Intercultural Connections at the heart of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Jena GCC 2022: The second day at the Global Citizenship Convention 2022 included intercultural performances, a DEI session, collaborative insights and much more!
The second day of the much-awaited Global Citizenship Convention 2022 started with “Get Your Bhangra On!”, the energizer for the day aimed to connect all participants to Indian Punjabi Culture through dance and movement. There was a quick tutorial for all participants to join and put forward their best dance moves with feet-thumping music! Melton Fellow from Sagheer shares:
Bhangra makes you dance insanely – moving, raising your legs, and just going with the flow of a Punjabi song. That’s what we experienced today!
Then we transitioned to focused discussions revolving around our Board of Directors and our efforts geared towards promoting Global Citizenship as part of the Melton Foundation Lab. Participants talked to our BOD members about their engagement and their thoughts about the foundation. In two or three rounds of discussion, everyone was familiarized with the BOD and clarified any questions they had. Then the entire cohort was divided into smaller groups to talk about their own aspirations, thoughts, and ideas about the foundation and their involvement in it. The Focus groups were a space to connect with peers in meaningful conversations about how to support the mission of the Melton Foundation!
After a quick coffee break to rejuvenate our minds, we moved on to “Power, Privilege, Progress”. This session presented the Melton Foundation’s DEI Policy. It explored how each of us experiences things differently depending on how our gender, race, religion, language, or age are valued in our society. It created awareness of the concepts surrounding identity, power & privilege, and the intersection of our identities & experiences with other biases, power & privilege!
Next, post-noon, “Magic & Mayhem” fostered intercultural communication by providing a platform for four mythological narrations, each of which originated from a unique cultural context united by the idea of the trickster figure: a deity or cosmological principle that is neither malevolent nor benevolent. The participants were encouraged to grapple and engage with these multifaceted narrations. They were provided with the background for a discussion on how these matter in contemporary globalized society and for us as individuals!
Wrapping up the day with a magic night was the Open Mic which provided the perfect opportunity for Melton Fellows and participants to connect with peers and showcase unique aspects of local culture worldwide! It empowered the artists within everyone to celebrate cultural diversity and realize the spirit of the GCC and its theme through artistic expression individually or in groups!
