Addressing challenges in working with Lincoln's refugees

1. Addressing challenges in working with Lincoln's refugees Presented by the Fusion Project

2. Presented by THE FUSION PROJECT Joshua Snowden Khamisa Abdalla Dech Machar Duylinh Bui

3. What is culture? • The most important thing we can do when working with refugees is to enhance our understanding of culture • At the same time it is very, very important to understand that people are individuals and their membership in whatever racial or cultural group does not 100% determine their behavior

4. What is culture continued • Generalization versus stereotypes • A generalization never applies to everyone in every situation, is used as a “first guess” and is discarded when no longer accurate or useful • A stereotype applies to all people in all situation with no exceptions, it persists when no longer accurate and useful • Today as we talk, we need to remember to only make generalization with care and avoid stereotypes

5. What is culture continued • A working definition of culture: a way of life, including attitudes, beliefs and perceptions, that is passed from one generation to another through learning. • Enculturation: the process of learning one’s “native” culture, the culture which they are surrounded with at birth and as a child • Acculturation: the process of learning or coming into contact with a new culture

6. What is culture continued • When refugees come to the United States they begin to go through the process of acculturation. • However, in no way do they lose their original, primary, enculturated culture • It is important that we respect refugees primary cultures. They are making an effort to become acculturated to our culture, we must make an effort to meet them in the middle

7. Six key differences in culturesfrom “Working on Common Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges” by DuPraw and Axner (1997) • Different communication styles • Both verbal and non-verbal. Volume of voice. Direct communication versus talking around the subject. • Different attitudes toward conflict Avoidance of conflict, how conflict is dealt with • Different approaches towards completing a task • Different decision making styles • Individualism versus collective, delegation of authority

8. Six key differences in culturesfrom “Working on Common Cross-Cultural Communication Challenges” by DuPraw and Axner (1997) • Different attitudes towards disclosure • Emotions, conflict, personal information • Different approaches to knowledge

9. Four important cultural variablesfrom “Cross Cultural Communication” LeBaron (2003) • Time and Space We understand time and space has a deep and profound effect upon our daily lives. Think of the common American expression “time is money”. • Fate and Personal Responsibility Master of our lives, free will versus subject to thing outside our control, fatalistic

10. Four important cultural variablesfrom “Cross Cultural Communication” LeBaron (2003) • Face and Face Saving Face is defined as the public image, how an individual perceives oneself perceived by others. Has to do with notions of power, respect and courtesy. • Non-Verbal Communication Very important in cross cultural communication when verbal sues may fail. Includes eye contact, facial expressions, proximity in conversation, or how we stand in lines or negotiate space while walking down the sidewalk

11. Interactive Activity Think of a time when you have had an interaction, either professionally or in your personal life, with a refugee or new American where there was some kind of communication breakdown. What happened? What went wrong? Listen to the story of Ashjan. Discuss these questions: • What things in the story made both people uncomfortable? • How could these things have been avoided?

12. Three potential hazards to cross cultural communication. • Anxiety or fear. We are all afraid of failing at communication and don’t want to appear foolish or incompetent or risk losing respect, power or influence. • The other party needs to change, I’m doing everything right • I want a list of dos and donts. You are not giving me anything concrete!

13. Traits that correlate to poor cross cultural communication • Low tolerance to ambiguity or high uncertainty avoidance • Overly task-oriented or high need for individual achievement • Overly closed-minded and inflexible

14. 10 tips for communication with non-native speakers • 1. Learn their name. Learn how to spell it and how to pronounce it correctly. It is important. • 2. Learn some simple phrases in their language. Many people are proud of their language, and would like to teach you about it. • 3. Don’t speak to in a loud voice. Learning a language is not the same as being deaf. • 4. Speak slowly. Do not mumble. • 5. If someone says they don’t understand, write it down for them. This makes it much easier.

15. 10 tips for communication with non-native speakers • 6. Don’t interrupt. English learners often need more time to formulate their thoughts into spoken language and can be very discouraged by being interrupted. • 7. Use short, simple sentences. Avoid big words and complicated verb tenses. • 8. Be respectful. Don’t become angry if I don’t understand you. • 9. Ask open ended questions. That’s what gets people talking

16. 10 tips for communication with non-native speakers • Be friendly. Ask about family. Ask to see pictures of family or of the country of origin. Offer to show pictures of you family. A smile can go a long ways.

17. Karen Culture • Many Karen have a cultural value of not imposing on others and of being quiet or less talkative.  • The Karen are addressed by given names. Traditionally, they do not have family names. This causes confusion with the system in the United States. Family members and married couples do not share the same name. 

18. Karen Culture (continued) • Doctors have high social status so patients may not be comfortable questioning them or expressing dissatisfaction with their treatment. • Health care providers should ask open ended questions and allow opportunity for Karen patients to follow up with additional questions about their healthcare at a later time.  • Patients will generally feel more comfortable with same-gender interpreters due to the healthcare issues that may be discussed during their hospital visits.

19. Karen Culture (continued) • Traditionally, Karen do not shake hands or bow, but with experience with Western culture, people do shake hands. Karen might shake with their right hand, supporting the right forearm with the left hand, as it is a sign of respect to use both hands to shake. • Direct eye contact is sometimes considered impolite as it is a sign of equal status. • Normally Karen walk behind those who are elders or senior to them.

