Crossing Cultural Bridges: Integration in a Diverse Workplace

This workshop is part of the Institute of Policy Studies Programme on Race, Religion and Intergroup Cohesion (IPS RRIC) and aims to equip educators with the awareness, knowledge, and skills needed to address the dynamic challenges of a diverse workforce and society and navigate sensitive situations in a culturally competent manner. Amidst the vibrant tapestry of Singapore's multicultural society, this workshop offers a transformative experience that empowers educators to thrive in culturally diverse environments. Key activities include an eye-tracking activity to recognise unconscious biases, a Virtual Reality experience to build empathy for different perspectives, roleplay scenarios to practise intervention skills, and a perspective-taking card game to deepen appreciation of diverse viewpoints.

Details

The workshop consists of the following segments:

1. Discover Your Privilege and Biases: Participants engage in guided activities to reflect on personal privilege and uncover unconscious biases. Through an eye-tracking exercise, educators explore how unconscious biases can influence attention and judgement in a diverse classroom setting. Participants will also have the opportunity to use an immersive virtual reality experience designed by IPS that allows participants to step into the lived experiences of others and build empathy. Guided reflection helps educators translate these insights to the classroom, strengthening their awareness of the emotions and experiences that students from different backgrounds face.

2. Navigate with Cultural Intelligence: Participants are introduced to the concept of cultural intelligence and why it is essential in diverse workplaces and learning environments. Through an activity on unpacking differences with our culture boxes, participants reflect on assumptions and learn how cultural perspectives shape communication and behaviour. This equips educators with strategies to navigate misunderstanding and communicate more effectively across the different cultural backgrounds in the classroom.

3. Appreciate Cultural Difference: Participants actively practise intervention techniques through roleplay, learning and practising how to respond effectively and confidently to incidents of bias or unfair treatment. Through a perspective-taking card game “Maybe, Perhaps”, educators consider multiple viewpoints in various classroom scenarios using structured perspective-taking steps. This helps educators pause before judgement, recognise diverse viewpoints, and respond more fairly and thoughtfully to students from different backgrounds.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Develop an understanding of Inclusive Leadership and its attributes

• Understand the multicultural landscape, integration and immigration policies of Singapore

• Become aware of one’s own biases and privileges, and thus building emotional and cognitive empathy

• Identify cultural competencies and build cultural intelligence

• Develop skillsets to navigate the uncomfortable in a culturally sensitive and non-prejudicial manner

• Cultivate an appreciation for differences and take concrete steps to become an ally of cultural diversity

Target Audience: Educators

Runtime: All year round

Fee: Please email for more details

Modality: In-person

Duration of Session: 4 hours

Programme Capacity: 12-20 pax

Website: https://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/ips/rric/programme/crossing-cultural-bridges-integration-in-a-diverse-workplace/

Mode of Registration: By email

Due Date for Registration: 1 month in advance

Contact: Kindly email Ms Sophy Tio (ips.rric@nus.edu.sg) for enquiries

Participants using Virtual Reality to experience different perspectives

Participants engaged in "Maybe, Perhaps" card game