Culture, Communication and Conflict Management (KUL 103), May 5-7, 2010

Time and date: May 5-7, 2010. The course starts on Wednesday at 8:30 am and ends on Friday at 4 pm.
Venue: Sida Partnership Forum, Härnösand
Last day of application: March 31, 2010
Contact person: AnneLi Avenäs, programme officer, Sida Partnership Forum
Course language: English
Finacial infromation: Each organization covers the cost of transportation to and from Härnösand. For members of Swedish NGOs and their local partners, Sida will cover venue, meals and other costs related to the course. Participants from other European and international organizations will need to pay actual cost for lodging and meals. All Sida personnel fall under normal travel regulations.

Target group:

Those persons working in different forms of Swedish supported partnerships in international development cooperation.

Objective:

Through strucutured and systematic work in groups, the participants will analyze their incentives and motives for international missions and how to work and live in a ned cultural context. By discussing one´s own and other´s experiences of unfamiliar situations, the participants will get prepared for new, and sometimes unforseen working situations and questions, linked to their tasks. The participants will also get the possibility to discuss own approach, attitudes and orientations, as well as ethical issues and dilemas, linked to their mission.

Learning is an on-going development process, whereby working individually or in a gruop, process experiences and impressions in order to get insight of the sorrounding world. By reflecting, the participants will work individually and in group to achieve new competence and develop new skills. The participants are the most important resource of this course, and thus exchanging of experiences and reflection will be given an important feature of the course.  

Aims:

• That the participant has increased his/her awareness and capacity to reflect upon the challenges that a mission in a new context will imply.
• That the participant get a deeper understanding and awareness of his/her own cultural background and how this influences our opinions, perspectives and communication.
• Identify how dimensions of cultural variations and values are influencing us in different relevant situations. How these dimensions can prepossess us in different situations, that are relevant for the participants and how these dimensions can be used as a tool for continued learning.
• Identify how we better can use these dimensions of cultural values in order to create a more efficient communication and cultural cross-border cooperation.
• Increased understanding of the Southern perspective.
• Increased self-knowledge and consciousness of one´s own conflict management style.
• Investigate how different conflict management styles can be used in different conflict situations.
• Identify how better handle conflict in a new cultural context.

Content 

• Cultural encounter, communication and conflict management.
• The historical perspective of South.
• Ethical code of conduct and ethical dilemmas.
• Personal security.
• Personal health