diversity

Fostering International Mindedness

Last week at my county fair, I had the unique opportunity to host some international journalists from Ukraine. They were guests of the U.S. Department of State as part of a special program to foster relations with foreign press. Their mission, while they toured Ohio agricultural sites, was to capture some best practices related to farming and research, with a special focus on youth. They want to share these ideas with their homeland to inspire Ukrainian villages to engage their youth. They were fascinated by the 4-H youth exhibits and livestock at our county fair.

Ukrainian couple interview two youth about their alpaca projects at a county fair.

They also shared their heart-wrenching story, how Aliona fled to the U.S. with their two children when Ukraine was invaded, while Ruslan stayed in Ukraine to farm their crops. While in the U.S., their children have endured bullying in school due to their heritage and war status in their home country. Amidst their own personal and national turmoil, they continue to travel when possible and share stories to inspire their country.

Their visit had a profound impact on me, reflecting on all they have endured. How can we stop this bullying and spread peace? According to education expert Carolyn Savage, international mindedness involves knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of different cultures, increased self-awareness and empathy, ability to collaborate with peers from different backgrounds, deepening knowledge and understanding of global issues and ability to see ourselves as responsible, global citizens. This concept of international mindedness is something we could all embrace. We can help children (and ourselves) better understand other cultures to increase our capacity for compassion.

Here are some ways to families can foster international understanding: 

  • Start early: Begin talking about culture, diversity, and inclusion with children at a young age. 
  • Be inclusive: Consider the diversity in your friends, reading materials, and toys. 
  • Create a cultural home environment: Invite into your home books, art, and music from other cultures. 
  • Celebrate traditions: Attend multicultural events and celebrate cultural traditions and differences. 
  • Learn about other cultures: Listen to cultural music, watch foreign movies, explore historical sites, and visit museums. Pick a recipe from another country and have fun making it together.
  • Take classes: Learn about different cultures through online courses or community language classes. 
  • Have open conversations: With age-appropriateness in mind, discuss current global issues and events with your child to develop critical thinking and global empathy.
  • Model Respect and Empathy: Model these values in your daily interactions with others, showing the importance of treating all individuals with kindness and understanding.
  • Encourage international friendships: Help children make friends with children from different cultural backgrounds. 
  • Volunteer and Serve Others: Participate in volunteer opportunities and service projects as a family to demonstrate the value of giving back and making a positive impact on your community and the world.

Becoming more aware of other cultures leads to greater understanding an increased capacity to show compassion. If children can learn this at an early age, they can live in peace with people from all nations.

Writer: Shannon Carter, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Fairfield County, carter.413@osu.edu

Reviewer: Erin Ruggiero, Extension Educator, Family & Consumer Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, Medina County, ruggiero.46@osu.edu

Sources:

“An Introduction to International Mindedness.” 11-06-2023. Edmentum, Inc.

Butt, S. (2024). “How to Foster Cultural Awareness at Home.” Johns Hopkins University.

“Celebrate tradition and cultural awareness with young children.” 11-20-2018. Southwest Human Development.

Talking About Tough Topics, Respectfully

two people side by side reading books

This year, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to join over 100 of my colleagues in reading and discussing the book Why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum. Together, we chose to focus on racial literacy through a yearlong book club and respectful dialogue series.

According to the Ohio State University Office of Diversity and Inclusion, respectful dialogue is “engagement in honest, thoughtful and reflexive conversation with the goal of understanding one another.” When engaging in respectful dialogue, you do not have to agree with or adopt the perspectives of all others. Instead, you listen to other perspectives with curiosity and the goal of learning.

When engaging in a respectful dialogue, it is helpful for all participants to establish and agree to common expectations for the conversation. Some of the expectations our book club group adopted include:

  • Speak from your own experience only. No one is a spokesperson for an entire group.
  • Assume positive intention, but own your impact.
  • If you are upset or offended, say so, and say why.
  • No shame or blame – be gracious and remember we are all learning.
  • Listen to understand, not to respond.
  • Challenge by choice. No one should ever feel pressured to interact or engage.
  • Try leaning into the discomfort that these conversations can sometimes evoke.
  • Be empathetic and compassionate – toward others AND yourself.
  • Be respectful, even if you disagree with something.
  • Remember it’s okay to disagree, but don’t make it personal. Stick to the issue. No name-calling or put-downs.

If you’re interested in participating in a respectful dialogue on a tough topic but don’t know where to start, reach out to your local library to see if they have any upcoming events you could join. For example, the Columbus Metropolitan Library joined eight other libraries in central Ohio for an 11-week One Book, One Community event in November 2020 – January 2021. In 2021, they hosted monthly virtual panel discussions on race and social justice, each one centering on a different book, movie, article, or music selection. Many of these selections and other titles that your local library may be able to recommend come with discussion guides you can use to host a respectful dialogue of your own with friends, family members, or co-workers.

On the topic of racial literacy, the American Library Association has a list of recommended anti-racism titles for all ages, and both Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Common Sense Media offer advice for parents on talking about racism with children. As the parent to a toddler, one thing I learned from my experience reading this particular book and participating in this book club is the importance of starting conversations about tough topics early in life.

Written by: Jenny Lobb, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension Franklin County.

Reviewed by: Laura Stanton, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator, Ohio State University Extension, Warren County.

Sources:

American Library Association (2020). Reading for change: Booklist recommended antiracism titles for all ages. https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/reading-change-booklist-recommends-antiracism-titles-ages

Common Sense Media (2020). How to talk with kids about racism and racial violence. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/how-to-talk-with-kids-about-racism-and-racial-violence

Nationwide Children’s (2020). How to talk to your kids about racism. https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/700childrens/2020/06/how-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-racism

The Ohio State University Office of Diversity and Inclusion. (n.d.) Respectful Dialogue Toolkit. https://odi.osu.edu/respectful-dialogue-toolkit