Cultural Competency
What Is Cultural Competence? And Why Is It Important?
# Relationships are a powerful part of who we are.
They can help make us feel like we belong, like we have something to contribute to this world.
They can strengthen us. They give us reason to affect change and, more importantly, to be changed.
# Cultural competence is the ability to understand and interact effectively with people from other cultures.
To have multicultural competence, you need:
- A basic understanding of your own culture. (It’s difficult to understand another’s culture if you aren’t familiar with your own.)
- A willingness to learn about the cultural practices and worldview of others.
- A positive attitude toward cultural differences and a readiness to accept and respect those differences.
# Cultural competence is important because without it, our opportunity to build relationships is impossible. Instead, we’ll co-exist with people we don’t understand, thereby creating a higher risk for misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and bias—things that can all be avoided.
# When we make a special effort to understand the people we meet, our lives and our relationships are richer for it.
# Cultural competence isn’t necessarily a skill that can be mastered, because there are always new people to meet. And they bring new cultures, family histories, and worldviews to the table.
Our goal shouldn’t be mastery—it can simply be having a heart that’s willing to share our own culture and learn about the culture of others.
# One of the best ways to become culturally competent is to ask questions, and then listen carefully with interest, without any attempt to interrupt or persuade. Instead of asking what someone believes about a certain topic, ask them why they believe what they do. This is an opportunity to learn more about their beliefs, experiences, and perspective.
# Show interest. Whether it’s dinner, a cooking or language lesson, or a special festival that celebrates their culture, go and learn. Invite them to do the same in your world. You’ll both be better for having learned something new, and you’ll have fun doing it.
# Life is richer when we engage with the people around us, inviting them into our world and learning all we can about theirs. And listening to one another, seeking to truly hear them and understand their perspectives, is a crucial step toward peace.
Equity, Equality, & Justice
Equity involves offering an individual or group of individuals the same advantages, opportunities and benefits that are offered to other individuals or groups.
It should be noted that equity is not about everyone receiving the same thing, but everyone gets what they need or deserve. This means that they take into account the particularities of each individual, such as sex, religion, disabilities, among others.
Along with the principles of harmony and justice, equity ensures the proper functioning of societies.
How to adapt to a new environment & overcome (avoid) culture shock
# When one first enters a new culture, only the most overt behaviors are apparent. As one spends more time in that new culture, the underlying beliefs, values, and thought patterns that dictate that behavior will be uncovered.
# We cannot judge a new culture based only on what we see when we first enter it. We must take the time to get to know individuals from that culture and interact with them. Only by doing so can we uncover the values and beliefs that underlie the behavior of that society.
Challenging Stereotypes
Accepting Differences
Participate in the Cultural Competency Path here