New session on Cultural Intelligence

On October 22nd, Diversity and International Student Services teamed up to offer a new workshop on cultural intelligence. Also known as intercultural competence, or CQ, cultural intelligence is "a person's ability to function skillfully in a cultural context different than one's own" (Tuleja, 2014, p. 6). We can "understand key cultural norms ... listen, observe, and alter (our) behaviour or communication preferences ... depending on the situation (p. 5). As educators and service providers, when we build our CQ, we create more inclusive spaces where people feel their culture is appreciated and their knowledge is validated.

This new session has been created specifically for Fleming employees and begins with important information about the Fleming student profile, including international students. We will introduce you to international and immigrant students who will share their experiences studying at Fleming and adapting to Canadian culture. Then we examine cultural intelligence, what it is, and how we can build our CQ in order to better serve culturally diverse students. We share some of the latest research on internationalizing the classroom, and practical resources for both teaching and personal learning.

Click on the gold diversity logo above (upper right) to access these resources or to see the presentation. To register for a session, go to the PD calendar. A schedule of upcoming sessions will be posted there soon.

Fall 2014 news

Welcome to a new school year and some new iniatives in the Diversity Office!

I have returned from my professional development leave and I am resuming my role as Coordinator, continuing the work done during my absence by Ian Guest (accessibility) and Maryam Monsef (diversity and international student supports). I have heard about the positive impact they had here over the last 6 months, and I am really grateful to come back and find some new initiatives on the go!

One of these new projects I am coordinating is International Peer Mentoring. After a successful pilot project with students in the ESL program, we will be offering a broader program matching Canadian and senior international students with newly-arrived international students to help them adapt to their new community. Mentoring is an excellent way for Canadian students to learn about other cultures and for 2nd year international students to build their resumes with Canadian experience. Encourage students to get invovled.

Positive Space launches a new year with a Level One session on Friday, August 29th, 10:00 am. Students can register on the Student Life page by clicking on the Positive Space icon found at: https://mycampus.flemingc.on.ca/group/mycampus/campus_life
Employees can register through the PD calendar.

This Fall, another new program will be available; Cultural Competency training. Diversity and International are collaborating on an interactive session with our partners, the New Canadians Centre. This session will be available during the Week 8 Reading Break. In the meantime, there are some new resources here that may help you build your cultural competency, or for use in the classroom. Click on the gold Diversity logo above, and search under "cultural competency".

For more resources, contact me at diversity@flemingcollege.ca

A new face in the Diversity Office

Maryam Monsef

Hello Diversity Network members. I am back in the office briefly before I continue my leave of absence and I want to introduce you to Maryam Monsef in case you haven't met her yet since she joined the team in February. As interim Diversity Coordinator, Maryam is available to students and staff in room 405, Brealey campus and by email at diversity@flemingcollege.ca. Maryam is well known to many in the community as the face of the Red Pashmina campaign, raising funds for women in Afghanistan, and she brings many great skills to Fleming College. Make sure you say hello.

It is spring at last, and that means end of year reporting on our Inclusive College priorities that we targeted this year. It is a great time for employees and students to give us feedback on what is working well and what is not working well in the areas of:

- Aboriginal student supports
- Accessible education for students with disabilities
- International & immigrant student integration
- LGBTQ student safety
- Human rights awareness on all campuses

If you want to see what this committee has been working on this year, check out the link under the gold diversity logo on the top right. The work plan is there.

Employees will also soon receive an online survey from Fleming Data Research addressing internationalization at Fleming College and how we are creating an inclusive environment for international students. New partnership projects in Brazil (ACCC) and China (SPP) will mean more students will be arriving from these destinations. Our pilot Peer Mentoring program this past semester showed there was a big need for this program, so if you are a Canadian student, get involved and help a newcomer find their place here.

Meanwhile, take the opportunity to let your voice be heard and leave a post here, or send an email to diversity@flemingcollege.ca. Your anonymous comments will be shared with the Inclusive College Committee as it plans next year's action plan in June.