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கலாச்சார விழிப்புணர்வு மூலம் வாழ்க்கை திறனுக்கான கல்வி – பேரா.முனைவர் ஜெ. ஜெயசித்ரா

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ENHANCING CULTURAL AWARENESS THROUGH LIFE SKILLS EDUCATION

Dr.J.Jayachithra

Assistant Professor of Education

Alagappa University College of Education

                                                                                    Alagappa University,Karaikudi-630 003

Tamil Nadu, India

jayamadhav.chithra@gmail.com

Abstract

Cultural awareness enables individuals to effectively interact, cooperate and establish significant relationships with people from various cultural backgrounds. The term “cultural background” refers to the multifaceted aspects of a person’s heritage, including their customs, beliefs, and behaviours that are shaped by their diverse community. The pursuit of cultural competence is a continuous and imperative process that necessitates ongoing self-improvement, the cultivation of social skills that embrace diversity and advocacy for others. In today’s globalized world, characterized by diversity and technological advancements, individuals can easily interact with others from different cultures worldwide through social media platforms, blogs, and chat rooms, and international collaboration has become vital in many industries. As a result, working with people from diverse backgrounds has become increasingly common in various fields. Professional organizations and industries emphasize the importance of cultural competence and related life skills. Universities are integrating cultural awareness and development into their higher education experience to prepare students for their careers by offering opportunities for international experiences. In order to thrive in our interconnected world, it’s essential to understand and value diversity in its many forms and be able to communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.

Keywords: Cultural Awareness, Life Skills Education

Introduction

To effectively collaborate with individuals from diverse cultures, we must recognize and challenge our assumptions and conclusions about their intentions and actions. It is essential to be aware of how culture impacts our interactions and learn how to handle cross-cultural challenges to make informed decisions that lead to positive outcomes. Culture encompasses a group’s personality traits, perspectives, spiritual beliefs, cuisine, artistic expressions, and behavioural patterns. Successful cross-cultural competency is demonstrated when individuals from different cultures can engage with one another and show an ability to understand and interact effectively with people from diverse cultures, not just their own. Whether in a work, school, travel, or foreign cultural setting, displaying appropriate and effective behaviour signifies cross-cultural competence. By developing cultural competence, we can understand, connect with, and efficiently engage with people from different cultures while also providing insight into the differences between foreign cultures and our own. When working with people from different cultures, it is necessary to occasionally check our assumptions and conclusions about their intentions and behaviours. Acknowledging the role culture plays in our interactions with others and knowing how to identify and manage cross-cultural challenges enables us to create positive outcomes through informed decision-making. Let us embrace cultural diversity and demonstrate our cross-cultural competency to achieve successful collaboration with individuals from diverse cultures.

Life Skills

The term ‘Life Skills’ refers to the skills you need to make the most out of life. Any skill that is useful in your life can be considered a life skill. Tying your shoelaces, swimming, driving a car, and using a computer are, for most people, useful life skills. Broadly speaking, the term ‘life skills’ is usually used for any of the skills needed to deal well and effectively with the challenges of life.

Certain skills may be more or less relevant to you depending on your life circumstances, your culture, beliefs, age, geographic location, etc. However, in 1999, the World Health Organization identified six key areas of life skills:

Communication and interpersonal skills. This broadly describes the skills needed to get on and work with other people, particularly to transfer and receive messages either in writing or verbally.

Decision-making and problem-solving. This describes the skills required to understand problems, find solutions to them, alone or with others, and then take action to address them.

Creative thinking and critical thinking. This describes the ability to think in different and unusual ways about problems, and find new solutions, or generate new ideas, coupled with the ability to access information carefully and understand its relevance.

Self-awareness and empathy, which are two key parts of emotional intelligence. They describe understanding yourself and being able to feel for other people as if their experiences were happening to you.

Assertiveness and equanimity, or self-control. These describe the skills needed to stand up for yourself and other people and remain calm even in the face of considerable provocation.

Resilience and ability to cope with problems, which describes the ability to recover from setbacks, and treat them as opportunities to learn, or simply experiences.

It is also true that different life skills will be more or less relevant at different times in your life. For example:

When at school or university, you’ll need study skills. These may include understanding how to organize you for study, doing research, and writing a dissertation or thesis. These are not skills that everyone will need, but writing skills are likely to be useful in a variety of careers and jobs.

When buying a house, you may need to employ negotiation skills, and you will certainly need plenty of patience and a good temper. These skills are also likely to be high on your ‘essential life skills’ list if you have children, You’ll need to work on your employability skills to get a job, and will also need to think about how you apply for a job, and how you might cope in an interview;

When you have a job, you may need to develop leadership skills, especially if you need to lead teams or groups; when you start a family, you’ll need parenting skills. You may also find that time management and organizing skills become much more important. However, perhaps the most important life skill is the ability and willingness to learn.

