bonjour You?


The following is a transcript of remarks given by Christian Kurtén in his address to the Intercultural Competence and Conflict Resolution Symposium organized by AFS Sweden in Stockholm on 21 October 2011, and attended by various dignitaries including members of Sweden’s royal family. Read more about the Symposium on page 9.

Your Royal Highness Crown Princess

Victoria, distinguished speakers and

honored guests: In 1998 John Hume, a

Nobel Peace Prize winner and Irish

politician said “All conflict is about

difference; whether the difference is

race, religion, or nationality the

European visionaries decided that

difference is not a threat, difference is

natural. Difference is the

essence of humanity.

Difference is an accident of

birth and it should never be

the source of hatred or

conflict. The

answer to

difference is to

respect it.

Therein lies a

most

fundamental

principle of

peace: respect

for diversity.”

Our AFS

statement of

purpose says

that we help

people develop

the knowledge,

skills, and

understanding

needed to create

a more just and peaceful

world, and we do this by

reaching out to a diverse

community of global citizens

determined to build bridges

between cultures. As we

prepare to begin our

discussions today on the role of

intercultural education in

contributing to peace building,

I cannot help remarking on the

number of our distinguished

speakers and guests who have done so

much to work towards building a more

peaceful world. Many of you are

former or current AFS participants

and volunteers and I believe that your

presence here is not mere coincidence.

As an educational organization, AFS

believes that learning about another

culture through immersion in a school,

family, and daily life in a community

teaches us at a very human level that

there is more than one way of looking

at the world, more than one truth, and

more than one way of being right.

Intercultural learning thus helps us

embrace diversity. When we become

interculturally competent, we are more

willing and able to engage

appropriately and effectively with

those who are different from us. AFS

helps people develop intercultural

competence by fostering knowledge,

skills and attitudes

that broaden our

cultural

perspectives. These

skills are

increasingly

important in

today’s

interconnected

world where we

interact so widely

with people from

many cultures.

If all conflict is

about difference, as

Hume said, then

helping people to

develop

intercultural

competences that translate into a

willingness to positively engage with

others who are different from us is

essential work, and that is the essential

work of AFS.

Thank you.

Engaging with Difference: The Essential Work of AFSCHRISTIAN KURTÉN, CHAIRPERSON,AFS INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES

“When we become interculturally

competent, we are more willing and

able to engage appropriately and

effectively with those who are

different from us.”

Christian A. Kurtén


YOUR SOURCE FOR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING IN THE AFS NETWORK

Intercultural Learning Work Group Johanna Nemeth (AUT)Rosario Gutierrez (COL)Annette Gisevius (GER)Irid Agoes (INA) Lisa Cohen (INT)Melissa Liles, Chair (INT)Lucas Welter (INT)Roberto Ruffino (ITA)

Newsletter Editor: Melissa LilesNewsletter Manager: Manon Prévost-Mullane Design & Graphics: AFS Branding & Marketing TeamContributing Writers: Anna Collier, Elis Motta

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.

Errata: In volume 2, issue 4 of this newsletter, we wrote that Adair Linn Nagata graduated in the late 1990s from her PhD program. She actually graduated in 2003.

February March May & Beyond

IAIE International Conference 201215-17 February 2012: Xalapa, Veracruz, MexicoTapalewilis for Intercultural Education: sharing experiences, building alternatives http://www.iaieveracruz.orgAFS presenting.

Communicating in a World of Norms: Information and Communication in Contemporary Globalization7-9 March, Lille, Francehttp://cmn2012.sciencesconf.org/?lang=en

Crossing Boundaries: Working and Communicating in the Asia Pacific Region13-15 March; Los Angeles, CA USAhttp://www.engl.polyu.edu.hk/aplspca/

Going Global13-15 March; London, UKhttp://ihe.britishcouncil.org/going-global

Intercultural Management Institute (IMI)15-16 March, Washington DC, USA http://www.american.edu/sis/imi/conference/index.cfmAFS attending.

Forum on Education Abroad 21-23 March; Denver, CO USAhttp://www.forumea.org/Denver2012.cfm

International Conference on Intercultural Collaboration (ICIC)23-25 March; Bengaluru, Indiahttp://langrid.nict.go.jp/icic2012/

Families in Global Transition29-31 March; Alexandriahttp://www.figt.org/2012_conference

NAFSA27 May–1 June; Houston, TX USAhttp://ihe.britishcouncil.org/going-globalAFS presenting.

International Association for Intercultural Communication Studies (IAICS)8-11 June; Taiwan http://140.138.168.79/2012iaics/

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 event. Register on-line.

ICL Field Conferences & Event Updates

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

AFS INTERCULTURAL LINK NEWSPAPER V3i1 Jan/march 2012

Documents

Transcript of AFS INTERCULTURAL LINK NEWSPAPER V3i1 Jan/march 2012