Intercultural relations

We currently operate in 3 Metro Public High Schools. At one of our high schools, a group of 10 students, 1 teacher, and 1 administrator were identified last spring to participate in a 8-week experiential training led by seasoned mediators from our organization. Following the training, these students begin to advertise the opportunity to “mediate conflicts” for other members of the school. As students enter the school each day, a small dropbox allows you to drop a note inside if you have (or know of) a conflict with any members of the school that you’d like to address in a safe, private manner. Meanwhile, the group of “peer mediators” meet in a classroom once a week to reflect, share, and develop new learning. Youth and adults work together in a collaborative process and build relationships with each other and throughout the school.

The solution involves an augmentation of current practices at City.

First, the primary activities of the program involve identifying, training, and facilitating a group of highly involved students to lead the School Diversity Climate Committee. These students will work with InclusionWorks and City staff over 6 full school days to hone their facilitation, communication, and leadership skills. Through a model of self-reflection, students will together activate empathy to develop real school change.

Second, current collaboration between GVSU and City will be enhanced by increased contact between City and GVSU teachers in training. The two groups will meet 8 times throughout the year; 4 times at City and 4 times at GVSU. Because the GVSU students involved will change each semester, it will be up to City students to continue the work started in the previous semester. This continuation will result in a co-facilitation between GVSU and City students for continued conversations and recursive reflections in the school.

Thirdly, students who matriculate into the IB Diploma Programme with an interest in diversity and inclusion issues have the opportunity to select continued membership in the committee and develop innovative strategies for bringing the diversity and inclusion message to a larger audience of students in the Grand Rapids metro area.

EMPATHY teaches international relations & fosters cross-cultural understanding through video conferencing between rural U.S. children & displaced Afghans. Without EMPATHY, Afghan children may develop misconceptions about Americans due to their experience with war & displacement, triggering animosity & even extremism. Rural American children may develop misconceptions of the world & not understand the reality faced by children in countries at war.

EMPATHY students experience the world beyond familiar borders & develop new understandings of each other. Afghan children interact with Americans their age not linked with the Afghan conflict. American children see the effects of war & poverty. This exposure helps children learn firsthand the world’s realities, begin to eradicate misconceptions, & advocate for justice.

This is accomplished through varied means.
All students:
- online classes (international relations, politics, history & geography & influence of culture on our understanding of each);
- courses on effective cross-cultural communication & basic Farsi/English;
- media material to share experience widely.

U.S.:
- humanitarian service, identifying & responding to IDP needs;
- volunteer travel (safe developing country) to assist displaced communities;
- “Buddy” program to connect U.S. students with locally resettled refugees & aid in their adaptation.

Afghanistan:
- intensive ESL & computer courses to gain skills comparable to global peers.

Jared, a 15 year old African-American boy sits down to play the game. His character's name is Kronk and is a member of the Bovil group. He lives in a Bovil neighborhood, has had mostly bovil friends and colleagues. Kronk is a cop. Kronk wakes up and has the option to read the paper at breakfast. He chooses yes, and reads stories about break-ins committed by some Zoinks in a nearby town. He puts the paper down and gets in his car. He decides to turn on the radio and changes it to the news station. There is another report of a Zoinks committing a wave of robberies in the next state. He changes to a popular music station and hear's some famous Zoink rappers. He changes back to news. He is at work. He has been assigned neighborhood patrol. He and his partner drive through the neighborhood. He can choose to stop to talk to a Bovil neighbor. He does. He continues through the neighborhood. His partner calls to his attention a group of Zoinks walking together. He turns to Kronk and gives him the option of questioning them or just driving past. Kronk decides to stop them.

After playing that round, Jared can be probed either discussion style in class or in the game, if Jared's decision to stop the Kronks was racist. Was it profiling? Was it stereotyping? Or was it responsible action.

Each module allows for the character to make the small decisions we make daily. At crucial ones, (such as the moment the player must decide whether to stop the Zoinks) they are forced to reflect on the motivation that lead to the action in the game and in real life.

With Play for Peace, children have stopped bullying from happening in their schools, youth have become global citizens for change and communities have opted for nonviolent action in the face of conflict.

