Presenters: Isolde Schmid, Team Leader and Diana Mora, Intercultural Education Facilitator, Intercultural Education Program, Catholic Social Services
Date: January 26th, 2021
Description
Based on the Parenting in 2 Cultures Program, this webinar will explain how using intercultural theory is necessary for developing culturally aware content to reach immigrant communities.
The Intercultural Education team of Catholic Social Services developed the program to tackle the topic of parenting kids in a new culture. The goal is to address issues such as punishment, control, and supervision, these being the most common causes for immigrant parents getting in trouble with the Canadian system, as well as creating division and conflict within the families.
In our program we speak from the perspective that cultures are complex systems that work within themselves. Cultures change and have many variations, and our understanding of our values as well as the way we make them visible within our family practices are unique and personal. Therefore the program aims to understand the importance of adaptation and integration, keeping the culture of origin at the core of family values.
Shifting focus from behavior control to relationship building, Parenting in 2 Cultures uses Positive Discipline as a tool to support this process. Through the grounding in intercultural theory, judgement is naturally taken away, creating a safe space for an honest reflection about how our parenting practices shift from one place to the other, giving the foundation to create an open discussion about life in Canada.
Presenter's biography
Diana Mora holds a MA in Intercultural and International Communication from the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) and a Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Montreal. Her interest in intercultural education started back home in Colombia where she worked in different teaching environments from grade school to university levels, this became a passion when she came to Canada. As an Intercultural Education Facilitator at Catholic Social Services, Diana uses her own experience as an immigrant to engage people in the multicultural dialogue about life in Canada. She is the proud mom of two wonderful boys, she loves camping and trying food from all around the world.
Isolde Schmid added a certificate in Intercultural Studies from UBC Vancouver to her Masters in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Tuebingen, Germany. She also holds a Certificate in Social Pedagogy from her home country. Isolde is the team leader of the Intercultural Education Program at Catholic Social Services in Edmonton. Using the theoretical knowledge from her studies, together with her experience of juggling three cultures whilst raising her two children with her Turkish husband, she developed the Parenting in 2 cultures program, which still thrives today.
