YOUR SOURCE FOR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING IN THE AFS NETWORK
AFS Centennial Issue
Learn more about Global Citizenship Education on page 3.
INTERCULTURAL LEARNING
Heart & Soul of AFS MELISSA LILES, CHIEF EDUCATION OFFICER, AFS INTERNATIONAL
2014 was an exceptional year for AFS Intercultural Programs. It was one of celebration and reflection as we commemorate our heritage and honor our founders. At the same time, the organization seized this opportunity as one for debate
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Find out what Oscar Arias said at the AFS Global Intercultural Education Symposium on page 6.
and self-examination in order to address how we can best continue to serve to society for the next 100 years.
months ago as an AFS Lifetime Trustee continued to challenge us to think beyond the present and always look ahead.
The question "What next?" rings all the more loudly as we say goodbye to Arthur (Art) Howe, Jr., a World War II AFS ambulance driver and one of our most passionate, beloved and outspoken leaders who from his time as president of AFS in the 1960s and 1970s until only a few
Against this backdrop, I am pleased to share that in addition to many of our normal features, this special edition of the AFS Intercultural
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IN THIS ISSUE Intercultural Learning: State of the AFS Network by Melissa Liles Page 1 CONCEPTS & THEORIES Globalizing Citizenship Education Milena Miladinovic Page 3 DID YOU KNOW? How It All Began Nicole Milano Page 4 LEARNING SESSION OUTLINE Proverbs and Core Values across Generations Hazar Yildirim Page 6 BEYOND ICL NEWS Interview with Irina Bokova Page 8
Learning to Live Together is Essential Roberto Ruffino Page 10 NETWORK & PARTNER INITIATIVES We Were There: European Youth Event Elisa Briga Page 12 NETWORK & PARTNER INITIATIVES Linking the AFS Mission with the Change Makers Initiative Erika Hosman Page 13 NETWORK & PARTNER INITIATIVES The AFS Centennial: A 100-Year Quest For A More Just And Peaceful World Sheryl Hilliard Tucker Page 14 CONFERENCE UPDATES Indicators and Measurement of Intercultural Competence Page 15
In The City Of Light, a Flame Of Peace Oscar Arias Page 16 NETWORK & PARTNER INITIATIVES Unity in Diversity Guillermo Brill Page 18 NETWORK & PARTNER INITIATIVES Volunteer Summer Summit on Diversity Education and Interfaith Dialogue Inga Menke Page 19 Intercultural Link Learning Program Mid-Year Update Sarah Collins Page 20 IMPACT OF LIVING ABROAD Cultural Learning Milena Miladinovic Page 21
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Link news magazine features some of the highlights of our centennial celebrations and leadership discussions that took place in November 2014 in Paris, France. These include the inspirational AFS Global Intercultural Education Symposium: Learning to Live Together— from Ideas to Action in which we asked luminaries in education and peace building to challenge us as to what AFS should focus on – and act on – next. See the challenges put forth to us by Nobel Peace Laureate Oscar Arias on page 16. Equally impactful was the spectacular 100 Years Young! AFS Youth Workshop and Symposium that brought together some 100 young people from 60+ different countries to answer the question "What does it mean to educate active global citizens?" These youth actors continue their work beyond Paris and are currently implementing their own projects designed to bring global citizenship education into their local communities.
alumni (returnees) and host families, or countless other supporters around the world – make a difference every day. It was a century ago, that the founder of the organization, A. Piatt Andrew, began a volunteer ambulance driver corps in Paris, France, that would evolve over time to become an education and social movement connecting millions of people across cultures in order to promote a more just and peaceful world. Thank you for your service toward our shared mission and looking forward to the next century of service and intercultural learning together. Warmly,
PS - As we enter into the second century of AFS in 2015, look for a new format of this news Read on for more about these and other ways in which magazine designed to further AFSers – be they amongst our 43000 active volunteers, thousands of classroom teachers, hundreds of thousands of inspire and inform you.
Our Mission & Vision 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.
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CONCEPTS & THEORIES
Globalizing Citizenship Education MILENA MILADINOVIC, COMMUNICATIONS FELLOW, AFS INTERNATIONAL
The notions of global citizens and their education are often posed in a strongly debated context of disputed definitions, unclear rights and responsibilities, and vague implications for practitioners. Without trying to impose an all-encompassing solution to this debate, we would like to locate these concepts in the context of AFS, its volunteers, staff and program participants.
Learning: The Treasure Within, also known as the “Delors Report”, proposes a holistic and integrated vision of education based on the paradigms of lifelong learning, and the four pillars of learning to be, learning to know, learning to do, and learning to live together. These four pillars and especially the last one, learning to live together, inspired the theme of the AFS Global Intercultural Education Symposium:
Global citizenship is a concept that uses and then builds on the classical notion of citizenship, which entails certain rights, responsibilities and allegiance to a sovereign state. The responsibilities of global citizens however, are not tied to one specific state, but rather expand to the global community, leading to what is usually termed as “a sense of connectedness and belonging extended to all of humanity”. A global citizen thus has an increased awareness of the needs of others and acts in a way that contributes to and improves the lives of others with a sense of commitment to social justice at the local, national, and international levels. From this notion stems the idea of global citizenship education. Global citizenship education is a paradigm which frames the development of knowledge, skills, values and attitudes learners need for securing a world which is more just, peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, secure and sustainable. This concept also recognizes that global citizens cannot appear and thrive on their own, but that there is a need for their education to help them understand various social and cultural issues beyond their local realities. This education does not stop only at the level of acquiring knowledge, but also moves to the realm of building necessary skills, values and attitudes. When properly educated, global citizens are a part of something more than one culture or nationality, contributing to the world in a meaningful and constructive way. AFS mission which tasks our volunteers and staff to provide intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world emphasizes our ongoing dedication to putting global citizenship education in practice through different opportunities AFS provides. Global citizenship education is also part of our Educational Goals aiming to develop the participants’ cultural and global awareness by providing immersive learning experiences in new environments combined with regular reflection and coaching. On the one hand,
“Learning to live together, by developing an understanding of others and their history, traditions and spiritual values and, on this basis, creating a new spirit which, guided by recognition of our growing interdependence and common analysis of these risks and challenges of the future, would induce people to implement common projects or to manage the inevitable conflicts in an intelligent and peaceful way”.
participants of AFS programs build their global competences through structured and guided experiential learning while exploring a foreign culture. On the other hand, AFS volunteers and staff work of their own education and competency development, including through convening with other civil society and youth representatives to discuss globally relevant topics, as is the case during the AFS Centennial Celebrations. Global citizenship education includes overlapping areas of human rights education, peace education, education for sustainable development and education for international understanding. It allows different approaches in different geographic areas and it fosters: ✓ an understanding of multiple levels and layers of identity ✓
a knowledge of global issues and values such as justice, equality, dignity and respect
✓
cognitive skills such as critical thinking and the ability to shift perspectives
✓
non-cognitive skills including empathy and effective communication across cultures collaborative and responsible approach to solving global challenges, while striving for the collective good.
