Student Work

On Culture...

The Riverside School of Lyndonville, Vermont, USA

The Riverside class talked a lot about values while we were discussing American culture. We each made one poster about a value that we thought Americans shared, and then one poster that represented a personal value.

American Values:

Personal Values:

The Perfect Youth Group of Arusha, Tanzania

FEATURES OF CULTURE

For each feature,think of one example common to people in the country that you call home.

1.Styles of Dress.

In our country Tanzania the ways of dress  differ accourding to the age and and place

Youth they use to wear some fashions from Western countries and Tanzania dress like Kanga,Vitenge,Batiks etc which they have made-up in Shirts,Blause,Trousers etc.and also in the village people use to wear the old clothes compare with town and they use to wear also according to the income such as rich people clothes differ from poor people.

2.Ways of Greeting people.We do greet people according to their ages such as

We say Mambo to our fellow youth and they replay poa.

We say shikamoo to our elders and they replay marahaba.

3.Beliefs about hospitality

We belive that the way of having Hospitality will give you repect in the society and community will value you.

4.Importance of Time.

Time is still the big problem to be taken care with the youth in Tanzania but some of them theyare doing well with time.

5.Paintings

People here in Tanzania loves paints as they consider as the ways of cleanness and the Decorations so its taken as the culture as people do paints their house and they do hang the paints on their walls.

5.Values

The way of value in Tanzania depend to personal values as some people do value their childress ,some they value their wealth so this depends to personal value and loves to what the like muchits which they value.

6.Literature

Our literature has divided into two ways of presenting to people as some of them present by writings and some by storying so we use songs ,meetings, Narrating etc.and most of our literature talks about past.

8.Beliefs about child raising (children and teens)

People use to respects children as the believe that children are young angles so here women use to spend most of their time to make sure their children are growing well without any problem,soour children are under great care from mama. And teens are the age where most of they they get into temptations and they get fail in their studies and they face more problems.

9.Attitudes about personal space/privacy.

It depends with the situations and the mood of a person as you could find sometimes a person can want to be alone and don’t need company so it depend, but due to our culture its normal people enjoy to be together and share ideas with other and enjoy life together due to the culture which is guarding us.

10. Gestures to  show you understand what has been told to you.People use to nod theirheads up and down to show that they have understand and  and agree with what they have told.

11.Beliefs about   the responsibilities of children and teens

Normal in Tanzania the responsibilities of children and teens is to study and make sure they are going to do best in their studies so that they can have the responsibilities of care the families when they become adults.

12..Holiday customs.

Its our customs to rest during the holiday and celebrates in eating and drinking with thefriendsand relatives. these are our customs for the holiday.

13.Music

Every one loves music in Tanzania but they differ in kinds of music due to the age youth loves BONGO flavor elders BAKURUTUetc and Religious TANZANIANS loves their songs but in general music is for entertainment people.

14.Dancing.

As well as music it’s the traditions for people to shake their bodies when music is playing ,that’s we can say Music and Dancing are the same as people here use to go to Clubs to dance MusicandEnjoy.

15.Celebrations

Always people us to celebrate different occasions here in Tanzania such as Birthday party,wedding part,kitchen parties,,christimas,easter idd etc.

16.Concert of Fairness.

To be fair is one of the quality of have respect and love to people in Tanzania as people considered to be friends and Nice when they are Fair to each other as they expect to be treated fairly with others after they treat others fairly.17.Nature of friendship.

To be friend to each other is very Delightful as people will love and care for you as you treat them in friendship relations so it one of our culture to be friendly to each others.

18.Ideas about Clothing.

Clothers in Tanzania and Africa in general are considered also as the culture of  our societies and the Identity as they differ from one tribe to another as well as due to the age they differ also in Tanzania we have Kanga for girls and womens,Vitenge,Batiks etc and we have Kanzu,shati,suruali for mens which they are also for our culture.19.Food.

As well as food is playing a big part in our culture as we have food according to the Tribes such as Ndizi for Haya and Chaga,Ugali and Mlenda for Rangi,Gogo and Nyaturu,Kande for Pare,Bada for Sambaa etc.

20.Greetings.

We consider as Value and respect in community for people to greet others and our greeting are differ from age and time.

We say Shikamoo for elders and they replay MarahabaWe say Mambo to our fellow youth they eplay Poa.

We Say Habari and they replay Nzuri.

