Intercultural Workshop

~ Weaving cultural

Diversity into Your Life

Volunteer In-Service: Sponsored By The Spiritual Support Training Team

Greater Hilltop Area SHALOM ZONE

Know Thyself

Cross-Cultural Experience

Please read carefully the following description of a culture and people who are probably very different than you are. Take note of how this culture behaves in life, and then try as best you can to mimic their lifestyle.

Remember to be true to your new culture!

Know Thyself

Cross-Cultural Experience

Hospitality

Creating a Safe space within Taking a Long Loving LookReceiving the other through story tellingDeepening awareness of God’s presence in the midst of community; finding the Hidden Wholeness of Christ in the midst of life.

Hospitality~ Receiving the Soul:

The wild animal withinParker Palmer, Hidden Wholeness, Jossey-Bass, pg. 58-59

• Storytelling and Listening is a matter of Perspective

• It is learning to gaze with deep love seeing beyond the surface.

• It is learning to look at objects, people and circumstance with the eyes and heart of God.

• It is noticing the the shy and tenacious soul within the other.

Gazing with Soft Eyes:

Speaker’s story Facts back then

Feelings back then

Facts now

Feelings now

Modified from John Savage’ Listening Lab

Foundation: Storytelling and Holy listening

Storyteller’s story

Listener’s Counter story

Facts back thenFeelings back thenFacts nowFeelings now

Modified from John Savage’ Listening Lab

Spiritual Direction - Story Telling With: Three –Way Listening

Hidden Wholeness:

What cultures are represented on the west side?

• Ethnicity

• Economic

• Educational

Know Thyself

How well could you survive in Poverty, Middle Class, Wealthy?

Adapted from Craig Stori, The Art of Crossing Cultures, (1996, Intercultural Press)

We expect others to be like us, but they aren’t

A cultural incident occurs which shocks us (our assumption of all people being alike is proven incorrect)

We withdraw

or

We reflect on our response, and seek input from locals

We learn the appropriate cultural response

Our confidence and comfort level grows

We react through emotional and physical detachment

We stay in the company of people from our culture group

We delay or impair our successful cultural adjustment

What triggers culture shock? (page 2) The Anatomy of Cultural Adjustment

The Stages of Cultural Adjustment in the Shock Phase

Adapted from Lisa Espaneli Chinn by John Eaves, revised 2000

Step One: The Shock (page 2)

High Fight Stage Flight Stage Fit StageStress Fascination Stage

Low 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 (Months)

Time

Stress & Culture Shock(Page 2)

We might call this the “honeymoon.” We become infatuated with our new environment, and find the

differences more intriguing rather than threatening. This stage may last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

• Open to new experiences, meeting new people

• Intrigued with new culture

• Willingness to explore new environment, to “learn the ropes”, get oriented

• Greater risk taking

Fascination StagePage 2

Flight Stage

The newness wears off as you begin to experience “cultural episodes” which serve as a reminder that you are not from this culture. Daily demands of living and working begin to get the best of you. You begin to withdraw from situations that involve differences of opinion or misunderstanding. You feel overwhelmed emotionally without knowing exactly why.

• Feels inadequate, unworthy, overwhelmed by the amount of need.

• Misses scheduled volunteer times.

• Starts showing up late to the volunteer site

Frustration and anger get the best of you as you focus on the negative aspects of this new culture rather than the positive ones. You can be distant and critical in your relationships.

•Trying to impose middle class values.•Minor health problems may arise, usually stress-related•Constant comparison of middle class values vs. desiring “to fix” the situation the person of poverty.•Trying to educate those in poverty to the “correct way of behaving.

Fight Stage

Most people will reach a point when they are able to resolve many of their initial frustrations with living in a new culture. As language skills and cultural awareness improve, one begins to feel more productive and at ease in this new

culture.

•Begin recognizing our own faith growth and development

•Heightens the personal passion for mission.

•Engaging and expanding relationships with the least, the lost, and the lonely.

•Recognizes God in the midst of diversity.

•Accepting and respecting other cultural values without judgment.

Fit Stage

Know Thyself

Cross-Cultural Continuum of Change

(Page 5)

5. Explorer4. Generalizer3. Experimenter2. Imperialist1. Isolationist

Know Thyself

Do your homework – learn about differing

culture

How do you speak and listen in diverse cultural situations?

  Will I be able to communicate with them?

  Are there differences in personal space?

The three big questions …

Cross Cultural Hospitality( Page 6)

Do Differently Suggestions:

Conversation Not imposing

middle class values

Perspective/ Assumptions

Looking & Listening

Food awareness

Video

http://sermonspice.com/product/14972/get-service

Weaving Cultural Diversity into Life.