The Latest

Developing Your Transferable Skillset During Co-op Placement

This resource is also available in French. Click here to access the French version.

Understanding your competencies and transferable skill set is pivotal when assessing job opportunities and organizational roles. The Brock University core competencies give individuals a better understanding of the strengths they possess while outlining what could be improved upon. Within my placement, I feel I developed my communication skills the most. Below I outline how I fostered verbal and nonverbal communication, listening, and empathizing skills-- all essential to communication.

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Intercultural fluency, Conflict Resolution, and Effective Communication in Professional Development

This resource is also available in French. Click here to access the French version.

It's likely that you’ve participated in soccer, basketball, or swimming that takes place at a local community centre. One reason we all love recreation is that it provides us an opportunity to engage in our community and be socially connected. However, when there is competition, there can also be conflict, which many of us have experienced in the workplace, school, or on a sports team. In this blog, I discuss what intercultural fluency, effective communication, and conflict resolution are, why they’re important, and how they apply to our professional lives. Such experiences are based on my involvement with the City of St. Catharines fieldwork placement.

Intercultural Fluency

Practicing intercultural fluency means being able to understand, respect, and learn from the complex social, economic, cultural, and political nature of diverse people. This encourages inclusivity and awareness in all interactions. As a Chinese/Canadian student studying at Brock University, I’m consistently learning how to practice both my East Asian and Canadian cultures. I believe this was an advantage for me when familiarizing myself with my placement role.

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A Reflection on New Roles

I first got to know Tamarack in 2015, supporting partnerships to improve educational outcomes in Utah. Tamarack sparked thinking and action on how to center students and families with lived experiences of poverty and racism in reimagining K-12 education. The tools were practical and abundant. The stories prompted new ways of thinking. The invitations to act were focused and systems oriented.

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Intercultural Competence for Career Readiness and Development

This resource is also available in French. Click here to access the French version.

Many people think that the development of intercultural competence is not relevant to them because they “are open to cultural differences”, they have “lived abroad or travelled”, they “speak more than one language”, they have “friends from different ethnic or cultural groups”, or they are “part of a minority group themselves”. As these experiences do support the development of intercultural competence to varying degrees, stereotypes and prejudices are embedded in us from growing up, which can affect how we treat and engage with others, even without realizing it – so think again. Regardless of your past experiences, the development of intercultural competence is a lifelong process that everyone should engage in, despite the lack of comfortability it may bring.

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Community Climate Transitions welcomes 30 communities to the network

This resource is also available in French. Click here to access the French version.

 

New members are committed to resident-led, multi-sector climate action 

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SETSI’s BLACK FUTURES – BHM 2023 Leadership Series

This blog posts shares relevant resources for those looking to celebrate Black History month, acknowledge the contributions people of African descent have made, and deepen their learning about Anti-Black racism. 

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