1. Work effectively with culturally diverse clients and co-workers HLTHIR403C #1: Defining Culture & Cultural Competency
DVD to show throughout this module as time permits: Youth For Human Rights
Highlights different aspects of human rights which can be applied to cultural diversity

2. Lesson Outline Cultural awareness at work
Cultural diversity is positive in the workplace
Teacher’s notes: See this link for additional activities for this module:

3. What is Culture? Overlapping and embedded:
- in a social sense (interactions)
- ethnicity (common traits/characteristics)
- workplace culture in community services
Activity: Break into groups of 3 or 4 and discuss; ‘what is your cultural identity’? What do you base your identity concept on, i.e. sense of self, of who you are?

4. A Definition of Culture:
Is an integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communications, languages, practices, beliefs, values, customs, courtesies, rituals, manners of interacting, roles, relationships, and expected behaviors of a particular racial, ethnic, religious, or social group, with the ability to transmit the above to succeeding generations
Georgetown University:
Examples: In the Japanese culture it is polite to bow when greeting another person. It is also a sign of respect. To refuse to bow is considered a great insult. However, in the Japanese culture, changes are occurring in that formal deep bows are essential when greeting someone more senior or higher in an organisational hierarchy. A less formal shorter bow is considered sufficient to not cause offense among peers. So, this is a behaviour that embodies communication, values, customs, courtesies, a ritual, manner of interacting an expected behaviour of the Japanese race, ethnicity and social group that has succeeded generations.

5. Societal Culture
All of us are cultural beings. All of us have culture. Our culture shapes how we see the world and make sense of it.
Culture influences all of our behaviours and interactions.
Our culture also mediates how we make sense of difference e.g. disability and respond to people with disability.
What influences have you experienced in your life, that have become a part of your identity today?
Teachers Notes: This slide explains how societal culture effects us and becomes a part of our person.
Discuss the question, What influences have you experienced in your life that have become a part of your identity today? Encourage, assist students to identify how culture (particularly different cultures) have become a part of who they now are: i.e. Spaghetti bolognaise, pizza, the Grand Prix, cappuccino, soccer (football), baseball caps, Nike, Adidas sport shoes (American Culture), and ‘Fast Food’.

6. Societal Culture
Culture is not static – it is constantly changing and responding to shifting environments and circumstances. Within each culture there are many subcultures, which means that many beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviours are not shared amongst all the people from a culture.

7. Societal Culture
Except for very few isolated communities, all cultures are exposed to external influences.
Whilst external influences have always existed – how else would knowledge of how to make noodles have travelled from China to Italy? – the rate at which cultures are exposed to external influences today is greater than ever before.
Teacher’s Notes: Suggestion: Discuss how information is so easily accessed through the internet, that now more than ever before we have a global culture, with many different cultures influencing each other from the readily available international flow of information.

8. Ethnicity as a definition of Culture
In Australia, there is a tendency to use the term ‘culture’ only in relation to people from non-English speaking backgrounds, which suggest that Anglo-Australians are culturally neutral.
If we use the above definition of culture, we need to view all Australians as cultural beings.
Teachers Notes: Anglo-Australians are not culturally neutral. Examples, in England each county has its own history, traditions and accents. Here in Australia, the different states have different history, e.g. South Australia is very proud of being settled by ‘free settlers’ not convicts. South Australia was also the first state in Australia to allow women to vote, (before women were allowed to vote in England).
Can discuss: After WWII Australia encouraged migrants from Europe, those from England came to be labeled as ten pound poms, although all migrants paid the equivalent in their currency of ten pounds. Life was simple, individuals did not think as far as ‘culture’ everyone was either a: Wog, a Pom or an Aussie!
When Indigenous Australians were allowed to vote.
The white Australia policy.
The Civil rights Movement in America where one black woman refused to give up her seat to a white person on a bus, and this one act became the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement
The Apartheid in South Africa

9. Workplace Culture
Culture is not limited to societal differences or heritage/background differences. Different workplace harvest their own ‘culture’ or their own ‘cultural identity.’ One most widely recognised is that some organisations are known to have a ‘bullying culture’.
Teacher’s Notes: We are attempting to assist our students to recognise and understand the fluidity of ‘culture’, hence having defined culture personally and how we have all been influenced by our environmental culture, we are now introducing workplace culture and how that has similar influences on our behaviour at work.

10. Workplace Culture
So Workplace Culture is: The integration of who and what employees, customers/clients are into specific standards, policies, practices and attitudes used in appropriate cultural settings to increase the quality of services, thereby producing better outcomes.
Teacher’s Notes: Discuss cultures in the Community Services Sector, i.e caring and compassion towards our clients, and an inherent need (usually) to help people achieve growth, be it personal, professional or societal.

11. Workplace Culture
This means that as an individual where in the workplace you should attempt to develop, the ability to think, feel and act in ways that acknowledge, respect and build upon ethnic, socio-cultural and linguistic diversity.
How do we do this?
Teacher’s Notes: How do we do this? Research, research, research. Learn about different background differences, lifestyle differences, understand socio-economic, (why are individuals at that level, what have been their life experiences, sometimes through sickness/disability/an accident at work, people can end up poor). The aim of the Community worker/counsellor is to understand not to judge or stereotype.