✓
continued on page 4
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Intercultural competence which enables effective functioning across cultures is composed of specific knowledge, skills and attitudes and is also essential for global citizenship. The development of intercultural competence overlaps with the universal values of the global citizens, committed to helping build a more peaceful, just, and equitable world. However, an interculturally competent person who doesn’t act for the benefit of others is not essentially a global citizen. This is where the work of educators and AFS becomes vital: preparing learners not only for personal development or successful careers but also for awareness, care and effective participation in the global community. The critical role of educators and educational organizations like AFS plays in developing global citizens is also underscored by Milton Bennett, a leading expert in intercultural matters: “Intercultural sensitivity is not natural. It is not part of our primate
past, nor has it characterized most of human history. Cross-cultural contact usually has been accompanied by bloodshed, oppression or genocide. The continuation of this pattern in today’s world of unimagined interdependence is not just immoral or unprofitable – it is self-destructive… Education and training in intercultural communication is an approach to changing ‘natural’ behavior.”
References: Ashwill, M.A, Du’o’ng, T.H.O. (2009). Developing Globally Competent Citizens: The Contrasting Cases of the United States and Vietnam. In SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence (pp. 141 - 157). Thousand Oaks, California, USA: SAGE Publications. Bennett, M. (1993). Towards Ethnorelativism: A Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. In Education for the Intercultural Experience. Yarmouth, Maine, USA: Intercultural Press. Delors, J. (1996). Learning: The Treasure Within. Paris, France: UNESCO. UNESCO. (2014). Global Citizenship Education: Preparing learners for the challenges of the twenty-first century. Paris, France: UNESCO.
DID YOU KNOW?
How It All Began NICOLE MILANO, HEAD ARCHIVIST AND HISTORICAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR, AFS INTERNATIONAL
AFS Fellowships for French Universities During 2014-2015, AFS celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding. AFS has grown and adapted to the changing needs of the world over the past century; from its start as a volunteer American ambulance and camion (truck) corps working alongside the French military to save lives in World War I, to become an educational organization that provides intercultural learning opportunities primarily through student exchange, training and other programs in more than 100 countries around the world. Today, AFS is maybe best known for the secondary school exchange programs which were created by the AFS drivers after World War II. Less known is that AFS had already been involved in peacetime educational student exchanges for nearly twenty years by the time the high-school programs were created in 1946. The AFS Fellowships for French Universities, established shortly after World War I, funded students on the graduate school level to travel to and from France for advanced study. For American Field Service (AFS) founder A. Piatt Andrew, the fundamental purpose of the original program was to continue the peaceful ties between the United States and France after the Great War. In a banquet speech in May 1920, Andrew proclaimed that the AFS Fellowships would not only “promote continued on page 5
AFS French Fellows (1947-1948) Gabriel Walkenaer, Bernard Blanche, and Jean François-Poncet, who later served as French Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1978 and 1981. Photograph by Duette (Boston).
Note from the Archivist: This is the first in a series of articles from the AFS Archives, the official repository for AFS Intercultural Programs. The AFS Archives contains original documents, photographs, and memorabilia from World War I through the present day. As the AFS Archives staff continue to preserve and make the history of AFS accessible to educators and researchers around the world, the AFS Intercultural Link News Magazine will feature occasional articles from the Archives, beginning with this issue. Visit www.afs.org/archives for more information.
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science and learning, but will tend to perpetuate, long after all of us are gone, the fraternity and understanding between the youth of the two countries which so strikingly characterized their relations in old Field Service days.” The goal was to endow 127 fellowships per year, each one to be named in honor of one of the AFS drivers who died during the war. However, the funds necessary to endow the AFS Fellowships were scarce until French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau initiated a formal campaign in 1922. The promotion of AFS through Clemenceau’s campaign sparked a relationship between AFS and the Institute of International Education (IIE), and after 1924, the administration of the AFS Fellowships was delegated to the IIE in New York City.
The AFS Association was established in 1920 to coordinate reunions among former AFS drivers, including this 1925 pilgrimage to France, and also to facilitate the AFS Fellowships for French Universities.
The success of the secondary school scholarships established after World War II prompted AFS to reallocate its annual funds, and in 1952 the AFS Fellowships were discontinued. While never reaching its goal of 127 fellowships per year, the program was still able to fund 222 fellows. Notable former AFS Fellows include Grayson Kirk (1928-1929), who became the president of Columbia University during the student protests of 1968; Maurice Perouse (1936-1937), who became a financial leader in France and Europe; and Raymond Aubrac (1937-1938), a leading figure of the French Resistance during World War II and founder of the underground newspaper Libération-Sud.
Photographs courtesy of the Archives of the American Field Service and AFS Intercultural Programs. The owner of copyright for one of these items is unknown. Please contact AFS at icl@afs.org if you can help identify the copyright holder(s).
THANK YOU, MILENA! Over the last 18 months Milena Miladinovic, our Communications Fellow, Manager of this News Magazine and the AFS ICL Blog has become an integral part of the Education and Intercultural Learning Department at AFS International. During her fellowship Milena contributed to the success of many AFS projects surpassing all expectations. She will continue to do so as she returns to her previous role as the ICL Responsible for AFS Serbia. Milena will continue working closely with AFS International and supporting the AFS Network, and as her fellowship comes to an end we thank her enormously for her ongoing commitment to education, intercultural learning and AFS.
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LEARNING SESSION OUTLINE
Proverbs and Core Values across Generations HAZAR YILDIRIM, CONTENT & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, AFS INTERNATIONAL
MATERIALS Flip chart, markers, post-its, pens, papers The three wise monkeys embody the proverbial principle to "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil"
Proverbs are often considered to be nuggets of wisdom that are passed down from one generation to the next. These succinct, metaphorical expressions are often easy to remember due to their vivid language or rhythmical structure, yet they require culture-specific knowledge to be properly interpreted and used. Proverbs are usually based on collective experience and convey governing principles of behavior, social norms and values. Deeply rooted in every culture around the world, most proverbs have been around for decades, yet in most cases are still commonly used as a part of daily communication. It is always interesting and useful to see what an accurate indicator of present-day values proverbs are for a culture. However, proverbs also may have different implications for members of different generations, due to any number of reasons: a changed set of circumstances, availability of new information or previous experiences. In light of celebrating 100 years of AFS and our history of intercultural encounters, we bring you this learning session outline, which focuses on discovering the values behind proverbs, the historical or current values they communicate and their meaning across different generations. This learning session will enable the participants to see how a fragment of our culture is a microcosm of the whole, which can tell us a lot once we think about and analyze it thoroughly. SESSION GOALS ✓ Develop an understanding of core values of one’s own and other cultures through proverbs, ✓ Identify core values of a culture using proverbs and their implications for different generations. LEARNING OBJECTIVES After this session, participants will be able to: ✓ Explain the link between proverbs and core values of cultures ✓ Use proverbs to help identify core values of a culture ✓ Be more analytical when interpreting cultural values and traditions of others ✓ Better understand how similar values can have different interpretations for different generations. NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS 15-20 participants (preferably representing different age groups)
SUGGESTED TIME 60 minutes STEP-BY-STEP SESSION DESCRIPTION 1. Introduction (5 min): Introduce the activity by discussing what proverbs are and asking each participant to write down two or three proverbs they are familiar with on post-its. 2. Trio discussions (5 min): Ask participants to form groups of three and to share one of the proverbs they have written down with two other people. The group should briefly discuss what each of the shared proverbs means and any alternative interpretations they could each have. Then they should choose one of these proverbs to share with the entire group. 3. Group sharing (10 min): Ask the trio-groups to share one of the proverbs they have discussed with the whole group and invite others to share comments and other explanations, if there are any.
