Understanding Yourself, Understanding Others

Culture influences how we communicate, build relationships, make decisions, and understand the world around us. As volunteers, we bring our own identities, experiences, values, and assumptions into every interaction. Developing cultural awareness begins with recognizing how our own perspectives are shaped and learning to approach differences with curiosity, humility, and respect.

This module introduces key concepts such as positionality, intersectionality, cultural bias, and cross-cultural communication. It also provides practical strategies to help you engage respectfully with community members, navigate cultural differences, and better understand the communities you will be working alongside.

By the end of this module, you should be knowledgeable about the following learning objectives:

• Demonstrate awareness of cultural norms, values, communication styles
• Engage respectfully with community members and staff
• Recognize personal biases and adapt behavior