Focus Area 5: Intercultural Engagement
Introduction

Intercultural engagement is the commitment to create deep, genuine understanding and respect for all cultures. It requires connection, empathy, and trusting relationships. It’s more expansive than merely understanding and acknowledging differences though that is a part of it. It goes beyond the old thinking that one culture is superior to others. Intercultural engagement values and encourages including everyone. Engaging interactions welcome everyone to learn and grow together. 

We live in a multicultural society.

In 2020, non-Hispanic white people still represented the largest racial and ethnic group in the U.S., accounting for 59.7% of the population. But their share of the overall population has been trending downward since 1950. By some estimates, whites will become a minority, dropping below 50% of the U.S. population, around the year 2045. In fact, among all the young people currently in the U.S. (under age 18), there are more young people of color than there are white young people.¹

2020 also brought a groundswell of social activism for racial justice and equality. Awareness is growing and we all have a role to play now in working to dismantle systemic racism and oppose oppression and injustice everywhere.

So, the need for youth workers who appreciate the value of cultural diversity, who know how to create interculturally responsive programs, and who can build interculturally dynamic spaces and relationships with youth has perhaps never been greater.

Research shows that most youth workers would benefit from additional training to help them better understand the dynamics of diverse cultures and develop skills that create intercultural connections. With improved understanding, more programs would be developed that foster genuine intercultural respect, understanding, and inclusion. And there is no doubt that more interculturally engaged youth workers would have greater impact in their programs, with lasting benefits to all the youth they serve, as well as society overall.

Developing a better understanding of the dynamics of diverse cultures takes intentional effort and action on your part. It’s not as simple as reading about “Diversity” or attending a “Cultural Competency” training. You have to be willing to dig in and pursue a deeper understanding of your own values and beliefs, within the context of your own cultural makeup. And from that perspective, practice open listening and real empathy to build intercultural relationships.

Until you understand the cultural influence of your own values and beliefs, you’re more apt to make inaccurate, biased, or even judgmental conclusions about the values and beliefs of others.

Whether you’re new to this understanding of intercultural dynamics or have consciously worked on this concept before, there is always more to explore and learn. Most of us just kind of take our own perspective for granted and may not ever wonder how our perspective could make it harder for us to genuinely appreciate, honor, and respect different cultures and values of the young people we serve.

Learning about Intercultural Engagement has to include an understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion which is often referred to as DEI.

Diversity represents the full spectrum of human demographic differences – race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, or physical (dis)ability to name a few.

Diversity just means how we are different from one another.

In this context, understanding diversity is simple. The challenge is to use this understanding as a neutral starting point to explore and expose the kind of negative attitudes about our differences that can play out as prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination.

Equity is the guarantee of fair treatment, access, and opportunity for everyone and that includes actively working to identify and remove barriers that have previously prevented the full participation of some people. Being intentional about equity acknowledges that there are historically under-represented people. And actively working to ensure fairness helps to bring about equality.

Inclusion is to intentionally create a collaborative, supportive, and respectful environment that increases the participation and contribution of everyone. It is about people with different identities feeling and being welcomed and valued. In an intercultural community environment, inclusion is a natural outcome of the fundamental shift in perspective and interaction intercultural engagement offers.

All the understanding in the world is nothing without action. The real work is for you to discover ways to translate knowing into doing. As a youth worker, you have an ethical (moral) and professional obligation to respect and appreciate diversity, racial equality, and social justice.

The ultimate aim of learning about the different dimensions of diversity and understanding the dynamics of culture is to undertake a journey that spans the entire continuum of cultural competency to develop true intercultural engagement. You are called to dedicate your whole self to the task:

• USE YOUR HEAD – learn, think, become aware and develop true knowledge
• USE YOUR HEART – nurture knowledge into insight through experience
• USE YOUR HANDS – work at it! Nothing changes without action. Challenge the status quo and inspire change at every level you can.

There will be a lot of personal reflection for you to do in this module. Please take the time to give each exercise your careful thought. Intercultural engagement is so much bigger than something you can just process at an intellectual level. This is something you need to build into your bones. This is something that must come from your heart, with genuine empathy for the young people you serve. Committing yourself to practicing intercultural engagement will make it that much easier to embrace and learn to embody it in your day to day work.