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The Cultural Connections Project

We are thrilled to share the newest installment of our Cultural Connections project – a booklet written by students reflecting on culture shock and cross-cultural communication. The purpose of our project was to promote understanding between cultures through conversation and writing. And to share our reflections with a wider audience. What better way to do that than engaging in conversation with our diverse group of students and tutors!

In the past two years, LVSC conducted two six-week programs with intermediate and advanced students from more than a dozen different countries, and with four volunteers who have extensive experience traveling, living and/or working abroad. We created lesson plans that focused on different aspects of deep culture and how they affect our perceptions of others.

These are definitely lessons I will take with me and incorporate at work and my personal life.

At the end of the first six-week conversation class in 2022, we created a Reflections Video and more recently at the end of the six-week writing class, we created a Reflections Booklet. Both capture many of the stories that emerged from our discussions and reflections on what we learned from each other.

Is very important to let people know that their culture is valuable. Thank you for the booklet!

On April 29, 2024, we hosted a luncheon and panel discussion to celebrate this wonderful project, our student and volunteer participants, and our generous funder. We shared our reflections with a large group of LVSC tutors, students, and board members, as well as many leaders from community organizations and local government. Participants left with a copy of the Reflections Booklet and ideas on how to use this information in tutoring sessions, in the workplace, and in their communities.

Hearing the diverse experience of the panelists was really interesting and impactful.

 

I want to congratulate LVSC for this Cultural Connections event. It was nice to be in the middle of people from many countries.

LVSC’s Cultural Connections project and luncheon were made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Thank you!