Cultural Awareness – continued
It is important to remember that different cultures have different norms and comfort levels when it comes to developing new relationships. Littles come from widely different backgrounds, places, and cultures, they have different talents and speak unique languages. The values they are taught and the expectations they have for academic and personal success can differ significantly.
Similarly, Bigs come from different backgrounds and cultures, and they have different values and skills that can affect the ways they approach a new friendship. The ways you work around those differences can affect not only your own friendship with the Little, but his/her relationship with the rest of the school and community.
Before meeting with your Little, think about ways that your own cultural background has either helped you or created barriers to successful relationships.
- How has your identity formed who you are and what you do?
- What can you do to become more aware of his/her cultural background?
- How can you use your cultural differences to help your Little become more aware of the diversity in his/her school?
Big Brothers Big Sisters has been selected to take the lead on a national Native American Mentoring Initiative. This project, funded by the Department of Justice, will increase our services to Alaska Natives and American Indians nation-wide. Nearly 35% of the children we serve statewide are Alaska Native. In Anchorage, roughly 42 percent of students are from ethnic minority groups, and 93 different languages are spoken by district schoolchildren today.