Cultural awareness
Everyone has a set of beliefs and values that guide their behaviours, and these are heavily influenced by the culture a person has been brought up in. Having cultural awareness means understanding these influences and recognising how they can affect people.
You also need to be conscious of the fact that these things can vary greatly between cultures. As a volunteer manager the challenge lies in not only acknowledging them, but fostering an environment that supports these differences.
Gender and Religion are two key areas you should pay attention to:
Think about the role gender plays in your volunteer’ cultures. Some may adhere to traditional gender roles, while others might be more liberal. Certain volunteers may be more comfortable working with those of the same gender whereas it may not matter for others.
Religion can also vary greatly between cultures. Specific diet, prayer routines, and clothing are some of the ways people observe their faith, however there are many more ways people choose to do this.
Again, the best way to find out this information to engage directly with your volunteers, the Respectful Learning section can help you with this.
‘Be ready to embrace ways that are different than your own’
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TIP – Keep in mind that while cultural behaviours exist, the way an individual expresses them is unique to them. Make the conscious effort to avoid stereotyping as you build your cultural awareness.
Other things you can do to improve cultural awareness in your organisation include:
Keeping a record of dietary requirements so all your volunteers can be included at catered events.
Understand the language requirements of your volunteers and ask them if they would like information translated for them.
Do your research! There are so many way to approach this. You can contact the peak body for multiculturalism, the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia or go through local channels to find community leaders. Check out the Tools & Resources section for more info.
Be flexible. Learn from your volunteers then adapt your practice accordingly.
Include everyone at all levels of the organisation.
If you’re still struggling to improve the cultural awareness in your workplace there are a range of organisations that provide cultural awareness training from subject matter experts. You can find info on where to contact from the peak bodies in your region.