Manual for the design of a training course on intercultural competence - Part 1 E-Book

Council of Europe

• Herausgeber: Council of Europe
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 94

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Providing training on intercultural competence to staff and officials at all levels of government will help member states to efficiently implement the Council of Europe intercultural integration model Intercultural competence is the set of knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes which enables individuals and organisations to act in an interculturally competent way. It is not a single concept, but a wide range of competences which, when combined, allow for proactive action to secure a healthy intercultural environment. While intercultural competence is developed on an individual basis, organising intercultural competence training for decision makers, public officials and other relevant stakeholders enables the application of an intercultural lens to public policies and activities, promoting a more inclusive culture. This manual aims to support public authorities to design their own tailor-made training courses with a view to spreading the skills and competence necessary to implement the Council of Europe intercultural integration model in a coherent and multilevel manner. It contains a description of the main features of intercultural competence, followed by seven concepts that are key for the successful implementation of intercultural integration strategies by public authorities. It is split into two publications for ease of access. This is Part 1 of the manual. It outlines the core principles of the Council of Europe intercultural integration model, including information on real equality, valuing diversity, meaningful intercultural interaction and active citizenship and participation.

Leseprobe

 

Manual for the design of a training course on intercultural competence

 

Part 1 –The core principles of the Council of Europe intercultural integration model

 

Committee of Experts on Intercultural Integration of Migrants (ADI-INT)

 

Contents

Click here to see the whole table of contents, or go on the « Table of contents » option of your eReader.

Preamble

Intercultural competence refers to the set of knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes which enable both individuals and organisations to act in an interculturally competent manner. Therefore, intercultural competence is not a single concept, but a wide range of competences which, when put together, allow for proactive action to secure a healthy intercultural environment.

Public officials operating in an intercultural society should be able to detect and respond comprehensively to the challenges posed by cultural differences and to modulate their approach accordingly. For public institutions, having an interculturally competent staff becomes even more relevant in the current geopolitical, health and climate contexts which highlight the importance of strong and sustainable diversity management policies to be able to respond to critical situations and emergencies.

While intercultural competence is developed on an individual basis, organising intercultural competence training for decision makers, public officials and other relevant stakeholders enables the application of an intercultural lens to public policies and activities, promoting a more inclusive culture.

Intercultural competence should therefore be mainstreamed throughout any organisation.

This manual for the design of a training course on intercultural competence has been developed by the Committee of Experts on Intercultural Integration of Migrants (ADI-INT) and was adopted on 29 November 2022 by the Steering Committee on Anti-Discrimination, Diversity and Inclusion (CDADI).

The manual is one of the tools produced to support the implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)10 on multilevel policies and governance for intercultural integration1 by Council of Europe member states. In paragraph 29 of the appendix, the recommendation states that “institutions and organisations should develop intercultural competences and attitudes among their staff, encouraging them to acquire the skills to enable constructive exchanges, dialogue and co-design based on shared values and goals”.

The need for capacity building on intercultural competence is also addressed in the Model framework for an intercultural integration strategy at the national level2 (adopted by the CDADI in June 2021), which states (on page 38) that “encouraging participation also implies providing instruments and competence training to public officers who are in more direct contact with a diverse population”.

The training course to be designed based on this manual should target mainly civil servants of public authorities at the national, regional and local levels. The course can be addressed either exclusively at those officers working in fields closely related to intercultural integration, or potentially also at those working in non-strictly related areas, thus allowing the intercultural principles to be mainstreamed into the general policy making. Paragraph 12 of the appendix to CM/Rec(2022)10 states that member states should:

adopt a holistic approach to integration by ensuring that public policies in all fields and at all levels, as well as civil society stakeholders, contribute to the goal of building inclusive societies. This approach would foster real equality and allow states to benefit from the positive potential of the diversity of their populations.

Similarly, paragraph 14 states that intercultural integration policies “should not be limited to a specific policy sector, but they should transcend all policy areas. All public policies should contribute to the integration of people of different socio-cultural backgrounds”. In addition, member states are further encouraged to also develop a specific shorter training course for directors and high-level officials, in order to train those who have a decisive role in how the policies and organisational culture of their areas are shaped.

The structure of the manual

The manual takes inspiration from the work and experience gathered through the Intercultural Cities programme in fulfilment of Recommendation CM/Rec (2015) 1 on intercultural integration3 which states that “measures such as those outlined… foster cohesive and inclusive diverse local communities. Such measures include… intercultural competence of local officials and actors”. It further adapts the extensive set of guidance and materials originally produced for the local level to other levels of governments, thus allowing all public authorities to design their own tailor-made training courses with a view to acquiring the skills and competence necessary to implement the Council of Europe intercultural integration model in a coherent and multilevel manner.

The manual contains a description of the main features of intercultural competence, followed by seven concepts that are key for the successful implementation of intercultural integration strategies by public authorities. It is split into two publications for facilitated access. Part 1 outlines the core principles of the Council of Europe intercultural integration model, including information on real equality, valuing diversity, meaningful intercultural interaction and active citizenship and participation. And Part 2 details concepts related to the intercultural integration model, with information on prejudice, discrimination and inclusive communication.

Each topic of the manual includes the following elements, which can be used as they are or as sources of inspiration when designing the training course.