Recently, a group of trainers in India, who credit their school completion on participation in Play for Peace as youth, became Social Entrepreneurs. Like many of our other global youth graduates from South Africa, Chicago and Guatemala, they are leveraging their Play for Peace Trainer Certification and contacts to launch a nonprofit organization working with the Indian public school system to use cooperative play to promote cultural understanding, empathy and prevent school attrition, corporal punishment and bullying.

As Certified Trainers they contact public schools in their region to present the Play for Peace program. After an introductory play session the students and teachers are offered Play for Peace training to form a Play for Peace Club in their school so they themselves can facilitate games in their community. 5 youth founders and 1 adult mentor passionate about peace-building and training are all that is needed to form a Club. Most activities are no-prop and resources are found locally.

After leading several play sessions with children in their community the new youth leaders also begin implementing volunteer activities based on the needs they identify. The students, mentors and trainers all access the Play for Peace global learning community for educational material, sharing, inspiration and lifelong learning.

Key One: Right Relationship with the Self
Goal: To be clear about my own values and qualities.
Inner aim: I recognize the inner attractiveness of myself and others.

Key Two: Right Relationship between the Self and Others
Goal: To recognize that I and different people have different needs
Inner aim: I take responsibility for my life and the choices that I make.

Key Three: Right Relationship with my Sense of Purpose and Direction
Goal: To have a clear sense of purpose and well defined supporting vision
Inner Aim: To understand that my thoughts and actions in the past created my present and what I think and do in the present creates my future.

Key Four: Right Relationship with Actions and Interactions
Goal: To understand that whatever I do has impact.
Inner Aim: I give all the time in whatever I do and learn through life’s experiences.

Key Five: Right Relationships with the Living World around Me.
Goal: To make a positive difference and positive contribution
Inner Aim: I have a responsibility in all my relationships, with everyone and to the living world around me.

Key Six: Right Relationship with my Higher Self
Goal: To be true to myself
Inner Aim: I remain open to the truth of my inner voice.

Key Seven: Right Relationship with Empowering and Sustaining Myself
Goal: To maintain a stable and balanced approach to life
Inner Aim: I empower and sustain myself.

Each of the Keys has a set of activities and actions that intensify personal learning and create a base for nurturing relation with Self, the others and the World.

"Truth in Translation," asked the question Nelson Mandela posed to his country: "Can we forgive the past to survive the future?", and brought the story of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into areas of conflict around the world. The goal of the proposed project, modeled after Global Arts Corps’ process and theatre productions, is to strengthen civil society peace-building efforts through international dialogue.

Using the Reconciliation Exchange, young people, primarily between the ages of 12-24, will experience Global Arts Corps performances, talkbacks and workshops through film, audio, and visual interactive media, and will be invited to join discussions and respond to questions on our blog. One component of the Exchange will be a game, “Amnesia,” which will be played out across electronic platforms and in real-time, and will be available to community groups and educators for use in schools and community settings. The goal of the game is to survive and avoid war. The primary weapon needed to achieve this will be the ability to empathize with your perceived enemy.

Wireframes and information maps have been created for the website, and the game and curriculum has been planned out with a game design company based in South Africa, Eden Rage.

The ‘Shifting to Compassion’ exercise guides participants through a process of self-empathy and empathy, including context oriented help and guidance, in the form of hints and lists. Participants are encouraged to explore their feelings – both fulfilled and unfulfilled, recognize what the feeling points to – the met or unmet need behind it, and to be curious about what the other person may be feeling and needing as well. The following quotes afford insight to how our solution makes a difference. We highly recommend you try it yourself at: http://www.theexercise.org
i. “This definitely changed my perspective: A) I realized how much the comment actually upset me. B) I was able to get past seeing only my own feelings, and see the other person’s possible perspective. C) I took a deep breath.”
ii. “There was a laser like clarity that helped to illustrate a common communication pattern that often trips up my husband and I. It seems very helpful as a tool to untangle the web that catches us.”
iii. “This is a great idea in helping people to get a hint of Nonviolent Communication. As a student wanting to tell others about NVC, this online exercise met my needs for continued learning, and communicating more peacefully. Thanks.”
iv. “I did feel a connection with compassion to the other person. This also lessoned the strength of my upset. Thanks. I noticed at one point I was willing to experience the possibility of my feelings changing.”

