RRA Overview Training

1
DEEDWorkForce CenterReception and Resource
Area Certification Program
Module 2 Unit 3 a Population Awareness I
2
Unit Competency Statement and Learning
Objectives

• Competency Statement
• Understand how perceptions influence thinking
  and know essential principles of cultural
  awareness on a basic level.
• Learning Objectives
• Perceptions
• Cultural awareness

3
Learning Objectives

• Perceptions
• What is it?
• Stereotyping
• Cultural Awareness
• Cultural competence
• Cultural KASs

4
perceptions
5
Discussion Point

• Have you ever tried to get people to stereotype
  you, either positively or negatively?

6
Perceptions
The dictionary defines perception as 1 a to
attain awareness or understanding of and b to
regard as being such. For example, a perceived
personal threat or (he was) perceived as a
loser.2 to become aware of (something or
someone) through the senses. Our awareness and
understanding of situations or groups of people
are not always accurate, which, in turn, skews
our perceptions of them.
Perceptions stem from individual cultures, media
and personal experiences through which
individual biases and stereotypes are created
both positive or negative.
7
Biases

• A bias is an inflexible positive or negative
  prejudgment about an individual and is based on
  a generalized idea about the groups to which the
  person belongs.
• There are two types of biases that direct our
  behaviors toward others
• Conscious bias followed by conscious behavior.
• Unconscious bias followed by unconscious
  behavior.

People should not be defined by biases,
stereotypes or external factors, but rather by
their personal characteristics.
8
Letting go of Biases

• To uncover our personal biases, we must first
  analyze our thoughts are they based on
  misinformation or just differences?
• Changing our thought process and letting go of
  our biases, require us to find similarities with
  people different from ourselves and ways to
  connect with them.
• Exercise List some similarities we all share.
• _________________ __________________
• _________________ __________________
• _________________ __________________
• _________________ ____________________

9
Cultural Awareness
10
American Culture

• Different periods defined the American culture
• Melting Pot
• Foreigners were expected to fit into the new
  world the idea was that individual cultures
  would eventually melt into one.
• Mosaic Society/Salad bowl
• Cultural differences are valued.
• Multicultural
• The American culture has grown into a
  multi-culture and is no longer distinct.

11
Cultural KSAs

• K Cultural Knowledge
• Familiarity with the characteristics, history,
  values, belief systems, and behaviors of members
  of a racial, ethnic or social group.
• S Cultural Sensitivity
• Being sensitive to cultural differences as well
  as similarities and not assigning values, i.e.,
  better or worse, right or wrong, to those
  cultural differences.
• A Cultural Awareness
• Being aware that members belonging to a racial,
  ethnic or social groups possess unique qualities,
  differences and similarities from other such
  groups.

12
Culture Competence Defined

• Culture implies that a group of people share
  similar characteristics of the same racial,
  ethnic or social group and integrated patterns
  of social behaviors, thoughts, communications,
  actions, customs, beliefs and values.
• Competence implies
• To effectively apply cross-cultural knowledge of
  racial, ethnic or social groups in the
  appropriate cultural context. 
• Cultural Competence
• Possessing knowledge, awareness and sensitivity
  of people who are members of other cultures and
  having the capacity to effectively function
  within them.

13
Discussion Point

• What do you do at your WFC that promotes cultural
  competence?

14
PerceptionsKey Points

• Perceptions stem from individual cultures, media
  and personal experiences through which biases or
  stereotypes of others are created both positive
  or negative.
• Because our thought processes are not always
  accurate, our perceptions of people and
  situations can be skewed.
• Biases are based on generalized ideas and
  perceptions of people belonging to a particular
  group.
• Stereotypes do not define people, but rather
  their personal characteristics should.

15
Cultural AwarenessKey Points

1. The American culture has evolved from a melting
   pot to a mosaic or salad bowl to a multiculture.
2. Being culturally competent is having the capacity
   to function effectively in other cultural
   contexts.
3. Cultural KSAs are knowledge, sensitivity and
   awareness of different cultures and ethnic
   groups.

16
Sources

• Perception." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.
  2010.Merriam-Webster Online. 22 April
  2010http//www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/per
  ception
• Mark A. King, Anthony Sims, David Osher.
  Defining Cultural Competence. Retrieved
  January 2010 from http//cecp.air.org/cultural/Q_i
  ntegrated.htmde
• Sondra Thiederman. Making Diversity Work 7
  Steps to Defeating Bias in the Workplace.
  Kaplan Publishing, Second Edition, May 2008.
• Patreese D. Ingram. An Overview of Diversity
  Awareness. 2001. Retrieved December 2009 from
  http//www.collegesuccess1.com/Documents/ui362.pdf
  
• Tony Byers Associates. Experiencing the Power
  of Diversity. The City of Minneapolis
  Employee Conference, March 2006.

17
This completes training for Module 2, Unit
3a. Learning Objective 1 Perceptions Learning
Objective 2 Cultural Awareness