Our Cultural Diversity & Awareness Program is the means to bridge the gap and enrich our communication channels between the different and diverse cultural groups surrounding us, at home, over the internet, in our neighbourhood, communities, and at work. It involves the ability of taking a step backwards and wearing a different hat, a hat that comes with a different set of cultural norms, traditions, values and interpretations. It involves accepting others the way they are and not requiring them to change to simply fit in. It involves raising awareness and understanding each culture is unique and similar at the same time, and by using this awareness, we are better equipped to understand our differences, and through learning our differences, we become aware of our profound similarities, and this is where and when our relationships with one another start to flourish and we gain a better "understanding" of how the world works around us.
Why do we do things this way or the other? Can that change?
How do we see the world? And why do we see it this way or that? World Views.
Why do we react in that particular way?
Cultural awareness is very important when we have to interact with people from other cultures, and most of us do, as part of both our personal and professional lives. People see, interpret and evaluate things in different ways. What is considered an appropriate behaviour in one culture is sometimes considered inappropriate in other cultures. "Appropriate" here, is hence determined by how we were raised and for what value, since the beginning of mankind, there was no such thing as appropriate or inappropriate, that evolved with and over time, and every culture came up with its own "appropriate" standards, values, traditions and perceptions. Similarly, this formula, spread across cultures around the world, and that is how in our contemporary worlds today, every populations has its own set of distinct values, norms, and cultural ideas. Here we learn that no matter how different and distinct we are, we remain extremely similar.
Becoming aware of our cultural dynamics is sometimes considered to be a challenging task, as culture is not a very conscious theme to us, not one which we pay attention to in our interactions with one another. Conversations usually tend to flow, before taking note of any cultural differences, and by then, some offences might have already taken place! Since the moment we were born, we have been programmed to behave, see and do things at an unconscious level. Our caregivers, parents, family, experiences, values and cultural background(s) has lead us to see and do things in a certain way.
To see things differently, another perspective, angle, or lens is necessary. To acquire it, what we have to do is basically step outside of our cultural boundaries in order to realize and acknowledge the impact our culture has on our behaviour. Similarly, culture impacts the behaviour of those around us, which is why it is a necessity to learn what makes each one of us so similar yet so unique, to enhance our relationships, and to attain a higher degree of comfort in our current ones, and earn a higher level of success in ones we are trying to newly establish. Citizen of the world as Vibrant Thinking would call it! Come on board to learn the dynamics, and broaden your understanding of cultural awareness. One has to start somewhere!