21.Facial expressions and hand Gestures.

We say Shake hands when we are saying hello to people and we show close of one eye when a man is coating a women and we fold faces when we are angry ,we show smile when we are happy etc.

22.Concept of self.

Some people they use to do their things by their self as they do think to do something by yourselfyou will be succeed some of them they do belive in  collaborations.so its in to face.

23.work ethic.

Work is the measure of personality in Tanzania although still there are others who are still laziness in their community so its very danger for the Development of the country but those who work they do considered as they are very important in the community.

24.Religious beliefs.

In Tanzania we respect everyone beliefs and we have different religions such as Islams,Christianity,Paganis and traditional beliefs as some of people use to pray to the

mountains,Trees,Caves,Rivers etc.

25.Religious rituals.

They differ from one religion to another as they celebrate their ceremonies in their days such as seveth on Saturday ,catholic and Lutheran on Sunday,trational religions some of them at the end of the year or when they have problem and they want to ask their gods for the forgiveness its when they can celebrate.

26.Concept of beauty.

We consider good behavior as the concept of beauty.

27.rules of  polite behavior

To respect elders and younger as women use to kneel down when they are greeting men that’s what matters much.

28.Attitude toward age.

We respect the elders as the the very important for advice in the society and we take care of children and we love everyone to be friend in the society and we provide respect to them,and we do have things differ according to the age as in maasi society women use to eat the internal of the animal and mens use to eat the other meat.

29.The role of the family.

It normal here for father to provide the basic needs in the family and mother to take care of the children and prepare food for them and make sure everything is going well with the family.

30.General worldview.

Generaly culture is the key for the peoples ways of life as they are performing their daily activities in their societies and No any society which has no Culture.

Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School in Orleans, Massachusetts, USA

In our One World Youth Project group, we discussed what aspects make up our culture here in America. After composing a long list of characteristics we discussed: In our culture, what components do we need more or less of? First, we decided that there should be more family life. The relationships between family and friends has weakened greatly over recent years, yet the characteristic is valid to our society for bringing people together. It is important that we create stronger family ties so family members have a solid support group of friends and family that are more positive and loving. Contrasting, we thought that media and advertisements should be smaller. The media bombards us with images, products, and everything else, all shown through movies, video games, magazines, television, and music. The media contributes to the wrong messages sent out to children and adults, and it is crucial that we decrease the amount of images coming at us. Similarly, we thought that money and materialism should be a smaller aspect of our culture. On the other hand, our group discussed that education should be a larger part of our society. Education is very important, for people learn about the world, they can get influential jobs, and also, make the world a stronger, sustainable, and communal place to live in. We also thought that government should be a litter smaller-- so our leaders have less control over our lives. Lastly, our group came to a conclusion that geographical isolation should be smaller, and that contrasting, diversity should be larger. On Cape Cod, we see that our region is very separate from the rest of the country, but also, the US itself is also very isolated from other countries. Also, we thought that we should have more diversity on Cape Cod. Just by this discussion, our group has learned a lot more about our culture, and hopefully, you will too!

Cumberland County High School in Burkesville, Kentucky, USA

Country Day School of Escazu, Costa Rica

*note the students of the Country Day School are from all over the world.

Tamara – Costa Rica

Holiday customs – In Costa Rica in September you can dress in a Traje tipico (typical traditional clothing) because of Independence Day.  Little kids come dressed really nice for Independence Day.  The traje tipico is a long skirt and a shirt.  The skirt the majority of the time is blue, red and white, the colors of the flag.  Sometimes girls appear in television dancing with the costume.  That same day in the night the children of public schools do some sticks with light on the top that here are called “ faroles”.  In the night they go out in the street singing and walking with their faroles.  It is a fabulous day.

Allan – Costa Rica

Food - Here in Costa Rica we have a lot of typical food.  One of the best is gallo pinto, which is rice and beans.  Another typical favorite is the tamales.  Another great one is arroz con pollo (rice and chicken).  And my personal favorite is arroz con leche (rice with milk and sugar).  From this we can conclude that Costa Rica has a lot of delicious food.