► Definition: a brief definition of the principle/concept.

► Longer context: a more in-depth presentation of the topic and context, including references for those who wish to learn more about the topic.

► Examples of model exercises: model exercises which can be used directly or inspire adapted exercises to support the learning. The exercises are designed to be especially useful in group settings where the participants can discuss their reflections.

► Examples of model quizzes: model quizzes which can be used directly or to inspire locally adapted quizzes which allow the participants to test their knowledge. The quizzes and feedback provided are based on the content to be found under the “Definition” and the “Longer context” sections of each principle/concept.

► References: each longer definition has a number of references directly referenced in the text as well as other inspirational resources which may be interesting.

In addition, the manual includes an intercultural glossary for practitioners which brings together all relevant definitions from across the manual.

1 Council of Europe (2022).

2 Council of Europe (2021).

3 Council of Europe (2015).

Manual for the design of a training course on intercultural competence Part 1 – The core principles of the Council of Europe intercultural integration model Getting started

What is intercultural competence?

In increasingly diverse societies, intercultural competence is key for public officials and the general public alike. The ability to understand each other across all types of barriers and in diverse situations is a fundamental prerequisite for making our diverse societies work. Effective intercultural competence needs to combine theoretical skills with action and includes a level of curiosity, interest in lifelong learning and an ability to cultivate a spirit of openness.

Intercultural competence refers to the set of knowledge, skills, understanding and attitudes which enable both individuals and organisations to act in an interculturally competent manner. Intercultural competence is not a single concept, but a wide range of competences, which when put together allow for proactive action to ensure an intercultural environment, as well as for interculturally competent reactions to the variety of situations we all face daily. It further entails actively seeking meaningful intercultural interaction and taking action to fight prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination. While the competence is developed on an individual basis, organising intercultural competence training for all the staff within an organisation can lead to an intercultural lens being applied to all activities and decision making, creating interculturally competent organisations and a more inclusive organisational culture.

Intercultural competence encompasses knowledge of intercultural principles and concepts and is linked with various fields ranging from anti-discrimination to communication or service design. To be effective, the set of competences also includes a range of soft skills such as empathy, critical thinking, the ability to listen and interact, respect, understanding of one’s own background, influence and biases, and many more. Intercultural competence further entails an understanding of the difference between individuals and actions, and an ability to react appropriately to actions which do not respect the fundamental principles of human rights, without alienating the individual. Intercultural competence is therefore a growing skill set and not a one-off event – it is strengthened through daily practice and continuous lifelong learning.4

Training courses and tools in intercultural competence ultimately pursue a change of attitudes and behaviours, encouraging participants to critically review their basic assumptions, world views, cultures and knowledge, and to raise awareness about situations other than their own. The objective is increased openness through contact with others from different backgrounds. Being interculturally competent has been widely recognised as essential for peaceful coexistence in a diverse society. Numerous recent policy papers and recommendations of the Council of Europe, such as the White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue,5 the Model framework for an intercultural integration strategy at the national level and Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)10 on multilevel policies and governance for intercultural integration, have underlined its importance.

Intercultural competence is a way to address the root causes of some of the challenges in societies such as misunderstandings across cultural, socio-cultural, ethnic and other lines, including discrimination, racism and hate speech. Intercultural competence should be understood as a holistic approach combining values, understanding, attitudes and skills, based on the four principles of intercultural integration: ensuring equality, valuing diversity, fostering meaningful intercultural interaction, and promoting active citizenship and participation, as well as the Council of Europe human rights framework.

Figure 1

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The areas of intercultural competence

Why do we need intercultural competence training?

Our societies are constantly changing and adapting, and it is increasingly important that communities and also public authorities and management structures at all levels of government welcome diversity and adapt to it.

A study carried out by the Migration Policy Group on how the intercultural integration approach leads to a better quality of life in diverse cities6 underlines that cities which adopt inclusive integration policies show better results in residents’ perception of cohesion, confidence in the administration, security, quality of services, well-being, good governance and economic growth. Indeed, research has also found that inclusive integration policies at the national, regional and institutional levels contribute to reduced anti-immigration prejudice among the native population in areas with high levels of immigration.7

Intercultural integration is both an approach and a process. It implies a way of making and developing public policies that seek to guarantee equality and equity, value diversity, foster meaningful intercultural interaction, and promote active citizenship and participation; it involves all areas of the administrations and a multilevel governance approach. This logic of internal action requires “structural” or institutional elements such as political commitment or the promotion of transversality, as well as the development of intercultural competence.

More particularly, the acquisition and development of intercultural competences is essential for all individuals working in public administration, including elected officials, to ensure they can respond to the challenges of an increasingly diverse population and are equipped to address relationships and communication with people from diverse backgrounds and contexts. To some extent, intercultural competence is the precondition for the design and implementation of intercultural strategies and policies at the local, regional and national levels, and a critical dimension of the mindset which makes

the intercultural policy shift possible. It involves skills that allow the promotion of structural change in institutions and an addressing of the causes of inequality, discrimination, exclusion, the lack of recognition and respect for diversity and the lack of spaces for meaningful intercultural interaction.

In this sense, intercultural competence helps officials and other stakeholders to:

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