Tip: If the participants include representatives of different cultures, invite them to share examples from their home cultures and compare with the ones they learned during their time interacting with other cultures. They may be surprised how many similarities there are, or discover differences between the two cultures. 4. Proverbs gallery (5 min): Once all groups share their selected proverbs ask everyone to put up all the others they have on post-its on a wall/board. If the space permits, have everyone silently look through all the proverbs shared. 5. Group discussion (5 min): Ask the participants what kind of similarities they see between all the proverbs shared and how they think proverbs are formed. Facilitate this discussion to transition into following discussion about cultural values. 6. Values presentation (10 min): Ask a volunteer from the group to explain what cultural values are and introduce the iceberg and/or onion model of culture to make clarifications. If the level of knowledge in the group requires, draw the models to explain a culture value as commonly shared concepts among a community of individuals which motivate certain behaviors. continued on page 19
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7. Proverbs and values (10 min): Guide the group to analyze a selected set of proverbs to see what core values each can be linked to within the culture they come from. Write shared proverbs on the left and the related core values identified by the group on the right. You can use a few examples from the list below to help clarify the task for the group.
Examples of Proverbs*
Core Value
Don’t cry over spilt milk.
Practicality
Waste not, want not.
Frugality
God helps those who help themselves.
Initiative
A man’s home is his castle.
Privacy
No rest for the weary.
Work ethic
You’ve made your bed, now sleep in it.
Accountability
*For the purpose of this article, all the proverbs listed are in English. However we encourage you to adapt it to your language or use different examples where you see fit. Tip: Self-reflection: If time permits, ask participants to identify a proverb from their own culture and self-reflect for a few minutes to assess to which degree the value(s) this proverb communicates shapes their behavior.
8. Group discussion (5 min): Ask how these values manifest in other people’s behaviors or habits. What are the different interpretations of these proverbs and values for representatives of different generations? Tip: Suggest an important value not illustrated by one of the proverbs listed (e.g. strong family ties, respect for elders, success, equality) and see if anyone can recall a proverb that fits – or, if not, see if anyone can make up a proverb that does. 9. Debriefing (10 min): Reflect with the participants on the following questions: ✓ What impact do proverbs have in governing one’s behavior and communication style? ✓ Have you noticed this impact in others? ✓ What role do proverbs have in transmitting values between different generations of a culture? ✓ What is the power of proverbs in increasing intercultural competence and learning about other cultures or generations? ✓ What are some of the ways in which proverbs can help in intercultural situations?
Based on U.S. Proverbs and Core Values, by L. Robert Kohls, published in Experiential Activities for Intercultural Learning, Volume 1 edited by H. Ned Seelye and published by Intercultural Press, Inc. in 1996.
Netherlandish Proverbs is a painting that depicts a scene in which humans and, to a lesser extent, animals and objects, offer literal illustrations of dozens of Dutch proverbs and idioms.
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BEYOND ICL NEWS
Interview with Irina Bokova DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNESCO
Irina Bokova has been the DirectorGeneral of UNESCO since 2009, and is the first woman to lead the organization. She is actively engaged in international efforts to advance quality education for all, gender equality, cultural dialogue and scientific cooperation for sustainable development and is leading UNESCO as a global advocate for safety of journalists and freedom of expression. Ms Bokova has received state distinctions from countries across the world and is Doctor honoris causa of leading universities.
What does global citizenship education mean for you? How does intercultural learning contribute to promoting global citizenship? We live in an increasingly globalized and interdependent world, facing challenges that can only be resolved with a sense of shared responsibility. This comes down to understanding that unity and diversity are two sides of the same coin. Both our common humanity and our tremendous diversity are forces for building a better world – one that is founded on respect for universal human rights and dignity. Poverty anywhere is a threat to peace and security. So is inequality and discrimination against girls and women. Whether we are speaking about adapting to climate change, finding answers to a global
health crisis or living side by side with people of different cultures and backgrounds, we need to be guided by shared values and a vision of the future we want to build together. This starts early – in schools. The purpose of any education system should be to equip learners with the ability to live a fulfilling and meaningful life, to nurture their potential and to develop skills and competencies that will serve them for the world beyond school. This is why global citizenship education is so essential today – because it provides the competencies for learning to live together and for acquiring the skills to engage in positive change, both locally and globally. The term “Global Citizenship Education“ was coined many decades ago, but I would say it has come of age. It is not by chance that “fostering global citizenship” is one of the three pillars of the UN Secretary-General’s UN Global Education First Initiative launched in 2012, and that UNESCO is steering forward. UNESCO is leading international consultations on global citizenship education to advance the concept, to share best practices and to help countries mainstream this approach within education systems. Intercultural learning is central to global citizenship education. It is the base for mutual understanding and links communities, both locally and globally. I would say that “cultural literacy” is a key to the success of global citizenship education – understanding one’s own cultures, learning about the richness of other cultures and how they influence each other – this is the best way to fight intolerance and promote understanding. This is also one of the ideals behind UNESCO’s Associated Schools Network that celebrated its 60th anniversary this year.
What is the role of young people in fostering a sustainable dialogue between and within societies and cultures? Young people are the ultimate renewable energy of our world – they represent a force of 1.1 billion young people between the ages of 15 and 24. They are more connected than any generation has ever been, communicating through multiple channels, notably social media, exploring new ideas and influencing the world. Connected and informed, they are driving global citizenship education with new and creative ideas and energy. With learning being more interactive than ever before, youth are key partners in designing and implementing global citizenship education. We must listen to them and make them full-fledged partners in shaping global citizenship education. Let me say that the Youth Advocacy Group of the Global Education First Initiative represents a formidable group of committed global citizens, who stand as examples of what can be done to drive positive change.
What competencies are necessary for learners so that they can fully participate in intercultural dialogue? UNESCO has led extensive consultations on this since 2013. We have identified three conditions to make intercultural dialogue possible. The starting point is respect for one’s own cultural identity and to understand, from there, the value of our cultural diversity – the need for opening up to others. Second, it is the understanding that we each have multiple levels of identity, but that we share, beyond our cultural, religious, ethnic or other differences – a sense of belonging to a common humanity. Finally, we must gain what continued on page 9
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can be called “soft skills” – the ability to experience empathy, to resolve conflicts and to interact with people of different backgrounds, origins, cultures and perspectives, with the sense that we are enriched by difference and bound to one another by a sense of solidarity. I may add that we are currently at the start of the UN International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2013-2022), for which UNESCO is the lead agency. The objective of the Decade is to promote mutual understanding and respect for diversity, rights and equal dignity between peoples, through intercultural dialogue and concrete initiatives. In a world that is increasingly fragile, we need a renewed commitment by all to dialogue, to tolerance, reconciliation and understanding. It is not enough to live together, societies must grow together. It is not enough to exchange, we must share. Again, global citizenship education provides the resources for doing this.
