Intercultural Competency at SHE-CAN
I was delighted to return for a second year to lead professional learning sessions with SHE-CAN.
SHE-CAN is an organization that develops global female leadership, equipping talented women from post-conflict countries with the education, mentorship, and leadership skills to change their nations and the world.
During the session, over 80 mentors, staff, and board members engaged in an interactive 75 minute session to deepen their intercultural competency and strengthen scholar-mentor relationships.
Grounded in an article I wrote, and informed by participant survey data, our discussion examined how cultural and relational lenses mediate power and hierarchy, how socioeconomic differences require skillful navigation that preserves dignity and promotes scholar agency, and how disagreement manifests in different ways across cultures.
Participants brought rich perspectives and strategies to the conversation throughout the session.
At the end of our session, I offered three evidenced-based and pragmatic strategies to support effective and culturally responsive mentor-scholar relationships:
Coach before you consult, allow the scholar's own thinking to lead
Preserve agency by making practical considerations discussable without requiring disclosure
Name implicit US cultural norms without framing them as universal
I am looking forward to our ongoing partnership! You can learn more about the organization here.