Download - TRAMP - Arbeit und Leben DGB/VHS
Download - TRAMP - Arbeit und Leben DGB/VHS
Download - TRAMP - Arbeit und Leben DGB/VHS
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Intercultural Learning<br />
Working with Older Volunteers in Manual Intergenerational Projects<br />
Intercultural learning is an essential part of international exchanges. It is a<br />
main goal on exchanges to increase the participants’ identification with the<br />
European idea by bringing them in contact with each other. This happens<br />
mainly by cooperative work, common sightseeing tours and more informal<br />
topics. Furthermore a specific learning process has to be activated in which<br />
the participants are increasingly capable of reflecting on intercultural situations,<br />
of communicating beyond cultural differences, whilst regarding these<br />
differences as an enrichment and not as an obstacle.<br />
At the beginning of exchanges there are two main mistakes which often<br />
occur. Firstly differences are simply overseen or ignored intentionally and<br />
instead, similarities are advocated for which there is no real actual basis. Similarities<br />
are important – yet differences not being made may cause conflicts<br />
which cannot be solved, because their origin is unclear (see Bertels et al. 2004:<br />
39-40; Hinz-Rommel 1994: 38). Thus people make the same mistakes without<br />
noticing it at all. Secondly – and this is antipodal to the first mistake<br />
– differences come to the fore and are taken as an unbridgeable gap. This of<br />
course mainly happens to people who are prone to stereotyping. Differences<br />
appear stronger when they are associated with false and negative reasons.<br />
Whereas it is hard to fight genuine stereotypes and it takes a long time, the<br />
lack of sensitivity and false concepts can be corrected more easily, no matter<br />
whether the latter derive from superficial perception or missing knowledge<br />
of the different culture. Thus intercultural learning in the context of international<br />
exchanges will be targeted less on the overcoming of stereotypes, but<br />
on giving valid instruments of <strong>und</strong>erstanding to those who frankly go up to<br />
people of other cultures. The aim is to strengthen their cross-cultural competence.<br />
Cross-cultural competence is defined as “an ability gained in a learning<br />
process which provides a high level of communicative skills and <strong>und</strong>erstanding<br />
in indirect or direct contact with the members of other cultures” (Bertels<br />
et al. 2004: 33). Educationists, psychologists and ethnologists allocate<br />
quite a b<strong>und</strong>le of competences to this ability, among which are the awareness<br />
for cultural differences, changes of perspective in order to comprehend other<br />
people’s perspectives and the overcoming of ethnocentric barriers. Attitudes,<br />
such as open-mindedness and tolerance play an important role in intercultural<br />
learning as well (Bertels et al. 2004: 37; Kontos 1999). All the aspects<br />
mentioned are relevant presuppositions for the gaining of general intercultural<br />
competence. General intercultural competence enables people to use a<br />
suitable form of behaviour, no matter to which form of culture it is applied.<br />
This means that it completes country-specific knowledge which helps as well<br />
when people deal with members of different cultures and try to comprehend<br />
their actions and motivations.<br />
Set of Methods 101