20. Karen Culture (continued) • One does not pick up something belonging to another person. • When handing something to someone, it is respectful to use two hands rather than one. • Saying “no” is often a way of being modest.

21. Karen Culture (continued) • When you are walking by someone, you duck and bow your head to be lower than others in the room especially if you are walking between two people having a conversation. One should avoid walking in front of those who are seated. One should walk behind them or ask for permission first. • Folding one's arms in front of oneself when talking to another is a sign of respect unlike in American culture • Pointing with the feet or showing the bottoms of one's feet and touching the head is disrespectful.

22. Karen Culture (continued) • Being direct is culturally considered rude. Many Karen find American directness, loud speech, and body language uncomfortable. Decisions are usually made by consensus. Confrontation is avoided, and problems may be addressed in a group or by an intermediary. • Displays of anger are not respected and should be avoided. Politeness can sometimes lead to misunderstandings of Karen within American culture, as they may not directly inform you if their needs are not being met or if they disagree.

23. Karen Culture (continued) • “The Karen are more conscious of people as opposed to time. Making and sticking to strict schedules is a difficult adjustment for many. We (Americans) might see rushing from one appointment to the next as efficient, while they (Karen) might see it as being rude to the person who is being left behind. • Related to the point above, making long range plans and setting goals is a rather new concept for most. As a rule, the Karen will take life as it happens to them

24. Karen Culture (continued) • Do not refer to the Karen as Burmese. Ethnically, they are a completely different group and many will not even speak Burmese. The Karen have come from the country of Burma, but not by choice and it is the Burmese that have driven them from their home. So many Karen will not identify with the Burmese in a very positive way. The political stance of the Karen will vary with their experience, but still, unless the person corrects you, it is much better to refer to people by their ethnic group (Karen, Chin, Kachin, Shan, Karenni, etc.) rather than call them Burmese.” (The Karen Konnection, 2007) 

25. Iraqi Culture (continued) • Because religion plays such an important part in the lives of Iraqi Arabs, some resettled refugees—particularly those from rural areas—might be confused by the number of Americans who do not follow a religion and are vocal about not believing in God, yet are well-behaved, accepted members of society.

26. Iraqi Culture (continued) • Resettled Iraqi refugees might be puzzled at the American need for invitations and advance notice before a visit. An Iraqi family might issue a general invitation, not realizing that they must pin down a specific time and place, then sit at home socially isolated and lonely, wondering why Americans are so unsociable. Iraqis might also insist on paying in restaurants and on other occasions, to the point of spending more than they can afford.

27. Iraqi Culture (continued) • Friendships between men and women in the West can be a source of confusion to young Iraqi men and women. Many young Iraqi Arab men need to understand that friendliness in an American woman is not necessarily a sign of romantic or sexual interest. Cross-gender friendships in American society can be frightening to young Iraqi women, who may become very shy and hesitant to go out alone, speak up in class, or make friends.

28. Iraqi Culture (continued) • Arabs traditionally do not have last names parallel to our family names. Each extended family has a name, and in recent times that name has come to be used as a last name, especially with the influence of Western culture. • An Arab woman does not take her husband's family name, but in formal situations gives her own and her father's names.

29. Iraqi Culture (continued) • Example: Nawal, who is married to Hussein, is formally Nawal Ali Nasser, Nawal the daughter of Ali of the Nasser family. For Western purposes Hussein uses the name Hussein Al-Jamil, Hussein of the Al-Jamil family. Their son Nizar is Nizar Hussein Al-Jamil. Their daughter Amira is Amira Hussein Al-Jamil.

30. Iraqi Culture (continued) • A little eye contact is acceptable. Too much can be considered rude or even indicative of hostility • It's best for men to not look at women they do not know in the eyes. This is considered a kind of harassment or flirting.

31. Vietnamese Culture •  As with most group-orientated societies there are also hierarchical structures.  In Vietnam these are very much based upon age and status.  • This derives from Confucianism, which emphasizes social order. Everyone is seen as having a distinct place and role within the hierarchical structure, be it the family or workplace. 

32. Vietnamese Culture •  In general, the Vietnamese are collectivists.The individual is seen as secondary to the group - whether the family, school or company. • As a result there are strict guidelines for social interaction that are designed to protect a group's reputation, dignity, or prestige. This notion is extremely important in Vietnamese culture.

33. Vietnamese Culture (continued) • Vietnamese names are traditionally written with the surname name first, then the middle name, followed by the given name. • Most names can be used for either gender. • Many Vietnamese people prefer to be referred to by their title (Ms./Mr./Mrs./Dr.). • A Vietnamese patient may not know the name of his or her doctors and may refer to them only as “doctor”.

34. Vietnamese Culture (continued) • For certain feelings, Vietnamese people may prefer non-verbal communication. People may express feelings of “Thank you” or “I’m sorry” through silence or through smiling. • A smile is a proper response to many diverse situations in which verbal acknowledgement may not be necessary (for example: embarrassment, mild disagreement, disbelief, appreciation, etc.)

35. Vietnamese Culture (continued) • It is respectful to avoid eye contact when talking to a person who is not of equal status or the same gender. • Women do not shake hands with each other or with men. • Hugging is generally reserved for relatives only.