Isabela - Columbia

Ways of greeting-        I am from Columbia.  In Columbia, we greet each other with kiss.  You could also wave your hand, but that would be only if you are really far away from the person.  My cousins and family also greet adults like that.  Boys only kiss if there is one boy and one girl.  Boys greet their boy friends with a handshake because it looks a little strange that a boy kisses a boy.  Ha,ha,ha.  When I am far away from someone, what I almost always do is I smile so people already know and they respond to me with another smile.  At the end of a conversation, it is very naughty not to say bye.  Like in Columbia, we speak Spanish, we say “Adios” and we kiss again.  That is my culture!

Morgan - USA

Paintings- Paintings from Connecticut are very colorful and full of details.  Most of the paintings are of trees in the fall, woods in the winter and valleys in the spring.  Other paintings are of restaurants, tall buildings and houses.

Greetings- In Connecticut we greet people with a nice “Hi” or a hug.  When you see people you know you would ask them to walk with you or sit down and have tea or coffee.  When you see someone in a car you put your fingers up.

Cornelia - Sweden

Holiday customs     I think that holidays are beautiful.  But it’s not beautiful because you get to skip school.  It is beautiful because it is special.  Have you ever just sat quiet and listened to the quiet beautiful sound on a holiday?  Have you ever thought of it as something really special?  Well I have.  When I lay on the sofa in front of the Christmas tree I feel lucky inside.  And I think of the people who can’t have a perfect holiday like many people.  I think that on holidays no one should have to work.  Everyone should do what they want for their holiday.

Lotte - Holland

Greeting people-  In Holland there are some ways to greet people.  One way is to say “ Hi!  How are you? “.  Another way is to say, “ Hi!  Good morning! “.  Or you can just say hello.  When you see someone you know walking around in a supermarket or a mall, you normally walk to them and give them a hug or just say hello.  If you are a lady you kiss the person on the cheek and if you are a man you shake their hand.  In Holland, people greet people the same way as in some other countries.

John Garcia- USA

Music- In the USA the music  of reggae is very common.  Also rap is also common.  Those two songs are the most popular and the most listened songs.  Like in other country music like this Miguel is also listed.

Melanie - Italy

Food –  In Italy there is delicious food.  If you go visit there I will tell you in any restaurant you go to there is going to be pizza.  I love pizza!  It is also my favorite food.  So if you want a great, hot, delicious pizza go to Italy!  And to be more exact you can go to the wonderful capital of Rome.  What they also eat is spaghetti.  They have the world’s favorite.  There are also awesome sauces to go with it.  You can also catch seafood.  I recommend you go in a town near a lake like Sirmione where there is awesome seafood.  So if you want to eat very well, go to Italy!  (They also won the Fifa world cup 2006.)

Susanna Lin - Taiwan

Music –  In Taiwan the people mostly like classical music and Chinese music.  My parents really like Chinese music.  Chinese music to most people is blah blah blah and they might think they are inventing the words as they go with the rhythm.  Sometimes the Chinese music doesn’t make sense but it is good.  Most of the time the people singing don’t repeat any words because there are a lot of different words that mean the exact same thing.

Nicole Mora - USA

Food! -  Texas has awesome food… but the best one is chili.  Chili is made with ground meat and beans.  People usually put it on hotdogs, burgers, or they eat it alone.  Chili is very spicy.  People usually sell chili at the rodeo.  Chili is the typical food in Texas.

Dancing- People in Texas square dance to country music.  In my opinion square dancing can be fun but… listening to country music?!?!?!?   Some people enjoy listening to country music and they start to dance.  If you ever try square dancing you’ll have fun!  Yeehaw cowboy!

Ria - USA

Literature – Reading in the United States is very important.  In Washington D.C. there is the Library of Congress, which I am sure is the largest library in the world.  I put down Marget Mitchell because I believe she was one of the best authors in the US.  She wrote Gone With the Wind.  It is a romance novel set in the Civil War era and is about Scarlet O’Hara trying to get Ashley Wilkes to love her.  I read the book during last summer and I thought it was very original.

Jaime - Columbia

Paintings - Fernando Botero was a very famous artist for his paintings.  Fernando had his own way of making his creations.  He drew fat animals or people.  Fernando is known by anybody in Columbia.  Although he died, people admire his creations the most.  He now has his own museum in Columbia.  A lot of people go there to look at his enbulged paintings.

Arthur- Brazil

Celebrations –  In Brazil we celebrate carnival.  Carnival is a tournament of dancers.  Carnival date is February 13th.  The carnival was made for dancers who are happy.  They wear cool clothes and the type of dance is the samba but with big groups.  The dancers have big cars.  The cars and clothes are very colorful.   This is a dance from Brazil.

