Cultural Competence in a Multicultural World: Creating Opportunities for Members of Groups to Identify Their Similarities, Differences, and Assets
Learn how to create opportunities for people to identify common ground, respect differences, and appreciate strengths.
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WHY IS IDENTIFYING SIMILARITIES, DIFFERENCES, AND ASSETS IMPORTANT?
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HOW CAN OPPORTUNITIES TO IDENTIFY SIMILARITIES, DIFFERENCES, AND ASSETS BE CREATED IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
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HOW DO YOU INITIATE A PROCESS TO HELP INDIVIDUALS FROM DIFFERENT GROUPS FIND COMMON GROUND AND SHARE THEIR ASSETS?
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WHAT TYPES OF EVENTS CAN YOU COORDINATE TO CELEBRATE THE COMMUNITY'S DIVERSITY AND ASSETS?
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WHAT ACTIVITIES CAN YOU CONDUCT TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT CONDITIONS AND FORCES THAT HELP SHAPE A GROUP'S IDENTITY AND CURRENT SITUATION?
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WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF AND HOW CAN THE CHALLENGES BE OVERCOME?
WHY IS IDENTIFYING SIMILARITIES, DIFFERENCES, AND ASSETS IMPORTANT?
"They are always speaking in a different language. I don't understand them. What could I possibly have in common with them?"
"We all care about our children, no matter where we come from. I don't have a problem getting an appointment with the school principal. Why should you?"
"There is a high rate of alcohol abuse among Latino men. It's because they like to hang out and do nothing."
Have you heard these comments before? They typify the perceptions that people have about others because they assume that they are different or similar.
If we assume that we are different because of our culture, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, we may end up perpetuating stereotypes. But if we focus only on our similarities, we risk ignoring the differences that make our groups special and that are important to us. And if we look only at what is wrong with someone else's group based on what we think is right and wrong, we are ignoring their strengths and values. This section will provide you with guidance on how to create opportunities to help members of different ethnic and cultural groups find common ground, respect their differences, and appreciate their strengths.
Let's consider an effort to bridge differences between African American residents and Korean merchants in a neighborhood. If the effort focuses only on helping both groups understand their cultural traditions (e.g., wedding rituals, celebration of a newborn), we leave the effort with a better understanding of why Koreans and African Americans do what they do, but knowing still that they are different. The next time we meet another Korean family, we may assume that they are typical of any Korean family and without realizing it, expect them to behave a certain way.
If the effort focuses only on helping both groups understand their similarities, then the initial gap between them may actually appear smaller. For example, Koreans and African Americans consider "family" not just to be the immediate family, but also the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We leave the effort with a better understanding that Koreans and African Americans share similar values but not fully realizing that a Korean may have an easier time getting a job than an African American due to institutionalized racism.
If the effort focuses only on what is wrong with the two groups, for example, African American children are at risk because they don't have enough male role models or Korean children are at risk because they are caught between the traditional and the American worlds, then we leave the effort with little understanding about the assets of these two groups. Consequently, we might try to force these communities into a mold that is not right for them.
- Interact and develop trust, friendliness, warmth, and empathy
- See what they have in common as members of the same community and as hardworking individuals who want a better life for their children
- Reduce the myths about each other's groups
- Learn about the things that shape a person's life and cause differences among groups, especially differences related to political power and socioeconomic status
- Minimize the external influences that perpetuate stereotypes based on physical traits and other qualities
Keep in mind though that helping people to see their similarities, differences, and assets is only one step in the community building process. Unless this process is linked to actions that change the behaviors of groups of people and institutions, change will only occur at the individual level.
HOW CAN OPPORTUNITIES TO IDENTIFY SIMILARITIES, DIFFERENCES, AND ASSETS BE CREATED IN YOUR COMMUNITY?
Think of your approach as a multi-prong strategy with activities that allow people to share their similarities and to learn about the differences.
One example may be to design a discussion process to allow people to share their similarities, coordinate events that celebrate diversity, AND design a public education campaign to educate people about conditions that help shape a group's identity and current situation.
Build on issues that you know affect everyone in the community, such as healthy children, safer streets, clean parks, elderly care, or more recreational centers. Use these issues to create a common goal toward which everyone can work.
Identify the individuals who need to be engaged from each sector of the community that you are trying to build. If you are trying to build a community that has diverse ethnic groups, be sure that each group is included. If you are trying to build a community between people with different sexual orientations, be sure to include all of them.
Keep in mind: Be very careful about how you build on existing events or programs of existing organizations. For example, in one community, the neighborhood organization had a bad reputation of being exclusive and internally conflicted. Building on an event sponsored by the neighborhood organization or inviting more than one representative from this organization could lead others to think that nothing will change. Don't bypass this organization, because it has an important role in the community, but be explicit about its role and who the representative should be at the meeting.
On the other hand, building on an event or organization that has a positive image could give your effort more credibility. For example, ask a credible leader from a particular group to announce your effort at his/her event. This will provide you easier access to that particular group in the future and to demonstrate the blessing that your effort has received from that group.
Do your homework. Find out about events and organizations before you use them for your community building purposes.
Don't let someone from a particular group be an after-thought and invite that person after the second meeting has occurred. That person may think that he/she was secondary to the rest of the participants. If a key person from a particularly important group has not yet been identified or cannot make the first meeting, it may be wise to delay the meeting.
Additionally, adding a new person after the group has already met could threaten the trust and relationship-building that the group starts to have among its members. If it is difficult for you to decline a new person because this person is critical or a current member of the group insists on bringing a friend, make sure that you take the time to ask the group permission and to orient the new person before the next meeting.
Tip: The number of persons you invite from each group matters. You don't want one group to dominate. If you are inviting groups that have never come together before, it may be a good idea to invite two representatives from each group to reduce the fear of being a lone voice.
When scheduling the first meeting or discussion, be sensitive to people's schedules and traditions. For example, if you are trying to engage the Muslim community and it happens to be the month of Ramadan, schedule your meetings after they break their fast, or build in a break for them to say a prayer before they can eat. Once you have everyone at the first meeting, you can check future meeting schedules with them.
Pay attention to the meeting location, and make sure that it is not a location that is traditionally perceived as exclusive or representative of certain groups.
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