By: Katie Dionesotes, Julian Sandoval, Toji Periman, and Justin Siegel CULTURAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENING

CULTURAL DIVERSITY MEANS A LOT TO OUR SCHOOL, COMMUNITY, AND FAMILY MEMBERS. TONIGHT WE JOIN TOGETHER TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH OTHER AND THE TRADITIONS THAT COME ALONG WITH OUR INDIVIDUAL CULTURES.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY WHAT DOES IT MEAN? :"variety; multiformity." (Dictionary 2010). Diversity can be viewed as things such as, cultural differences, variety of something abundant or a alternate version of something. : having a variety of cultural groups living in the same community. The individuals within a particular group can share a language, ethnicity, musical tradition, food, or national origin. : a compilation of different internal and external factors and experiences that influence and shape the personality of every individual in different cultures. : groups of people living together sharing one cultural experience including food, traditions, beliefs and family structures.

BENEFITS OF TEACHING DIVERSITY -Broader understanding of social issues -Acceptance and tolerance of diverse groups -Community becomes more interesting and rich -We get to experience new cultures (food, dance, clothing, traditions, literature) -Exchanged ideas between different cultures can lead to unique solutions for our problems -When forced to consider other’s point of view, we are able to widen our own

CHALLENGES OF TEACHING DIVERSITY -Groups view different cultural aspects differently – for example: religion -Groups have a hard time accepting new members into the group -Past histories of violence -Prejudice -Limited resources for helping and educating -Limited volunteers and people willing to share their cultural history and traditions

 All four events will focus around the same objectives – increase cultural diversity within our schools, families and local communities.  Celebrate diverse cultures in our society.  Gain a clear understanding of different cultural customs, religions, ect.  Understand the similarities and Differences between our cultures.  COOPERATION  Building a community that celebrates cultural diversity and cooperation together EVENT OBJECTIVES

 In order to bring more cultural awareness not only to our students and staff here at our school, but also our community we want to hold four special events this year.  This events are open to ANYONE in the community.  ANYONE is welcome to volunteer to participate in the events or come and listen, watch and learn more about different cultures. Official dates will be posted for each event in the monthly newsletter.  Event 1: Literacy Night (August)  Event 2: Family traditions and celebrations (November)  Event 3: Cuisines around the world (February)  Event 4: Traditional clothing and dance (May) CALENDAR OVERVIEW

 We would like to have two very important speakers attend:  1. Gary Soto He would come to share his books, experiences and his Hispanic heritage to Latin and Muslims families. While reading this book he could share meaningful experiences he faced as a child when he came to America. People could have the opportunity to ask questions. EVENT #1: LITERACY NIGHT

 2. Rha Mahmoud He also read aforementioned book to the visiting families. While reading the insightful book he would his cultural heritage, talk about his family and their cultural background. He could tell of how he came to US and the different situations and how he has experienced adapting to a new country and society EVENT #1: LITERACY NIGHT CONT…

EVENT #2: FAMILY TRADITIONS AND CELEBRATIONS  Family celebrations will be set up amongst multiple tables like a poster session. family will create a table setting that shows the tradition / holiday and how they celebrate it. The family can include things like  Family pictures of the celebration  Traditional foods they eat during this time  Clothes they wear  Songs they sing  Ways to show their pride in their culture during this time  People will walk through each poster session and spend about 5 minutes per station.  People can feel free to ask questions, make connections and discuss how this relates to them.

 Some upcoming cultural events for the months of November and December are:  Dia de los muertos “Day of the Dead” (Mexico, Latin America)  Diwali (Buddhist, Hindu)  Al Hijra – Muslim New Year (Muslim)  Ashura (Muslim, Islamic)  Kwanzaa (African – American) EVENT #2: FAMILY TRADITIONS AND CELEBRATIONS CONTINUED …

 The teacher will get the parents involved with this event.  The teacher will send a note home to the parents, asking a few parents to bring in a food, that they feel represents their families background and culture.  On the night of the event parents will bring in different food(s), and share some background information on the food, and why it represents their culture.  Same setup as holiday events. EVENT #3: CUISINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

EVENT #4: TRADITIONAL CLOTHING AND DANCE Small groups will work to create presentations that demonstrate the traditional dance and dress of their respective cultures. They will first present to the class and then to the larger community though an evening event. They will promote the event by creating posters that consist of pictures from each culture woven together.

EVENT #4: TRADITIONAL DANCE CONTINUED … Students will come in traditional dress and even show examples of the different traditional dances. Parents may also volunteer to show traditional dances from their cultures or play traditional music to accompany dances. Click the links below to watch some examples of cultural dances: Mexican Dance Indian Dance

 As Brown (2009) writes “Recognizing multicultural education as a dynamic process that changes the teaching-learning contexts leads to the acknowledgment of the interaction of critical elements in the classroom, the school, and the community.” (Brown, Kysilka)  Providing experiences to teach our students, families and community members about cultural diversity is beneficial for everyone involved.  Any questions?  Who wants to volunteer? THE FINAL WORDS …

REFERENCE PAGE References CANFIELD, C. (2007, October 4). Maine mayor: Somalis Should Leave Culture at Door. Associated Press. Retrieved from mayor-somalis-should-leave-culture-doorhttp://bigstory.ap.org/article/maine- mayor-somalis-should-leave-culture-door TRADITIONAL DANCES OF CAMBODIA.. Retrieved from dancers-siem-reap-cambodia/