What is Intercultural Link Learning Program?
The Intercultural Link Learning Program (Learning Program) is intended for volunteers and staff to become more interculturally sensitive and to develop the abilities needed to facilitate intercultural learning in others (students, schools, host families, and people external to AFS). As something used around the AFS world, it also gives a shared vocabulary to volunteers and staff whether they are in China or Ghana, Canada or Germany. In short, using a variety of interactive and reflective methods, the Learning Program helps volunteers and staff develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed when interacting with people from other cultural backgrounds, inside and outside of AFS.
Trainers: Sarita Badhwar (Staff) & Ajay Mehta (Volunteer)
The introduction course to the Learning Program, What Every AFSer Should Know about Intercultural Learning™ 2.0 (known as “Level W”), is mandatory for all volunteers and staff around the AFS Network. In Level W, participants learn the fundamentals of the AFS Educational Approach, models of culture, cultural values and dimensions, communication styles, cultural adaptation and the AFS Educational Methodology.
The Learning Program also introduces useful tools and models to help volunteers and staffs suspend judgment in intercultural settings and to identify ways to help others become more intercultural sensitive.
Level W training in Ahmedabad took place on 15th April 2018 with 35 volunteers participating. Ms. Sarita Badhwar from National Office and Mr. Ajay Mehta, from Rajkot were the trainers and Ms. Vibhooti Maldhari who attended Winter Academy Training in Breman for ICL also came to share her experiences & learnings.
The participants were very supportive and kept sessions very lively.