What are the main trends and challenges in promoting global citizenship education and intercultural learning today? It can take a while for concepts to be understood – looking back this was the case with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) when the Decade was launched in 2002. Now we are seeing ESD integrated into curricula across the world and over 80 Ministers attending the World Conference that took place at the same time as your Global Intercultural Education Symposium here in Paris. The two are connected, because they are about influencing skills, attitudes and values towards our peers, our surroundings and our planet. UNESCO is working to clarify misunderstandings and myths around global citizenship education, and to operationalize this approach, because this often remains new, uncharted territory. It can be challenging, for example, to reconcile the universal with context-specific values, but I am convinced it is possible.
citizenship education to be part of the Countries need support to post-2015 education development mainstream global citizenship agenda, and will give it prominent education in national education space at the World Education Forum systems – including policies, teaching that gathers in Incheon, Republic of practices, curricula and learning Korea in May 2015 – a milestone environments. To this end, event for the global community. UNESCO is developing a Guiding Framework on GCE with age-specific What actions do you topics and learning objectives that recommend AFS to take as an will provide guidance to policy educational (civil society) makers, curriculum developers and other education personnel at organization and intercultural country level. exchange provider? Finally, we are hearing more and First and foremost, I would like to more about global citizenship warmly congratulate AFS education activities at country level, Intercultural Programs on this 100th which is an encouraging sign. This anniversary. I am convinced that you also generates a need for information- have a tremendously important role sharing and policy dialogue. In to play in a world that, despite being response, UNESCO is developing a increasingly connected, is fraught clearinghouse on global citizenship with tensions and intolerance. The education in partnership with the roots of these lie in ignorance of the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for other, denial of diversity and very International Understanding, a often, lack of meaningful education. centre based in the Republic of Last year’s Nobel Peace Prize went to Korea under the auspices of two ardent defenders of education – UNESCO. I have seen the Malala Yousafzai and Kailash trailblazing work they are doing to Satyarthi. The first, as you know, is promote global citizenship education, 17 years old. What an inspiration for through exchanges, youth worldwide! teacher training and “Cultural literacy” is The AFS Global other initiatives. a key to the success Intercultural Education Our Regional of global citizenship Symposium will highlight Education Bureau education – good practice and give in Bangkok also understanding one’s voice to young people. I produced a report own cultures, am certain there is fertile covering 10 learning about the ground for cooperation countries in Asiarichness of other with UNESCO as we Pacific that cultures and how further develop and provides an they influence each advance the concept of overview of how other – this is the global citizenship these countries are best way to fight education and foster the working to promote intolerance and rapprochement of skills and promote cultures. competences understanding. I am convinced that associated with cultural literacy is a key to intercultural peace and building more just and learning. inclusive societies – and that your UNESCO will be organizing the dynamic youth network, combined Second Forum on Global Citizenship with UNESCO’s expertise and Education from 28 to 30 January, convening power, can promote ways which will offer a platform for further of living together in our globalized exchange. I am pleased that Global and fragile world – one of the most Citizenship Education is cited in the demanding challenges facing proposals of the Open Working education systems and the Group for the Sustainable responsibility of our societies towards Development Goals. We will present and future generations. continue to advocate for global
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INTERVIEW WITH ROBERTO RUFFINO, SECRETARY GENERAL OF AFS ITALY
Learning to Live Together Is Essential CONDUCTED BY MILENA MILADINOVIC, COMMUNICATIONS FELLOW, AFS INTERNATIONAL
Roberto Ruffino is the Secretary General of Intercultura, the Italian national AFS organization for intercultural exchanges. Among many other roles he has played in AFS over the past decades, he is also Honorary Chairman of EFIL, the European Federation for Intercultural Learning, and a member of the AFS network Intercultural Learning Work Group. In 2007 he was one of the founders of the Fondazione Intercultura, which promotes research and experimentation in educational exchanges. In assigning him an honorary doctor degree in educational sciences, the University of Padua defined him as “an entrepreneurial leader in the field of intercultural education, which he helped introduce into the schools; the merit of his work in the field of educational exchanges is recognized and valued internationally”. As the AFS network was preparing celebrate its centennial in Paris, we met with Roberto Ruffino for an interview about the highlights of education in AFS’s and Intercultura’s history. We hope you enjoy these reflections about the organization’s historical developments.
What was the main motivation behind AFS identifying itself as an intercultural organization? For a couple of decades after World War II, AFS focused on world peace and creating mutual understanding among nations through a student exchange program between the United States and the Western
world. This scheme entered a credibility crisis in the 1960s. On the one hand, there was a war in Vietnam, and on the other the world was divided by the Cold War. We started wondering what kind of “peace” we were building. There was a feeling of disconnection between the AFS idea of exchanges and what was happening around the world. This inspired us to look more deeply into the concept of peace, and we started a dialogue with the leading researchers in the field, such as Johan Galtung of the Peace Research Institute Oslo. We came to realize that lack of cultural understanding of the values and behaviors of others was one of the causes of wars. People tend to idolize their own way of life, while disparaging and stereotyping others. We found the answer to these issues in supporting intercultural communication. In the 1970s many other organizations shared this interest, such as SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education Training and Research), which was established in early Seventies, to look into cultural relations. This is also when we decided to change the name of our European umbrella organization from AFS Europe to European Federation for Intercultural Learning (EFIL). Around the AFS global network we kept involving experts from the intercultural field in our work. Still, this transition was not an easy one, and it was challenging to replace the concept of “international” with “intercultural” in AFS.
What are some of the most successful educational initiatives of AFS over the years that you could share with us? The turning point for AFS was to move away from just talking about peace to actually understanding the concept better and focusing on intercultural communication. During Neil Grove’s time as the Director of Research at AFS, the most significant event was the1984 Workshop on Intercultural Learning Content and Quality Standards (Montreal Workshop). At that meeting the educational content of our programs was formulated, along with some of its most important practical features – how to prepare students for their time abroad, how to support them during and after the experience. That was the conceptual grounding of AFS as an educational organization which affirmed AFS’s commitment to intercultural learning and formally defined our Educational Goals in terms of personal values and skills, interpersonal relationship building, intercultural knowledge and sensitivity, and global issues awareness. continued on page 11
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What were the key moments for the development in Italy? In Italy, this focus on intercultural education was also seen formally, when the organization was renamed from AFS Italy to “Intercultura” in 1977. We started to collaborate with UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the European Commission and many other institutions in order to get an external perspective on intercultural matters. A very significant initiative was established in 1978-79, when the first training weekends for secondary school teachers were established. These trainings consisted of workshops on the value of intercultural communication and learning, as well as the benefits of the AFS experience, and they were attended by well over 300 teachers every year from schools which sent
and hosted AFSers. In 1989 we upgraded the workshops and introduced them to the principals, forming an alliance with the National Association of School Principals. Over the years, we have reached almost every principal in Italy, and we continue to do so – more recently also through web seminars which reach 400 schools every time.
Where should AFS go from here? I believe our priority should be to help denationalize our school systems, as we have a social responsibility to help schools understand that the future requires opening up to other cultures in a meaningful way. It is not just about travelling, but rather about understanding the values and
memories of others. In a nutshell, learning to live together is essential, which is also a central theme of our Global Intercultural Education Symposium during the celebration of 100 years of AFS. We have a powerful tool – the student exchanges – that we have practiced for 70 years and we should focus on what we do well. We should continue with student and teacher exchanges, expand the educational opportunities we provide to people, improve curriculum design and opportunities for sharing experiences, while using educational events, campaigns, social media and all other similar tools to expand our impact to wider audiences. This way we’ll improve the educational impact of our programs and recognition by other educators: We need to continue Expanding our Expertise.
