Close Encounters of the Cultural Kind

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Facilitator name Organisation name
Supported by funding from the Australian
Government - Department of Immigration and
Citizenship under the Settlement Grants Program
funding program
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Cultural Awareness in Volunteering Programs
Workshop Outline

• Why we need cultural awareness
• Our Values and Opportunities
• Benefits to the Organisation
• Benefits to Communities
• How to develop cultural awareness
• Understanding cultures
• Understanding cultural adaptation
• How to work across cultures
• Hints for fostering acceptance and belonging
• Working together finding the 3rd Culture

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Why We Need Cultural Awareness in Volunteering
Programs

• Our Values
• Service
• Respect
• Inclusion
• Our Opportunities
• Build awareness and use of our services
• Develop strong community relationships
• Attract volunteers from new communities

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Cultural Diversity in Volunteering Key
Statistics for South Australia

• 21 born in more than 200 countries
• 10 from English-speaking countries
• 11 from non-English speaking countries
• Top 10 new migrant source countries
• United Kingdom, India, China, Philippines,
  Afghanistan, South Africa, Korea, Malaysia,
  Vietnam and Iran
• Other new and emerging communities
• Sudan, Thailand, Congo, Burma, Bhutan, Iraq,
  Kenya, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Burundi and Ethiopia
• ABS Census 2006

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The Benefits to Our Organisation of Developing
Cultural Awareness

• Better understanding of the needs and views of
  the wider community
• Engagement with new communities
• Improved community awareness of our values, goals
  and services
• Stronger community relationships based on the
  values of mutual understanding, respect,
  acceptance and belonging

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The Benefits to Our Organisation of Developing
Cultural Awareness

• Ability to recruit and support volunteers from
  culturally diverse backgrounds who bring us
• New perspectives
• New skills
• Languages
• Knowledge of and networks in new and emerging
  community cultures
• A wider pool of potential volunteers and future
  staff

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The Benefits to Culturally Diverse Community
Members of Volunteering

• Increased understanding of available services
  among diverse communities
• Increased understanding of and adjustment to
  Australian society
• Improved English and communication skills
• Increased relationships and networks
• Increased sense of acceptance and belonging

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To Attract and Support Culturally Diverse
Volunteers We Need To

• Understand the nature of culture and its
  influence on relationships
• Learn about our own and other cultures
• Inform culturally diverse communities about our
  services, values and opportunities
• Adapt our recruitment and support processes to
  meet culturally unique needs
• Help recently arrived volunteers understand our
  national and organisational cultures

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Understanding the Motivations of Culturally
Diverse Volunteers

• Motivations to volunteer are common across all
  cultures
• Volunteering is seen in different ways but
  helping the community is a universal value
• Length of residence in Australia, age and gender
  influence volunteers motivations more than their
  cultural background does

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Understanding the Motivations ofCulturally
Diverse Volunteers

• Volunteers who are recent arrivals to Australia
  tend to be more motivated by
• Sense of duty to the broader community
• Making social contacts and having fun
• Improving English skills
• Gaining skills and work experience
• Gaining acceptance and a sense of belonging

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Understanding the Motivations ofCulturally
Diverse Volunteers

• Volunteers who have been in Australia for a
  longer time tend to be more motivated by
• Helping their own communities
• Personal satisfaction
• Putting spiritual beliefs into practice

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Understanding the Motivations ofCulturally
Diverse Volunteers Stages of Settlement in a
New Country

• 1. Survival
• 2. Establishment
• 3. Embracing their immediate community
• 4. Moving into the wider community. This can be
  assisted by volunteering.

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Steps that Volunteer Organisations Can Take
During the Stages of Settlement

• Raise awareness. Explain how we are relevant to
  you
• Clearly express our organisations values
  community safety, water safety, family health,
  healthy sport, helping vulnerable people, saving
  lives
• Seek to match your organisations values, with
  those of the community and members
• Act to build trust

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Ways of engaging with communities

• Speak with community groups about the role of the
  organisation and its services
• Create new volunteering roles that provide a
  bridge between organisations and communities
• Review orientation and training information for
  plain English and simplicity
• Review internal policies and procedures
• Cultural awareness training for current
  volunteers and staff

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Key Points Culturally Diverse Volunteers

• Are available and want to volunteer
• Bring extra value to your organisation
• Will value what your organisation represents
• Want to learn more about the culture of
  volunteering in Australia
• May need your organisation to provide culturally
  aware support

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Understanding CultureWhat is "Culture"?