Alvaro Gil - Mexico

Food – The most popular foods in Mexico are: tacos, quesadillas, and chili.  My favorite ones are the tacos and chili.  I think that I am one of the people that can eat lots of chili (very spicy).  My dad eats the most chili in the family.  Then me.  After is my sister and last my mom and brother.  And in school, I am the one that wins the 5th, 6th, 7th and I think 8th.  But I have a friend that is in eighth and is Mexican and we tie.

Ashley -USA

Gestures- In the USA people have many ways to show what has been told to you.  One of the most common ways is a nod or shake of the head.  The nod means yes (normally) and the shake, usually, means no.  Another way is a thumbs up or a thumbs down.  People might also reply with words.  One of the most confusing things people might do is murmur something.  Normally when people do this you really can’t understand what they say and you hear “ mrmhm “ or something like that.  Of all these ways normally people use talking.  People’s gestures that they use can depend what mood they are in.  Above all talking is the most common.

Jane Goodall Environmental Middle School of Salem, Oregon

Features of Culture

by Hayley Hicks

Dancing - Oh dancing. The perfect time for you to express yourself. The wind in your hair, the sweat rolling down your face. Your dancing partner throwing you around the room, bouncing around the ballroom gracefully. In Oregon this is okay, you can touch your hands when you dance, you can dance with men/boys, and you can even have dancing as your career. You can dance all night and you can dance all day. In Oregon we also have clubs were you go to dance. Now that I think of it, a lot of people dance. Some people claim that they don’t know how to dance. Everyone knows how to dance.

Beliefs about child rearing - The beliefs about child rearing in Oregon vary. The real answer to child rearing lies in the opinion of the child’s parent. For example: If my mother says that I can’t date until I’m 16 then that’s her opinion. Just because that is when I can date my friend doesn’t have to date when I do. Her mother might say that she can date when she is 13. Then that’s her mother’s opinion.  The same goes for how old you have to be before they can wear make-up, how old you have to be to dye their hair, how old you have to be to watch PG-13 rated movies (ect.).

Facial Expressions – In some cultures it is impolite to look some one in the eyes or laugh without covering your mouth, but in Oregon none of these things are impolite facial expressions. If you laugh, don’t cover your mouth, unless you have a cold because here we like to see your smile and see your little dimples. Maybe a couple of laugh lines. As for the eyes, don’t look down, we think looking in your eyes is of great politeness or we just like to see your eyes glow when we complement you. These are many reasons why when someone talks to you look them in the eyes and maybe put in a laugh or two.

Red Ambiental Nayarit of Tepic, Mexico

Features of our Culture           

1.-Styles of dress

Normally we wear jeans and t-shirts, but in Mexico the indigenous communities conserve their typical handmade suits.

2.- ways of greeting people

To wave the hand (when the person is far) hand squeeze (when the person is in front of you)

3.- beliefs about hospitality

Mexicans are very hospitable

4.- importance of time

We are not punctual, usually we leave things unfinished.

5.- paintings

Alternative expressions (graffiti, murals)

6.- values

Solidarity, friendship, respect

7.- literature

magazines, soap operas in Mexico have little universal literature

8.- beliefs about child raising (children and teens)

most of the time the people live with their parents until get married

9.- attitudes about personal space/privacy

mostly we are extrovert and sociable but when we look for privacy we are respected

10.- beliefs about the responsibilities of children and teens

to children and teens grants responsibilities that suppose to be cover by them.  like go to school or have some job

11.- gestures to show you understand what has been told to you

thundering the fingers (so that somebody hurries)

using the index finger (in order to point out something or somebody)

12.- holiday customs

celebrating (keep awake,  drink in parties)

having the free day without going to school neither to jobs

13.- music

Mariachi, corridos, banda, norteño, salsa, cumbia, bohemia

mariachi, Mexican ballads, band, northern, sauce, cumbia, bohemian

14.- dancing

banda- is a style of dance in couples, it´s very quick , of jumping a little and dancing together

15.-Celebrations

virgin of Guadalupe´s day

deaths  day

anniversary of the battle of  Puebla

independence day

Mexican revolution day

birthplace of benito Juarez day

16.- Concept of fairness

usually people help friends or relatives, there is a lot of corruption

17.- nature of friendship

hugs, common interests, trust, understanding, support.