MEET OUR ADVISORS
Claire Rozier INTERCULTURAL LEARNING RESPONSIBLE, AFS FRANCE
Claire Rozier has been the School Relations, Intercultural Learning and Training Coordinator at AFS France since 2012. This role was created within a larger strategic action plan named "Plan Kaleidoscope" and its objective is to reinforce AFS’s educational positioning both toward internal but also external audiences, more precisely schools and educational authorities. Claire is also the organization’s ICL Responsible, working on enhancing the AFS’s educational positioning,
Claire Rozier, AFS France
at UNESCO, as a part of the AFS
international trade, and political
Centennial Celebrations organized
sciences.
in Paris, France this November.
She joined the AFS France's team
Claire never went on an AFS
as an intern in the Programs
exchange, but has been interested
Department in 2008, going on to
in living abroad and different
become the hosting support
nationally.
cultures since she was a child. She
coordinator a few months later.
Claire was on the prep-team of the
started traveling during her
During a one-year break in Mexico,
university studies and lived in
she stayed involved with AFS,
Spain, Ireland, and Mexico. Her
mainly in the design of the French
educational background consists
intercultural news magazine,
of different paths: languages,
Cultures Sans Frontière.
developing new projects with schools and educational authorities, both locally and
100 Years Young! Workshops and Symposium and the Global Intercultural Education Symposium
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NETWORK & PARTNER INITIATIVES
We Were There: European Youth Event ELISA BRIGA, ADVOCACY, PROJECT AND PROGRAMME COORDINATOR, EUROPEAN FEDERATION FOR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING (EFIL)
5,500 young people gathered in Strasbourg, France in May 2014 to discuss Ideas for a Better Europe at the European Youth Event, organized by the European Parliament in partnership with the European Youth Forum and other institutions. The event covered five main themes: digital revolution, the future of the European Union, sustainable development, youth unemployment, and European values. At the fifth edition of YO!Fest, the youth festival organized by the European Youth Forum, mixing political debates with musical and artistic performances was a key part of the large scale event. And, in the YO!Village there were more than 50 stands, prepared by youth organizations and others. The European Federation for Intercultural Learning (EFIL), the umbrella organization for AFS in Europe, had a strong presence at the event with 22 volunteers from 9 different AFS organizations: Belgium Flanders, Germany, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and Switzerland. Two EFIL volunteers were also
tasked to support the European Youth Forum with the logistics of the event. AFS volunteers at the EFIL stand which was setup in front of the European Parliament and the YO! Village facilitated a non-formal learning activity for the duration of the event, which aimed at connecting Europeans through their shared values and creating Chains of Values. More than 400 people took part over the course of two days. Have a look at EFIL Facebook gallery displaying the chains of values here. Mobility, diversity and intercultural learning were widely discussed, but social issues such as human rights and social inclusion were also raised as a part of the activities. The House of European History, a soon to be opened museum in Brussels, will display the artwork created, namely the chains of values, at their temporary exhibition.
AFS volunteers also attended the panel discussions and many activities offered as a part of the event. Finally, this was also an important occasion for EFIL and AFS to learn about the work of other like-minded organizations while giving visibility to our own work on intercultural learning in Europe and beyond.
Impressions of participants: “The best workshop for me was the one on inclusion of deaf people into our education system. This inspired me to go back to Belgium and to get involved into the deaf community of my city. What is more, I'm applying for a class of sign language. So excited! :)”
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NETWORK & PARTNER INITIATIVES
Linking the AFS Mission with the Change Makers Initiative ERIKA HOSMAN, VOLUNTEER DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR, AFS COLOMBIA
Joining the Change Makers initiative lead by AFS International, AFS Colombia is taking the challenge and encouraging local volunteers and participants to think outside the box to create projects with links to AFS Educational Goals especially on the global level. We partnered up with Ashoka Change Makers and are now developing and implementing projects that have an impact in our local communities. A good example is the “Saving the Ubaté River” (Subaté). The “Subaté” project was selected among others during our first "Dream It. Do It." workshop that took place at the AFS Colombia Intercultural Learning Center in collaboration with Ashoka Colombia in 2013. This project promotes the preservation of water resources in the city of Ubaté by cleaning up the river of solid waste pollution. Ubaté is a small town 70 kilometers north of the capital Bogotá and pollution of its main river has been an
important issue that has long been neglected by the local community.
competences gained through their experiences in AFS.
Participants of the AFS Community Service Program: Jan Eijking, Richard Konig, Marco Hopf, Jan Martin Ferl, and local volunteers Alejandra Sierra and Carolina González were the founders of the project which has been enthusiastically accepted by the local community. It has also received great support including important resources and logistics from the local mayor.
The AFS mission and AFS Educational Goals task AFSers with responsibilities to create a better world. Global understanding, interest in and concern about world affairs and awareness of the impact of one’s choices on others, as well as commitment to contributing to the world community are a part of our goals. This is why we encourage our volunteers to be leaders in their communities, through their actions and behaviors but also by carrying out projects that can transform people’s minds and the community.
We strongly believe that youth has the potential to change the paradigms in our local communities; their energy and dedication are among best tools and motors to achieve this goal. With this in mind, AFS Colombia and Ashoka Change Makers initiative are collaborating on multiple levels: Through trainings and related events we are preparing our volunteers and raising their awareness about the impact they can have in their local communities using intercultural
AFS Colombia is currently planning a series of conferences, trainings, and discussions, for all Colombian volunteers to help them identify how they can participate in the Change Makers initiative and to give them the skills they need to become agents of change for their communities.
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NETWORK & PARTNER INITIATIVES
The AFS Centennial: A 100-Year Quest for a More Just and Peaceful World SHERYL HILLIARD TUCKER, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS, AFS INTERNATIONAL
Inspector General A. Piatt Andrew and Assistant Inspector General Stephen Galatti at the AFS headquarters in Paris, France. 1917. Photograph by H.C. Ellis. Courte
The 100-year-old story of the American Field Service (AFS) is good for showcasing the importance of volunteerism and intercultural learning. With roots grounded in volunteer service during World War I, the AFS Centennial commemorates our past, and celebrates our future helping people develop the knowledge, skills and understanding required to create a more just and peaceful world. Last November in Paris, France, the AFS Centennial Celebrations were more than a 100-year birthday party. Convening AFS leaders, volunteers, returnees, program participants, friends and supporters, AFS explored ways to leverage what we have learned over the past 10 decades to make an even greater impact in the 21st Century. The theme of the AFS Centennial set the tone of an organization on the move—The AFS Effect: Daring to Create Change.
A group of participants pose with a renovated Ford T Model AFS Ambulance, during AFS Returnee Day celebrated on November 7 2014, in Paris, France.