By learning new skills, we increase our understanding of the world around us and equip ourselves with the tools we need to live a more productive and fulfilling life, finding ways to cope with the challenges that life, inevitably, throws at us. Most people associate learning with formal education, but learning can, and should, be a lifelong process that enhances our understanding of the world and improves the quality of our life.

Cultural Awareness

The National Centre for Cultural Competence (NCCC) defines cultural awareness or sensitivity as being aware of and acknowledging the similarities and differences among different cultural groups. It is an ongoing process that requires curiosity, an open mind, a willingness to ask questions, and a desire to learn about other cultures. It is also important to be aware of one’s cultural values, beliefs, perceptions, and biases.

The Importance of Cultural Awareness

Learning about cultures different from our own and being respectful of those differences is what cultural awareness is all about, as explained by Natalie Page. Sensitivity to both similarities and differences between cultures is key to effective communication without prejudice or racism. The Cultural Competence Continuum Model serves as an assessment tool to help understand where individuals are on their journey towards cultural competency. Various categories exist along the continuum, including cultural destructiveness, incapacity, blindness, pre-competence, competence, and proficiency. Studying this model can help us become more aware of the process of becoming more culturally sensitive and patient with ourselves and others during this journey. Cultural awareness is crucial as it allows us to appreciate and respect other perspectives, value people who are different from us, and foster better relationships, healthier work environments, and a stronger, more compassionate society, according to Angelis T.

Ways to enhance Cultural awareness through life skills

Cultural awareness, also known as cultural sensitivity, plays a crucial role in promoting understanding, respect, and appreciation for the similarities and differences among various cultural groups. It involves being cognizant, observant, and conscious of the diverse perspectives and values held by different communities. Integrating cultural awareness into life skills education can profoundly impact individuals, fostering better relationships, creating healthier work environments, and building a stronger, more compassionate society.

Life skills education provides individuals with the necessary tools to navigate the demands and challenges of life effectively. By incorporating cultural awareness into this education, individuals better understand their own culturally shaped values, beliefs, perceptions, and biases, while learning about and appreciating the diversity of other cultures. Here are some key points to consider when enhancing cultural awareness through life skills education:

  1. Importance of Cultural Awareness in Education: Cultural awareness is fundamental to creating an equitable learning environment for all students. It goes beyond treating students equally and focuses on providing resources and supports tailored to their unique needs, ensuring equal opportunities for success.
  2. Benefits of Cultural Competence Education: Studies have shown that classroom-based cultural competence education can enhance knowledge acquisition, performance, attitudes, and student satisfaction among health science students. By equipping students with cultural competence skills, they are better prepared to deliver culturally sensitive and high-quality services in various professional settings.
  3. Multicultural Education in the Classroom: In an increasingly diverse and multicultural society, teachers need to incorporate culturally responsive instruction. This includes considering students’ cultural backgrounds, incorporating diverse perspectives into the curriculum, and fostering an inclusive and accepting classroom environment.
  4. Developing Cultural Awareness Skills: Developing cultural awareness begins with acknowledging the existence of diverse cultures and experiences. It involves actively learning about different traditions, languages, norms, and symbols, as well as recognizing and challenging personal biases and stereotypes.
  5. Promoting Effective Communication: Cultural awareness plays a crucial role in effective communication. Understanding and appreciating cultural differences can help individuals navigate diverse social and professional environments, promoting successful interpersonal interactions and collaboration.

By integrating cultural awareness into life skills education, individuals gain a deeper understanding of diverse cultures, enhance their interpersonal skills, and contribute to the creation of inclusive and respectful communities. It is an ongoing process that requires curiosity, an open mind, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to self-reflection and personal growth.

STEPS TO DEVELOP CULTURAL AWARENESS

We’ve established what cultural awareness is and why it’s important, but now it’s time for the practical part: how exactly to develop and implement this in your workplace.

Step 1: Know why you want to be culturally aware

It is important to understand why individuals are motivated to become more culturally aware and sensitive. Some may choose to take intercultural communication courses in college for academic credit, while others may enrol in continuing education courses to enhance their business qualifications and expand their career opportunities globally. Some may simply have a personal interest in learning about different languages, religions, family structures, and beliefs.

Efforts to increase cultural awareness should always be voluntary, rather than being compelled by external pressures from the government or interest groups, both in organizational and personal contexts.

Step 2: Start learning

We’re not referring to mandatory corporate classes on cultural sensitivity, as they can come across as insincere and artificial. Instead, a better approach would be to immerse yourself in various cultures. This can involve attending cultural festivals and events, connecting with individuals from diverse backgrounds, and, if feasible, travelling to exotic destinations. What better way to gain an understanding of different cultures than by personally experiencing them?

