Intercultural Awareness Session Michael Smith, Moses Stevenson, Adam Stokes, & Andre Zeigler Timeframe: 30 minutes Target

group: Age 14-18, 12 to 16 group members, recently met

Introduction Name games and icebreakers 5-10 minutes Depending on how recently the group has met and how often they will be working together, this actually may have higher priority or greater weight than the materials that follow. If the group is crosscommunity in nature or has other strong, preexisting internal divisions then getting them to know each other as individuals is critical. If future sessions hinge on the group members having a fair level of openness and trust, the time dedicated to getting to know each other should be expanded. Required Materials: name tags and markers (optional) Small ball or bean bag (optional, good for some icebreakers) Main Programme An introduction to cultural awareness 15-20 minutes The tale of the Nacirema is a good place to start. The original document is too formal for this age group, but can be easily simplified. After imparting the tale, the group members split into small groups of 2-4 with each group depicting one aspect of Nacirema culture. After 5 minutes or so they come back and show their work to each other. At this point the leader/leaders reveal who the Nacirema are and then discuss the group's reaction. Within this discussion the leaders introduce the importance of considering underlying assumptions and initial perceptions in understanding other peoples' ways of life. Required Materials: Body Rituals of the Nacirema or a simplified version of said text Flip chart paper Markers, pens, other drawing materials Review Evaluation of the session 5 minutes The last few minutes of the session time should be devoted to getting feedback from the group on what they got out of it and how well they thought it went.