Volunteering to Serve Across Borders Key to our quest for cultural tolerance and our commitment to educating the global citizen is the history that makes AFS qualified as an intercultural change agent. At a time when their country remained neutral, tens of thousands of U.S. Americans volunteered their services to provide humanitarian and military aid in a war. Central to this massive World War I relief effort was the American Ambulance Field Service (later to be known as AFS), founded in April 1915. Under the leadership of A. Piatt Andrew, AFS ambulance drivers transported 500,000 wounded by the end of the war. Stephen Galatti, who had been Assistant General Inspector to Andrew during part of World War I, reactivated AFS in 1939 at the start of World War II. AFS ambulance drivers carried more than 700,000 casualties during this war. Transforming the Mission to Promote Intercultural Exchange For Galatti and many of the drivers who left their hometowns and university studies to serve, the devastation of war seeded their determination to continue the AFS mission of volunteer service—but this time promoting global peace and understanding through cultural exchange experiences. In 1946, the AFS drivers established the American Field Service secondary school exchange programs and one year later invited university and secondary school students from 10 countries to come to the United States on scholarships. The secondary school students from six war-torn countries – France, Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Britain, Norway, and Syria – lived with American families and attended secondary schools in their communities.
continued on page 13
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“We honor the creativity and foresight of the drivers who transformed AFS from a wartime volunteer humanitarian aid program to a groundbreaking international high school student exchange program with a noble vision: to help build a more peaceful world by promoting understanding among cultures.” says Vincenzo Morlini, president and CEO of AFS Intercultural Programs. Over the next 68 years, more than 450,000 students and an equal number of hosting and sending families from more than 110 countries have participated in various AFS intercultural exchange and volunteer programs. Making the Case for Educating Global Citizens At the core of the AFS Centennial Celebrations in Paris was a week of reflection and creative brainstorming. The AFS global community - young
and old - came together to share ideas, perspectives and insights on what more AFS can do to educate and support an international community of global citizens
promoting mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
This year, practitioners and academics from leading universities in Germany, Italy, Poland, Turkey, the UK and USA were joined by representatives of AFS and other organizations. Participants of this FILE conference got a chance to take part in sessions facilitated by Rui Gomes, head of division for Education and Training at the Youth Department of the Council of Europe and others. The busy agenda for the conference included discussion topics such as trends in European youth vs. international culture, openness to diversity, xenophobia as well as an overview of different types of indicators of progress towards intercultural competence and their measurement.
be voluntary, participatory and learner centered. The Forum pointed at the need to have realistic expectations, to clearly define measurable actions that we assess, to involve the participants in the assessment process form the beginning, and to share the results of the assessment for the benefit of the participants themselves, of our organization and of those who support us.
Stay tuned for details on upcoming editions of this news magazine for the outcomes of AFS’ 100th anniversary.
CONFERENCE UPDATES
Indicators and Measurement of Intercultural Competence When assessing intercultural learning progress with adolescents on an exchange program, what do we want to measure and how? This was the main topic the fifth annual Forum on Intercultural Learning and Exchange (FILE) which took place in October 2014 in Vienna, Austria tackled. Building on the previous FILE sessions, this one focused on specific indicators of intercultural competence acquired through informal learning and non-formal education and on methodologies to measure them. Sixty experts, researchers and practitioners in the field of international youth exchanges and intercultural learning are invited to FILE every year for a unique opportunity to meet, discuss and exchange experiences.
After two FILEs on assessment many questions remain unanswered, however, our main conclusion is the awareness that assessment should
Forum on Intercultural Learning and Exchange 2014 was convened by the Intercultura Foundation from Italy, AFS Austauschprogramme für interkulturelles Lernen from Austria, the European Federation for Intercultural Learning (EFIL) and AFS Intercultural Programs. The next FILE will be hosted by Intercultura Foundation in Colle Val d’Elsa, Italy, on 29-31 October 2015.
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In the City of Light, a Flame of Peace PRESIDENT OSCAR ARIAS, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE
My dear friends:
We are proud to share with you excerpts from the speech that Mr Oscar Arias delivered at the AFS Global Intercultural Education Symposium – Learning to Live Together, from Ideas to Action in Paris in November 2014. For the complete version of the speech, please visit the Symposium’s website at symposium.afs.org. Oscar Arias was President of Costa Rica and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his Central American peace plan. As President, he took measures to cope with Costa Rica’s economic problems, and to restore peace and political stability in Central America. He has set up the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress, which promotes peace and equality throughout the world. The foundation has focused largely on disarmament and the end of the international arms trade, aiding those most negatively affected – women and youth. Arias is well known for championing the value of education, employment and health for achieving peace and security.
To come to France is to recall, and to relish anew, the words of the countless writers, artists and philosophers who have made this country such a beacon of wisdom and beauty for the world. In thinking about the American Field Service Intercultural Programs, and about the commitment to education that your organization exemplifies, the son of France who came to my mind was Victor Hugo, whose words have inspired so many. He wrote: “Teach the ignorant as much as you can; society is guilty in not providing a free education for all, and it must answer for the night which it produces. If the soul is left in darkness, sins will be committed. The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but he who causes the darkness.” […] I am so pleased to join you here today in the “city of light” – a fitting place for our gathering, because light is what the American Field Service has brought into the world. For one hundred years, and now in one hundred countries, your organization has offered a flame of knowledge in the gloom of ignorance; a spark of tolerance in the shadows of hate; the makings of the dawn of peace after a long night of war. Light is what AFS brings into the world every year through its educational programs, and light is what I see before me here today, in the faces of people who have devoted their lives to this groundbreaking organization, and today celebrate a century of success. […] continued on page 7
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The first question we are here to discuss is this: Should our approach to global education embrace a universal code of ethics? […] We must educate for peace. We must move our children beyond the borders that enclose them. We must make intercultural understanding, not a footnote in our educational systems, but rather a mandatory course of study.
perspective. I believe that the challenge before your organization, and any organization concerned with the question at hand, is how to further inform your teachers about the global issues facing our world today – not in order to impose any particular agenda on our educators, but to recognize their role as the shapers of young minds in ways that extend far beyond their specific subject matter. We must honor our teachers by involving them in the most pressing challenges facing humanity, and providing them with information about the state of our world. […]
The challenge is not for AFS to incorporate ethics into education. The challenge is for the rest of us to catch up to AFS. The challenge is for our elementary and secondary schools, our universities and technical With “21st century skills” a popular catchphrase, we colleges, to accept the fact that morality is a part of must recognize that our students are not ready for education, and that, to quote a popular saying, if we are the world if they have no grasp of the not a part of the solution, we are a part 21st century’s challenges. As schools of the problem. I speak of morality not Education is the and universities, as governments and as any specific religious or spiritual code, but rather as the basic values of only solution to our NGOs, we must make a more concerted to put relevant information into integrity, compassion, respect, world’s challenges. effort the hands of our students so that they solidarity, tolerance and peace. Every Education is the can make their own decisions. This teacher, in every subject, has an me to the final question put opportunity to instill these values. If she only answer to the brings before us today by the organizers of this does not seize that opportunity, then crime of war. event. How can we create a new spirit of she is teaching something else. interdependence through education? Education is the But this is a heavy burden, which is why How can we transform the utopia the second question I have been asked only light in the described in the fascinating Jacques to reflect upon is so important. It asks: darkness. Delors report, into a reality? […] As the what are the best strategies for Delors report suggests, that new spirit is developing true global citizens? […] not something we need to go out and Any educational reform or initiative find; it is something our students carry within them. that ignores or diminishes the role of the teacher It is something that is born with every new child is doomed to failure. If we want our schools and who arrives on our planet. Our job is to safeguard universities to graduate global citizens, we must and uncover that spirit, to give it its full expression. make sure there are global citizens at the front of If we do so, our children are the ones who will give the classroom. us hope, and not the other way around. […] AFS plays a key role here, bringing teachers as well [T]he new spirit of interdependence we seek, already as students across borders so they can broaden their exists. And if it exists within our international organizations, if it exists in the halls of government, then it certainly exists in the vibrant and energetic hearts and minds of our young people. The trick for us is to find ways, not to create it, but to protect it. In this quest, I have no doubt that AFS will continue to lead the way. […] Education is the only solution to our world’s challenges. Education is the only answer to the crime of war. Education is the only light in the darkness. May the light of the American Field Service shine ever brighter, driving out the gloom of night, bringing forth the new day our children deserve.
