Download - TRAMP - Arbeit und Leben DGB/VHS

TRAMP – Transnational Mobility of Older People in Europe
152 Part II
Methods for Intercultural Learning
Preliminary note
“We may not speak the same language, but apart from that there are no differences”
– this conclusion is frequently drawn by people during first cross-border
contacts such as international exchange programmes. Grave reservations
towards people with other cultural backgrounds usually do not exist for that
matter, as they would not have opted for such an exchange in the first place.
However, many participants only realise cultural differences upon a second
glance and may be unaware of awkward situations. It is therefore advisable
to approach the subject of intercultural communication in an offensive manner
and to include the topic in the exchange programme. Cultural changes
should be a subject of discussion and presented as a rewarding element of
cross-border communication.
The following methods outlined below were developed for the TRAMP
exchange. In part they trace back to already published exercises, but in this
case they were adapted to the individual programme demands. Some other
methods were solely developed for the exchange programme. TRAMP’s target
group consisted of elderly people from the Czech Republic, France and
Germany who had few language skills and little intercultural experience. The
exercises may serve as examples or as a model for similar exchange programmes.
They only partially relate to the exchange situation itself, but they can
certainly serve as a source for discussing examples, which participants have
experienced themselves.
The larger section of exercises can be integrated into the programme as an
independent seminar unit of three to five hours (see Part 1 below), other exercises
can be included in other activities before, during and after the exchange
(Part 2). The start of the exchange marks a suitable time for the seminar, as
participants may still profit from its results during the course of the seminar.
It is recommended that the seminar should be conducted by a single coach
who underwent appropriate training or, accordingly, by very experienced personnel.
Essential for all exercises: cultural differences should not be dismissed,
as this is the only way to avoid mistakes and to initiate a learning process.
However, differences should not be treated as a dissociative factor, but regarded
as an interesting challenge.