• The learned and shared behaviour of a society
• A societys common sense
• A societys set of distinctive spiritual,
  material,
• intellectual and emotional features
• Its the way we do things around here.

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Cultural Diversity in AustraliaGroup Profile

• Group Profile
• Your name
• Your country of birth
• Your parents country or countries of birth

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Cultural Diversity in AustraliaCommunity
Profile

• Community Profile
• Which culturally diverse communities do you and
  others in the organisation work with?
• Which newly arrived culturally diverse
  communities might we work with in future?

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Understanding Cultural Differences
High Context
Low Context
Cultures
Cultures

• Spanish
• Greek Italian
• Arabic English
• African USA
• Vietnamese Australian
• Indian Swedish
• Chinese
  German
• Aboriginal Organisational
• Cultures Cultures

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Understanding CultureGeneralising vs Stereotyping

• When we study and compare cultures we need to
  make general observations of the way people do
  things.
• But we also need to remember we are dealing with
  individuals, not cultures.
• It is necessary to understanding the difference
  between generalising and stereotyping.

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Generalising vs Stereotyping

• Categorising people as a group, ignoring
  individual differences
• Australians are selfish
• Germans are uptight
• Americans are show-offs

• Grouping elements to form logical categories to
  make sense of a complex world
• Australians tend to be individualistic
• Germans tend to value efficiency and formality
• U.S. Americans tend to praise personal success
  highly

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Understanding "Culture"

• The central question to ask about different
  cultural views
• and actions is
• Why?
• Why do they do things that way?
• Why do we do things this way?
  

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The Four Basic Elements of Cross-Cultural
Communication
Verbal Behaviour What we say and how we say it Accent tone Volume rate Idiom slang
Non-Verbal Behaviour What we say without talking Body language Object language Environmental language
Communication Style How we prefer to express ourselves Making a point Ways of speaking Ways of interacting
Values and Attitudes What we believe is right Beliefs feelings Ethics standards Prejudices
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Verbal Behaviour

• Accent I love/cant stand that
  accent!
• Tone of Voice Dont take that tone with
  me!
• Volume Why do they talk so loudly?
• Rates of Speech Australians talk so fast!
• Joking Just kidding. Cant
  you take a joke?

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Verbal Behaviour

• Jargon Downsizing. Ramp up.
• Slang Bludger. Whinger.
• Swearing Gday you old bastard.
• Metaphors Dont beat around the bush.
• Idioms Pull your socks up.
• Proverbs Too many cooks spoil the
  broth.

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Non-Verbal Behaviour Body Language Questions

• How far apart do people normally stand?
• How much eye contact is expected?
• How much do people touch each other?
• What do gestures mean?
• How do people greet each other?
• How do people physically show respect?
• How do facial expressions convey meaning?
• What are personal hygiene expectations?

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Non-Verbal Behaviour Object Language

• Signs and designs carry cultural messages. e.g
  hats, flags, tatoos, crosses or crescents
• Objects and artifacts have significant meanings
  e.g. roses, art, monuments, medals
• Different dress standards are expected
• Adornments and accessories send signals about
  the wearer

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Non-Verbal Behaviour Environmental Language

• Colours can be very significant e.g.red for
  wealth, blue for piety, yellow for royalty
• Architecture and town design influences and
  reflects society
• People need differing amounts of personal space
  in public, in the workplace, in homes
• Styles of buildings, office layout, furniture and
  lighting send messages

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Communication Style

• Ways of stating your case direct or roundabout
• Tolerance of silence
• Use of humour and irony
• Speech rules, politeness, turntaking in
  conversation
• Different meanings of yes and no
• Structuring information, views of what is
  logical particular, general

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Values and Attitudes

• What we believe is right.
• How we feel about the world and how we judge
  other people
• and situations.
• Values are the least visible element of
  cross-cultural
• communication.
• Keep your eye on the things
• that cannot be seen. Confucius

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Values and Attitudes

• Our Organisations Values
• Insert
• Insert
• Insert

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All Cultures Share Core Human Values

• Respect for human dignity
• Respect for basic rights
• Good citizenship
• The Golden Rule Do unto others
• These values are expressed and upheld in
  culturally different ways.