12. Cultural Competence vs Cultural Awareness
We develop cultural competency:
Cultural competence:
- The ability to effectively operate within different
cultural contexts.
Cultural awareness:
Sensitivity and understanding toward members of other ethnic groups.
Watch youtube: Comparing Different Cultures: Intercultural Communications -- Rey Ty
Teacher’s Notes: Small Print Workbook on page 35 calls this “cultural fluency”. Please simply note different terms.
Videoclip discussion: Viceo shows the enormous differences between cultural norms in communication & everyday activities. Use this as an intro. to awareness of cultural diversity.

13. Cultural Competence Continuum
Ignorance
Awareness
Sensitivity
Competence
Celebration of our Cultural
Diversity
Teacher’s Notes: (Give handout to class of questionnaire) The handout is separated into three sections, so students can do the questionnaire three times, and hopefully record their growth toward cultural competency/celebration.
The diagram shows positive growth on a continuum from: Ignorance, to Awareness to Acceptance, to Sensitivity to Competence and finally Celebration of Diversity.
Activity: through the introduction of this unit and the following discussions, ask students to reflect on where they might be at this moment on the continuum at this point of the course. This is a private reflection, they do not have to share or show other class members. At the conclusion of the unit, we will ask students to consider again where they might be on the continuum. This is a private exercise on the student’s personal growth.

14. References
Chatswood (1993).The conflict resolution network: Conflict resolution trainers manual – 12 skills)
Chenoweth L & McAuliffe D 2011 The road to social work & human service practice, 3rd edn.,Cengage Learning Australia. Chapter 8
Comparing Different Cultures: Intercultural Communications - Rey Ty, online video, accessed 20th May
Corey G, Corey MS & Callanan P 2011 Issues and ethics in the helping professions, 8th edn., Cengage Learning: Brookes/Cole , United States. Chapter 4
Cornelius, H & Faire, S. (1989). Everyone can win: How to resolve conflict. Simon & Schuster, Sydney
Cross Cultural Communication , online video, accessed 20 May 2012 ,
Culture and Communication-Low and High Context Cultures, online video, accessed 20 May, 2012,

15. References
Cultural Competence: Managing Your Prejudices, online video, accessed May 22, 2012.
Cultural Diversity - Tips for communicating with cultural awareness, online video, accessed 20 May 2012,
Diversity Dave, online video, accessed 26 May 2012,
Emotional Intelligence or Behaviorial Control? (part 2) , online video, accessed 23 May, 2012,
Erikson, E.H. (1974). Dimensions of a New Identity. New York: Norton
Georgetown University: National Centre for Cultural Competence 200, ‘Cultural Competence: Definition & Conceptual Framework,’ Washington, accessed 24 May,
Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. London: Bloomsbury Publishing
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.
Hage, H. & Couch, R. (eds), 1999, The Future of Australian Multiculturalism, Research Inst. For Humanities and Soc. Sciences, Sydney University
Healey, J., 2000, Multiculturalism Volume 126, Issues in Society, The Spinney Press, Thirroul, NSW
Healey, J., 2000, Australia’s National Identity, Volume 133, Issues in Society, The Spinney Press, Thirroul, NSW

16. References
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Fact sheet: Face the Facts: How diverse are Australians (section 6)
Hodge B & O’Carroll J 2006 Borderwork in Multicultural Australia, Allen & Unwin Sydney
Kenny S 2011 Developing communities for the future, 4th edn., Cengage Learning Australia. Chapter 9
Practice in human services organisations, Allen & Unwin, Australia. Chapter 6
Maidment J & Egan R (eds) 2009 Practice skills in social work & welfare, 2nd edn., Allen & Unwin, Australia. Chapter 9,11
Making Multicultural Australia, “Ethnicity”. Accessed May 23, 2012http://
Managing Conflict - Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument , online video, accessed 22 May, 2012,
MDA Multicultural Development Association 2012, “Working as a culturally competent mental health practitioner”. Accessed May 22, 2012,
Nick Vujicic, No Arms, No Legs, No Worries! Part 1, online video, accessed 18 May 2012,

17. References
O’Hara A & Pockett R (eds) 2011 Skills For Human Service Practice: Working with Individuals, Groups and Communities, 2nd edn., Oxford University Press, Australia/ New Zealand
Racism. No Way! “Fact sheet: Australia's Cultural Diversity”, accessed May
Sockalingum adapted from Hayes, Cultural Competence Continuum, 1993 and Terry Cross Cultural Competency Continuum
“The secret world of the child bride: Heartbreaking pictures of the girls as young as FIVE who are married off to middle-aged men,” Daily Mail, accessed 24 April,2012,
Trudge R 2005 Why worriers lie down and die, P/l Darwin
Segal J., Ph.D., Smith M., M.A., and Jaffe. J, Ph.D.  Cited March 2012 , accessed 23 May, 2012,
Teenage parents - Babes - First Light, online video, accessed 21 May
Today Tonight story on Universal Royalty Pageant Australia , online video accessed 24 May
What is your conflict style?, online video, accessed