Intercultural training

28 - 29.06.2017

The two-day workshop focuses on the basics of intercultural competence. Whether in Germany, abroad or at a distance; whether in relation to people from supposedly "near" or "foreign" cultures, such competence is important for working in international contexts.
The emphasis is both on the importance of personal (national) identity in such international contexts and on the reflection on the participants’ personal cultural background and belonging (e.g. morality and normality).
We will work on competences that participants can apply in cross-cultural contexts. At the same time, basic knowledge about the concept "cross-/intercultural competence" is taught. The workshop is culturally universal, which means that it does not focus on any specific cultural constellations. Participants will have the opportunity to address their specific questions, concerns and examples from their own fields of work.

Target group: doctoral candidates either working abroad (e.g. for field research, laboratory stays, or conferences) or with colleagues from other cultures / countries. Previous knowledge is not required. The workshop will be conducted in English.
Groups size: 6-12 participants.

Goal: The main aim of the workshop is the development of a self-reflexive attitude as a basis for working in international, scientific, development policy and migration contexts. It will enable the participants to apply this competence independently and develop it through future experiences.
Further goals are the development of competences in the areas of empathy, role distance, ambiguity tolerance and communication, and strengthened awareness towards the participants’ own cultural characteristics, basic knowledge of cross-cultural competence.

Methods: The focus of the workshop is on practical exercises with subsequent reflection phases. Apart from that, we will use short presentations, film sequences and group work.

Trainer: Annika Salingré, Geographer M.A. Freelance as a lecturer in political education, as a cross-cultural trainer and in the area of systemic coaching. Work experience as a research assistant, a development policy project leader, in humanitarian aid and as university lecturer. Intercultural experience in the UK, France, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Russia.