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The Dimensions of Cultural Values High Context

Low Context Cultures

Cultures

• Spanish
• Greek Italian
• Arabic English
• African USA
• Vietnamese
  Australian
• Indian Swedish
• Chinese
  German
• Aboriginal Organisational
• Cultures Cultures

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The Dimensions of Cultural Values

• High Context Cultures
• Members share and need to have a deeper, more
  complex body of understood experience and
  assumptions as the basis of cooperation. Who
  you are
• Low Context Cultures
• Members have and need less shared knowledge as
  basis for cooperation. Defined roles and codes
  take the place of assumptions. What you do

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Values and Attitudes

• High Context Cultures
• Collectivist
• Being
• Long term view
• Given status
• Verbal agreements
• Formal

• Low Context Cultures
• Individualist
• Doing
• Short term view
• Achieved status
• Written agreements
• Informal

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Understanding Cross-Cultural Adaptation

• Immigrants Change by choice
• Own decision. Preparation. Resources. Networks.
• Stronger sense of identity, self-worth,
  competence, security, belonging and acceptance.
  Looking forward.
• Refugees Change by chance
• Others decision. Little or no preparation. No or
  very few resources and networks.
• Strong sense of self-reliance but weaker sense of
  identity, self-worth, competence, security,
  belonging and acceptance. Looking backward.

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5 Stages of Cultural Adaptation

• Most people experience distinct psychological
  stages when adapting to a new culture, from
  first contact to full adjustment.
• Some people adapt more easily and quickly than
  others.
• Understanding that it is a common experience
  helps us to adjust to new cultures and enables us
  to help others adjust to Australian culture.

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Common Fears About Entering Another Culture

• Making a fool of oneself
• Being ridiculed, offended or embarrassed
• Embarrassing or offending someone  
• Giving or getting wrong information 
• Making or forming a bad impression 
• Becoming or appearing confused
• Being excluded, rejected, lonely

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Understanding Australian Culture

• Newcomers to a culture take time to understand
• The basis of relationships equality,
  individualism, status
• Informality and formality
• Ways of handling conflict
• Humour
• Gender and generational relationships
• Language verbal and non-verbal

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Stages of Cultural AdaptationStage 1
Contact/ Honeymoon

• Differences are interesting
• We are insulated by our own culture
• Perceptions of new culture screened by own
  culture
• Excitement, stimulation, discovery
• Curious, assured, positive

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Stages of Cultural Adaptation Stage 2
Disintegration/Disorientation

• Differences have more impact and begin to intrude
  on our sense of well-being
• We miss the cultural support of our home culture
• We misread or miss new cultural cues
• We may feel confused, isolated, apathetic,
  inadequate. We lose some self-esteem
• We may become depressed, withdrawn

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Stages of Cultural AdaptationStage 3
Reintegration/Irritability and Hostility

• We begin to reject and criticise the new culture
• We can feel angry, nervous, anxious, frustrated
• We become pre-occupied with our likes and
  dislikes
• We become more self-assertive, opinionated
• Growing self-esteem and determination

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Stages of Cultural AdaptationStage 4
Autonomy/Adjustment Integration

• We recognise and understand the differences and
  similarities
• We become more self-assured, confident, relaxed,
  warm to others
• We can negotiate most new situations
• We feel assured of our ability to deal with new
  experiences in the new culture

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Stages of Cultural AdaptationStage 5
Independence/Biculturality

• We become more accepting of differences and
  similarities, valuing the diversity within our
  adopted society
• We are able to fully express our personality with
  trust, humour and affection
• We are once again fully capable of choice, and of
  creating meaning for situations

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The Intensity of the Cultural Adaptation
Experience Increases when

• Cultures and languages are very different
• We are immersed in the new culture
• We feel isolated from our own culture
• We have little intercultural experience
• Our expectations are not met
• We are visibly different from the majority
• We have lost status, power and control

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Cultural Adaptation Questions for Volunteer
Involving Organisations

• What stages of adaptation are being experienced
  among the community?
• Do staff and other volunteers understand the
  effects and stages of cultural adaptation?
• How can we best respect the feelings of recently
  arrived volunteers and support them in adapting
  to Australia and our organisation?