Step 3: Ditch the assumptions

It is crucial to recognize that we all hold certain assumptions about different cultures, and unfortunately, these assumptions can often stem from racism. This perpetuates a harmful cycle that must be broken. To prevent perpetuating harmful stereotypes, it is imperative to release any preconceived notions you may have. Refrain from assuming how someone from a particular background should behave or thinking that someone of a specific religion will judge your lifestyle. While navigating impromptu conversations without falling into harmful assumptions may be challenging, a little self-awareness and a strategy of “think before I speak” can significantly assist. By doing so, you can avoid unintentionally causing harm.

Step 4: Understand your own culture

It’s time to take what you observed from other cultures and turn inward to notice your own. After all, in order to better understand people of different cultural backgrounds, you must first understand what aspects of your culture shape who you are and how you act.

For example, if someone says they don’t like your favourite food joint, you may be a little biased to them moving forward, but if someone struggles with the democracy of your nation, it might strike a chord with you that you didn’t know was there. That’s part of your culture: it’s the reason you’re able to be here right now, and you take pride in it!

But you’ve got to take the time to figure out those cultural things that make you act and respond the way you do in order to be similarly sensitive to other cultures.

Step 5: Understand and review policies and guidelines

Your company may have established policies and guidelines that ethically focus on cultural diversity in the workplace in an effort to develop cultural awareness; take the time to understand and review them accordingly.

You may personally just be finding out the positives and negatives of your own cultural influence and aren’t sure how to bridge that gap yet; these policies and guidelines could will help. Or perhaps you may understand yourself but have no idea how to be respectful to those who don’t share the same opinions; again, utilize the guidelines and company policies to be successful as you navigate this in the workplace.

Step 6: Attend trainings

As an employee, you should take the time to educate yourself on the policies surrounding cultural diversity in the workplace, and sometimes the best way to do that is to attend the company-offered trainings. Let’s face it: reading over the policy and rereading the handbook a million times, no matter how great it is, it just won’t stick without these trainings. Workplace trainings can help give you a real-time look into the other culture, allowing you to appreciate those who are different than yourself.

These trainings can cover intercultural communication skills, marketing in different parts of the world, and even business etiquette in different cultures. You can learn from a cultural sensitivity expert that your organization may enlist to come in, therefore making the trainings powerful and fun. Don’t overlook the trainings; employers are working hard to make these engaging for their employees, so give them a chance!

Step 7: Communicate

Whether you’re just starting out developing cultural awareness, or if you’re helping with the company culture awareness revamp, communication and transparency are critical. It’s important to open the doors of communication, should colleagues want to share their thoughts and experiences in the workplace with regard to their culture; be there to listen.

Your employer may have scheduled meetings or anonymous channels for employees to go to share their feedback on discrimination, prejudice, bias, or intolerance regarding cultural sensitivity; utilize those resources. Ensure that as an employee, you’re accessing every avenue to feel heard and encouraging effective communication with each colleague too. Communication is the key to any great change — keep it open and transparent among your team mates, and cultural awareness will follow!

Step 8: Celebrate cultures and diversity

Diversity is a wonderful thing to have, so take some time to celebrate it!

Maybe your employer put up a map in the common room and has encouraged all employees to put a pin for the country, state or city they most identify with. Or maybe there’s a work social at a restaurant that serves food from a different culture. Whatever the case, make sure to participate (including virtual events).

Celebrate the different cultures within loudly, be proud of who you are and the culture that shapes you, and celebrate that at every turn!

Step 9: Treat others as individuals

It is crucial to keep in mind that every individual is distinct and should be treated as such, irrespective of their political beliefs, nationality, or religion. It is wrongful to presume that everyone within a particular group is the same or acts in a uniform manner. Instead, we should endeavour to perceive people as unique individuals, regardless of their ethnic background, religion, political views. After all, each one of us possesses a distinct identity!

CONCLUSION

Cross-cultural competency has gained significance as society has become more diverse and different cultures have intermixed. That’s why by increasing one’s cultural competency, one’s productivity and efficiency may grow, thereby improving one’s understanding, communication, and engagement with people from other cultures.
As cultural awareness extends into our everyday life, being able to communicate with global communities is a valuable skill that helps us advance in our careers. By understanding the differences in ethics, beliefs, values, and attitudes of different individuals and developing cultural awareness, we create a diverse corporate and personal culture that is inclusive and everyone feels like they belong.

REFERENCE

https://www.stevenson.edu/online/about-us/news/cultural-awareness-effective-communication/
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