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NETWORK & PARTNER INITIATIVES
The Role of Youth in Promoting Unity in Diversity GUILLERMO BRILL, VOLUNTEER, AFS ARGENTINA & URUGUAY
Unity in Diversity: Celebrating Diversity for Common and Shared Values was the main topic of this year’s Sixth Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) that brought together over 1,500 participants from different types of organizations from around the world. Among them was Guillermo Brill of AFS Argentina & Uruguay, who joined the discussions on finding new ways to promote crosscultural dialogue and understanding, forming new partnerships and commitments. Attached to the Global Forum was the Youth Event which aimed at mainstreaming young people’s voices into the Forum’s main themes. The Youth Event focused on “The Role of Youth in Promoting ‘Unity in Diversity’” The discussions took place around four main themes: education, media, migration, and entrepreneurship/employment.
These requests and goals are in line with missions of both AFS and our long time partner in many different projects, UNAOC: Aspiring to the ideal of a culture of peace and dialogue among all civilizations on the assumption that “differences within and between societies should be neither feared nor repressed, but cherished as a precious asset of humanity”.
At the event, AFS’s partnership with Ashoka Youth Venture was presented as an example of how young people can be empowered change makers and become social entrepreneurs. The forum also provided an opportunity for AFS to contribute to these important discussions, establish contacts, The youth also insisted exchange ideas and explore ways to on integrating global collaborate with other non-profit citizenship into the organizations.
curriculum at all levels of education with a specific focus on cross cultural understanding, problem solving, conflict resolution and peace building.
The results were detailed expressions of what the youth needed from the world leaders to foster unity in diversity. In the area of education, a collaborative push was made for more inclusive national education systems and for fostering meaningful and diverse youth participation in related policydevelopment. The youth also insisted on integrating global citizenship into the curriculum at all levels of education with a specific focus on cross cultural understanding, problem solving, conflict resolution and peace building.
The outcomes of the Forum will receive attention from world leaders, the United Nations and its members. However, the best way for youth work, commitment and recommendations to remain alive was the one indicated by Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General, himself: Every participant brought these back home, shared them with local communities and leaders, keeping them and ourselves accountable.
This event was a great opportunity for AFS to share its expertise in the field of youth work and global education, and we were happy to collaborate with other youth representatives from around the world. We are glad to continue our relationship with the UNAOC, which began with our representatives attending the UNAOC Global Forums since 2008, as well as the establishment of the AFS Intercultural Prize at the Plural+ Youth Video Contest.
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NETWORK & PARTNER INITIATIVES
Volunteer Summer Summit on Diversity Education and Interfaith Dialogue INGA MENKE, TRAINING, PROJECT AND PARTNER DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR, EUROPEAN FEDERATION FOR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING (EFIL)
What do you believe in? What is your faith? How does it affect your intercultural encounters and communication? These were some of the questions raised at the Volunteer Summer Summit 2014 (VSS) organized by the European Federation for Intercultural Learning (EFIL) in collaboration with AFS Bosnia and Herzegovina with the financial support of the Council of Europe. The Summit took place from 21 to 26 July 2014 in Sutjeska, Bosnia and Herzegovina and brought together more than 200 volunteers from all over Europe. With the theme of Diversity Education and Interfaith Dialogue, the VSS aimed at challenging and exploring participants’ attitudes towards diversity within AFS.
soon be available on the VSS website along with other outcomes linked to diversity education and interfaith dialogue.
Participants of the AFS exchanges and their host families come from many different religious backgrounds and belief systems. These differences can play a key role in their experiences, yet AFS volunteers often lack the tools to prepare our students and families well for this component of the exchange. As a result, both sides can be unaware of or unequipped to identify and cope with possible issues linked to these aspects. This edition of the VSS offered a space to foster discussion and reflection about religious diversity and how it links to AFS programs.
In one of the workshops “Cards for Humanity” were developed; another produced a “No Hate Speech” video. A storytelling workshop shared a personal story in the final plenary, while many other workshops focused on personal reflection and attitude change. After the VSS, volunteers who facilitated it shared that they found it challenging to address this topic because it is indeed very personal.
At the Summit, religious diversity was addressed in the framework of interfaith dialogue including not only religious beliefs, but also everything that people believe in. The topic was also linked to the history of the region the event was taking place in, with a special focus on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. To share some insight, local volunteers prepared an exhibition about the history and present state of their country. The exhibition includes a lot of personal stories and will
Reflections and discussions about interfaith dialogue took place beyond the training sessions delivered by AFS trainers at the VSS. A personal diary, which was distributed upon arrival and kept being referred to throughout the event, and gave the participants an opportunity to reflect upon their own attitude towards religious diversity and how it could be improved. They were encouraged to bring the knowledge and outcomes of the workshops into their reflections and link them to the overall Summit theme and their personal experiences.
How successful the VSS was remains yet to be seen, however seeds have been planted. Hopefully the VSS is one of many stepping stones in making our organization more open, more inclusive, and better prepared to undertake successful exchanges in the 21st century. If you are interested in attending the VSS: The next one will take place in Germany in August 2015 and the theme will be Democratic Citizenship. More information will follow on the VSS website and in the EFILife newsletter.
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Intercultural Link Learning Program 2014 in Review The AFS Intercultural Link Learning Program, our multi-step training and assessment program designed to further develop intercultural learning facilitation competencies for AFS volunteer and staff worldwide had a very busy second half of 2014 as more and more AFS organizations began implementing official national or local versions of the program.
and Caribbean regions then took place at the end of September in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic. Participants from Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand participated in Levels 1 and 2 in Jakarta and participants from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Panama participated in all three Levels of the Learning Program in Punta Cana.
In July the Learning Program was in San José, Costa Rica, where key staff and volunteers from AFS Costa Rica and AFS Paraguay took part in the National Qualified Trainer workshop (NQT) and began the NQT Certification process.
In October, the updated version of the beginning Level of the Learning Program, What Every AFSer Should Know About Intercultural Learning™ 2.0 was launched. The previous version of Level “W” has already been delivered to more than 2000 volunteers and staff around the AFS network and with this new
Also in July was the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC), which took place in Portland, Oregon, USA. AFS provided scholarships for 13 volunteers and staff to attend, many of whom are implementing the Learning Program in their AFS organizations. These AFS-SIIC scholars are currently working on integrating their SIIC experience with further engagement in the Learning Program.
addition our goal is to double this number and reach 4000+ AFS volunteers and staff by the end of 2015. Finally, the last National Qualified Trainer Workshop of 2014 took place in Oslo, Norway, at the end of October for 12 volunteers from AFS Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland. The NQT Certification process for these candidates is scheduled to be complete in February 2015. We look forward to developing and implementing more official national versions of the Learning Program as well as launching updated curriculum documents and external training offers in 2015!