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Cross-Cultural Bridge Building The Iceberg
Metaphor
Visible Words Actions
Invisible Values Attitudes
B
A
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Cross-Cultural Bridge Building The Iceberg
Metaphor

• Culture A Visible
• Little eye contact
• Low volume speech
• Invisible Values
• Respect
• Politeness
• Interpretation of B
• Aggressive Rude

• Culture B Visible
• Direct eye contact
• High volume speech
• Invisible Values
• Equality
• Directness
• Interpretation of A
• Evasive Weak

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Cross-Cultural Bridge Building

• Talk about and explain your feelings and
  reactions to observed words and actions
• Ask about the others feelings and reactions to
  your words and actions
• Explore and agree on ways of communicating that
  are mutually comfortable and acceptable

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Key Factors for Cross-Cultural Bridge Building

• Understand your own cultural values, assumptions
  and expectations
• Why do we behave the way we do?
• Learn about those of other cultures
• Why do they behave the way they do?
• Discover ways to work as equals
• Discuss and explain key differences
• Find the Third Culture

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Cross-Cultural Bridge Building Finding the Third
Culture
1
2
3
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Cross-Cultural Bridge Building Finding the
Third Culture

• When people from differing cultures meet and talk
  about their preferred ways of communicating and
  working, they start to build a bridge of
  understanding between them that enables them to
  work together as equals in a third culture

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Hints for Engaging with Culturally Diverse
Communities

• Develop cultural awareness programs that send a
  clear message
• Example Surf Life Saving is a unique and
  welcoming organisation.
• On The Same Wave is about making sure everyone
  knows this.
• No special treatment, just a special welcome.

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Linking personal and organisational values
through volunteering

• Having an alignment between a volunteers values
  and your organisations is important
• A successful volunteering experience
• Matching the individuals values with those of
  your organisation and
• Helping your organisation fulfill its mission

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Hints for Engaging with Culturally Diverse
Communities

• Learn about your local communities and build
  relationships with them
• Engage community leaders to help you inform
  members of your services and your volunteering
  opportunities
• Communicate face-to-face
• Involve volunteers from diverse cultural
  backgrounds in communications and relationship
  building with communities

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Hints for Engaging with Culturally Diverse
Communities

• Advertise your programs and volunteering
  opportunities
• Use ethnic media radio newspapers
• Use on line volunteer matching services
• Translate promotional materials into community
  languages
• Network with councils, resource centres and
  multicultural staff in other organisations to
  support volunteers and communities

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Hints for Engaging with Culturally Diverse
Communities

• Build cultural awareness into your recruitment
  process to make it easier for volunteers to get
  involved
• Clearly promote the benefits of volunteering
• Reduce the paperwork or complete it during the
  interview
• Use plain language and explain key terms for
  example volunteering is another way of saying
  helping your community

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Hints for Engaging with Culturally Diverse
Communities

• Build cultural awareness into your workplace
  culture to ensure all volunteers feel they are
  accepted and belong.
• Communicate your values and your inclusive
  policies and practices to all members
• Provide cultural awareness training and key
  information about local community groups
• Support culturally diverse volunteers through
  mentoring, training and recognition

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Cultural Awareness in Volunteering Close

• Involving volunteers from diverse cultural and
  linguistic backgrounds can bring many benefits to
  our organisation and the communities we serve.
• Developing our cultural awareness will help us
  reap the
• benefits that Australias rich diversity has to
  offer.

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Cultural Awareness in Volunteering

• Questions
• Discussion
• Where to from here?
• Feedback and Evaluation