Changing oneself must happen before changing society. Critical thinking about empathy is not encouraged in Indian classrooms, or in a culture where they are taught to take pride in the status one is born into. Transforming perceptions of privileged youth leads to changes within systems in Indian society that are rarely challenged. During my Orbis 2011 Fellowship I had the chance to pilot this model in KiiT International School in Bhubaneswar, India. Students from KiiT examined their privileges in society and not only learned their role in solving problems like untouchability, they felt empowered and motivated to do something about it! These students from the uppercrust of society defied social norms and worked collaboratively with students from the “untouchable” caste at KISS Tribal School. These two groups of students who would normally never interact, became good friends. Many still talk to this day. Moreover, the students gained a fresh, new understanding about “untouchables” that they never imagined. This new understanding and empathy for marginalized groups will carry into the leadership positions students will hold in the future. People from affluent backgrounds are born into power, and that power can be used to become allies to those who are oppressed.

The best way to realize the power of transformation that the Being Tree Gamehas is participating in a school dynamic (watch the video). It’s very stimulating hearing the teachers feedback about the behaviour of the children. We work in difficult realities sometimes with kids that lost their families by murder, or fights evolving drugs. There was one time when an 8 years old kid, that didn’t talk since he was 6, started talking in the middle of the dynamic. Or a very aggressive boy, older than the others in class, who could work very well in collaborative way. We give all children an exercise book with activities to do at home, with family and friends, which is a way to spread our message. In the game, they express themselves with a drawing. This handmade self consciousness product is a powerful tool to better understand child personality and behaviour. Below is a teacher’s feedback (translated from Portuguese):
Your work is extremely important in conscientizing the children about the preservation of the environment.
My students were marveled and very interested in taking care and cultivating the ecosystem.
The developed activities were great and they are useful in integrating many shy children and helping them discover new talents in the process.
I am grateful for your participation in our school. Thanks!
Teacher Carvenea Camargo
Olaria Daudt School, Sapucaia - Brazil
car.camargo@pop.com.br.

JiF has selected quality, foreign-language films, with young protagonists, and engaging stories. Selected films offer windows into our world, to the unique traditions, values and humor of other cultures. The films not only transport students beyond borders and boundaries; they move beyond lectures and textbooks to provide insight, transform preconceptions and prejudices, and foster genuine cultural understanding. We develop curriculum guides, which walk teachers through lesson plans in math, science, social studies, language-arts and media literacy specifically designed for each Journeys in Film title. We strive to develop competencies in not only core subjects, but also topics which have become critical for students to learn more about—such as poverty and hunger; climate change; global health and pandemics; and immigration. Teacher preparation is critical to student achievement. We conduct professional development for educators to increase their own global awareness while they learn how to maximize our prepared curricula. Educators move beyond teaching the basics: they nurture a higher order of thinking in their students to help them assimilate the complex, media-rich, and globalized world that awaits them." When I think of the Middle East, I think of war and killing. That’s all I hear on the news, but I was terribly wrong. Kids are playing, having fun, and a lot of work being done." "Movies like this make me respect my culture and everyone else’s. I never used to like countries like Iran and Tibet because I figured they were so much different than me." -7th grade students

The materials for the class will be four books (total 1000 pages) and eight recorded lectures from TED, or “Ted Talks.” The MSC EI Test will be administered to the students both at the beginning and end of the seminar. Throughout the seminar, students are encouraged to bring material they find engaging and relevant to the class. They will also be able to anonymously submit feedback and questions/topics for discussion. The readings are selected to trigger thoughtful discussion particularly regarding but not limited to: bridging experiential and cultural gaps, how painful emotions heal, emotional literacy, the stories that influence our behaviors (and how to influence those stories), maintaining creative autonomy, and empathy.

When working with CISV, we ran an activity based on gender differences. The girls designed activities that would teach the boys about being a girl, and versa vice. I worked with the boys. One conversation went something like this:

"What would we like the girls to learn about what it is like to be a boy?"

"That it is better."

"Better. Better how?"

"Well, there is less pressure on what you have to be or look like, so you can be more relaxed."