Another National Qualified Trainer workshop was held in New Delhi, India, in August for volunteers from AFS India and volunteers for AFS Philippines. The annual regional Learning Program events for the Asia-Pacific
LEARNING PROGRAM EVENTS CALENDAR FOR 2015 FEB
National Qualified Trainer (NQT) Certification Program for AFS Peru and AFS Honduras
FEB-AUG Distance Learning Programs for the Asia-Pacific and Caribe regions MAR
National Qualified Trainer (NQT) Certification Program in Colombia
MAY
National Qualified Trainer (NQT) Certification Program in Turkey Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication (SIIC) in Portland, Oregon, USA
JUL International Qualified Trainer (IQT) Certification Program at Summer Academy in Germany
SEP
5th Annual Regional Caribe Program | Levels 1, 2, 3 (location TBD)
TBD
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IMPACT OF LIVING ABROAD
Bi-Cross-Extra Cultural Learning MILENA MILADINOVIC, COMMUNICATIONS FELLOW, AFS INTERNATIONAL
Researchers at the University of Essex, in collaboration with AFS, have completed The Impact of Living Abroad, an 18-month study that involved almost 2500 sojourners enrolled in a 10–12-month AFS program, as well as 578 control group participants. The project investigated four central components of intercultural contact: acculturative stress, cultural learning, intergroup contact and the effect of cultural distance. The AFS Intercultural Link news magazine brings you summaries of the study results and suggests ways for AFS to incorporate findings into our educational approach. Those involved in intercultural exchanges often mention the multitude of benefits for participating in such programs. Lists of such positive take-aways can be lengthy, but they almost always include phrases like “improved knowledge of the home and host culture”, “better intercultural competence”, “becoming a global citizen”. Some of these notions were also examined by The Impact of Living Abroad study, through the lens of cultural learning. Here cultural learning has three dimensions: bi-cultural learning, cross-cultural competence and extra-cultural learning. Each one is examined according to its development over time, the influence of personality, contact with host and home nationals, adaptation and well-being, as well as the sojourners’ evaluation of their experience aboard. The study found that intercultural exchange leads to cultural learning, with increased bi-‐ cultural learning and cross-‐cultural competence. It is reassuring to know that this knowledge and transferable skills are in line with AFS Educational Goals and mission.
BI-CULTURAL LEARNING This study defines bi-‐cultural learning as cultural specific knowledge, reflecting the idea that the stay abroad is the chance to learn more about both host and home cultures. This type of learning will be particularly useful for sojourners while they are in home and host environments, but it may be difficult for them to use that knowledge elsewhere. Research has found that sojourners’ knowledge about both the home and host country increased over time and that this was related to certain personality traits – greater levels of extraversion and openness, as well as the better quality of contact with host nationals, and higher language proficiency. Autonomous motivation and prior intercultural competence also had an impact on learning about both cultures and helped with cultural adaptation. Having this kind of knowledge did lead to more positive evaluations of the sojourn.
Benefits of the study results for AFS: AFSers are committed to providing intercultural learning experiences that help people become agents of positive change in the world. Being aware of the different types of cultural learning, how and when they occur and what impacts them, can be valuable for how we deliver our intercultural exchange programs. AFSers can thus use the Impact of Study Abroad results to pay attention to certain participant characteristics during the selection process (e.g. extraversion, honesty, humility, emotionality or agreeableness), revise and update our orientation curriculum, and improve the monthly reflection contacts with students.
CROSS-CULTURAL COMPETENCE Cross-‐cultural competence entails culture-‐general awareness of how to operate and communicate effectively in a cultural setting. This is the ability to operate thoughtfully, competently and with enthusiasm, in different cultural environments and situations. While AFSers already have higher levels of cross-‐ cultural competence than control participants before the exchange, this competence also increases over time, while control participants do not change. Significant personality traits are extraversion and openness again, as well as good of contact with host nationals. Cross-‐cultural competence was negatively impacted by intergroup anxiety, but it related to greater adaptation and well-‐being in the host country, as well as to more positive evaluations of the year abroad.
EXTRA-CULTURAL LEARNING Bi-cultural and cross-cultural learning are crucial steps for AFSers to achieve this last stage: Extra-‐cultural learning can be applied in any context, cultural or not, involving interpersonal skills such as empathy and the ability to shift perspectives. Personality traits again play a significant role for the participants’ perspective-taking and empathy: sojourners with higher levels of honesty, humility, emotionality and agreeableness tend to increase in empathetic concern and perspective shifting over time. This in turn decreases stress and anxiety and increases psychological adaptation, self-‐esteem and satisfaction with life. Higher levels of empathetic concern were also related to more positive evaluations of the sojourn. The support and structure of AFS exchange programs play a crucial role here: the ability to reflect on and share experiences through regular monthly contacts and orientations helps sojourners improve their skills and knowledge in the extra-cultural sphere. For more information about The Impact of Living Abroad study results, contact us at icl@afs.org or visit www.ilaproject.org.
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Intercultural Learning Field Conferences & Event Updates March The Winter Institute for Intercultural Communication. Intercultural Communication Institute (ICI). 9-12 March 2015. Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. 16th Annual Conference on Intercultural Relations. Intercultural Management Institute (IMI). 12-13 March 2015. Washington DC, USA. AFS presenting Best Practices Conference “Lead your Campus to the Top: Best Practices in Internationalizing the Campus”. Institute of International Education (IIE). 20 March 2015. New York, NY, USA.
April AFS AAI SIETAR Education Symposium: Learning to Live Together – from Ideas to Action. AFS and SIETAR. 15-17 April 2015. Bali, Indonesia. AFS event
May World Education Forum (WEF). UNESCO. 19-22 May 2015. Incheon, Republic of Korea. AFS attending
Spectrum of Education, Career. AFS Turkey. 22-27 April 2015. Istanbul, Turkey. AFS event
Refreshing the Cultural Paradigm: Sharing Stories, Theories, Best Practices. SIETAR Europa. 21-23 May 2015. Valencia, Spain.
For the Welfare of Humankind: Multicultural Citizenship Education in a Global Context. Korean Association for Multicultural Education (KAME). 30 April – 2 May 2015. Seoul, Korea.
67th Annual Conference & Expo, New Horizons in International Education. NAFSA. 2 4-29 May 2015. Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
The Forum’s Eleventh Conference: It Takes a Campus and More: The Faces of Education Abroad. Forum on Education Abroad. 25-27 March 2015. New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
If you are aware of upcoming conferences in the intercultural area, please advise us at icl@afs.org
YOUR SOURCE FOR INTERCULTURAL LEARNING IN THE AFS NETWORK
Call for Submissions 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: icl@afs.org
Questions or Comments icl@afs.org © 2015 AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intercultural Learning Work Group Johanna Nemeth (Austria) Rosario Gutierrez (Colombia) Sherifa Fayez (Egypt) Annette Gisevius (Germany) Irid Agoes (Indonesia) Melissa Liles, Chair (International) Lucas Welter (International) Roberto Ruffino (Italy)
Newsletter Editor: Melissa Liles Newsletter Manager: Milena Miladinovic Design & Graphics: Milena Miladinovic Writers: Hazar Yildirim, Milena Miladinovic
AFS Intercultural Link | VOLUME 5 - ISSUE 3 - AUGUST - DECEMBER 2014 | 22