When I think about this exchange, I think about how most adults I know would likely have reprimanded the boy, even if only by ignoring him. But by modeling interest in understanding one's meaning and motivation, a boy who had just joked about gender hierarchy was now sympathizing with the struggles caused by misogyny.

I try to model my teaching after this article:

http://bit.ly/92P1ex

A typical example of how creative writings can bring about real change is the following:
-a group of people explore the short story “Angel Levine” by Bernard Malamud that deals with racism, ethnic and religious issues and at the same time gives a positive idea about each which by analogy is positive reinforcement for people. Moreover, the group will then turn to exploring a story written on the topic of ethnic intolerance in Macedonia. Thus, the issue can be considered from a closer perspective. The idea of the story does not suspend reality but provides objective standpoint for discussion and solutions.
Primary activities will be based on artistic works, which we named “mirroring activities”, e.g. Beckett’s play Ohio Impromptu (purpose: restoring empathy) through an activity that involves Reader, Listener, Audience, some of which appear in Beckett’s play.
-narrative inquiry among participants resulting in creative stories to be published in our student magazine;
-analysing best photographs on ethnic tolerance chosen on a competition;
-analysing best creative stories/biographies of current writers from upcoming literature competition;
-role plays of critical situations led by experienced amateur actors;
-transforming best role plays into videos to raise awareness for tolerance
-audio & visual activities;
-oral & silent debates

One current controversy in Singapore is the proposed partial destruction of Bukit Brown Cemetery for a road.

It is difficult and time-consuming to construct a coherent narrative of events and factual arguments from a huge volume of disparate media reports. Furthermore, due to popular rhetoric, some teachers (mistakenly perceiving pro-conservation groups as anti-government) may choose to avoid the issue in class.

However, two NGOs contributed lesson plans to objectively examine this dilemma between conservation and development. (See http://backtoschool.publichouse.sg/2012/all-lessons/conservation-develop...)

Teachers can easily use this lesson plan to engage students to understand and empathise* with different perspectives, and learn ways of constructive debate and conflict resolution. (*Further assessment needed to properly gauge lessons' effectiveness.)

Teachers can easily find this lesson on the main page or by searching via Categories (Business, History, Environment, Politics, Society, Culture), Levels (Junior College/ Polytechnic), Activity (Debate, Discussion, Images, Quizzes, Role Play, Video) or tags (Conservation, Development, Future). A search function is also available.

This example is from our pilot project (currently at http://backtoschool.publichouse.sg.) We envision SchoolAsia.Org functioning similarly, featuring crowd-sourced lesson plans/ commentaries to promote critical awareness of current issues and empathic understanding of diverse views.

All four program elements— parent engagement programs, peer abuse/bullying prevention, parent training, and staff training —build developmental assets and work to build a caring school climate. The peer abuse/bullying prevention program and parent engagement programs are considered model programs delivered to students during school hours.
• The parent engagement program increases parental involvement in elementary schools. Adults share selected books and lead activities and discussions that help students understand how to develop strong friendships, stop bullying and create a common language to discuss behaviors at their school. (English/Spanish)
• The peer abuse/bullying prevention program empowers youth to identify and directly address bullying problems on their campus and to create a new normal on the campus. The students with the support of staff create and implement an action plan for their campus.
• The parent training program helps adults understand and make a stronger commitment to supporting young people and provides tools, exercises and strategies to help participants fulfill their commitment.
• School staff trainings and consultations help schools examine the factors that contribute the most to school success, the importance of building positive relationships with students and the serious negative impact of bullying behaviors on the entire school community.

This solution makes a difference because it adds to pedagogical approaches and makes a case for taught empathy at a younger age. It will help to provide data for why we need change in education. This is an example of one of the interventions I used in my initial research on empathy in reading comprehension. Students were asked to write a personal experience that happened in their life. The experience could have been a grandparent passing away, moving to a new country, or something that happened at school, etc. Students were asked to swap their writings, along with slippers they brought from home, with another student in class. Then, students got into smaller groups, read the other students’ writing and answered questions about the experience as if it were their own. This lesson was the first lesson to teach students what empathy means, and the only lesson, other than the empathy stories I read, to take place within the classroom. All other activities were real world experiences, such as the student working in the school cafeteria, where students really internalized what it means to walk in somebody else’s shoes.