18.- ideas about clothing

the way you dress is a form to express yourself, is a reflect of personality, but most of the persons follow fashion

19.- foods

tamales, pozole, enchiladas, tacos, sopes, almost  all mexican food conteins corn, tomato, onions, and of course chilli!!!

20.- greetings

hi!, hello!, whats up?, how are you?

21.- facial expressions and hand gestures

take of the tongue from the mouth, love and peace with the hand, thumb up, wave the hand to say hello or bye.

22.- concept of self

people usually thinks that is inferior, and have low self-steem

24.- religious beliefs

belive in saints, catolic population, god, images, superstitious.

25.- religious rituals

mass, first communion, wedding, saints days, baptizes.

26.- concept of beauty

pretty face, nice body, stereotypes from tv or magazines.

27.- rules of polite behaviour

not eating with your mouth open, not burp in public, not blow flatulence in public, being clean, asking for permission to pass among persons, great persons when arriving.

28.- attitude toward age

Respect for old people, if you´re a woman and have more than 30 years you´ll be consider an old maid.

29.- the role of family

the family is the nucleus of society

30.- general worldview

we know there is better places economically  and technologically better than Mexico as Europe or USA, but all places have problems of politics and nature.

IRC Program of Crawford High School in San Diego, California, USA

Features of Our Culture

1. Styles of dress: Since our climate is warm most of the year you would see people wearing shorts, T-shirts, sandals, tennis shoes.  When it's a little cooler you'd see jeans, leather jackets or other type jackets.  People dress up to go out or for work by wearing suits for men or dresses for ladies.  Anything goes, except it's illegal to walk around nude!

2. Ways of greeting people: Some of the common phrases on campus are, "Hey", "What's up (or wasup)", "what's cracking", "How are you", "Hello there", and "Hi"

3. Beliefs about hospitality: When people come to visit your house they would be offered tea, or other things to drink, and some type of food.  If the guest stays the night the host offers up their bed to the guest to have and the host would take the couch, floor, or spare mattress.  Usually this would be done for family and close friends.

4. Importance of time: Time is very important to set schedules by for everything from classes at school, bedtimes, work, eat, even making time to relax and do nothing.

5. Paintings All things are possible.  Shapes, figures, colors in all different forms from abstract to still life.  However, some of us are Muslim and are not allowed to draw heads or creatable things in life, so we use abstract forms of art.

6.Values: Here are some of this cultures values: Money, religion, image, family, life, happiness, education, and love.  (Not in any particular order.)

7. Literature: Free to own and read any piece of literature available, however on campus some books are banned from the student library due to adult language and themes, or racial and ethnic derogatory language.

8. Beliefs about child raising: The answers here range from thinking that we are too overprotected and not allowed to try new things, to thinking that the laws so favor rights for children that they can get away with too much both at home and legally.  A legal adult here is 18 years old.

9. Attitudes about personal space/privacy: People respect private space but are very friendly and may shake hands, hug, play with each others hair and other small ways of playfully touching.  This is usually done between friends and not always with people you don't know.

10. Beliefs about the responsibilities of children: We do chores around the house, take care of our school homework, and work on ourselves and our futures.  Under 18, not necessarily responsible for working a "real" job just yet, school is the main focus.

11. Gestures to show you understand what has been told to you: A nod means yes, cretin hand gesture are considered profanities; a smile can mean all kinds of things from "hello", "yes"; "I want to get to know you because I think you are beautiful"; and body language can indicate if you are interested in someone or not, annoyed, or angry.

12. Holiday customs: We celebrate our one holidays, but celebrate what everyone else does as a nation.  Everything from Mothers Day, to Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chrisman, Chinese New Year, Martin Luther King Day, and even some Catholic or Muslim holidays are reasons to not go to school for the day.

13. Music: Everything... hip hop, jazz, classical, pop, foreign, rap... in fact we have TV stations that only play music all day long.

14. Dancing: All styles... slow dancing with partners, ethnic dances, country dancing, salsa, swing, and ballroom dancing.

15. Celebrations: Birthdays, coming of age ceremonies for Mexican women and Jewish men, anniversaries for weddings, feasible of art or culture, graduations from school and college.

16. Concepts of fairness: The US believes in equality and out laws reflect that.  Our constitution, state and federal laws and rules for safety aid in keeping things fair.

17. Nature of friendship: Friends are important, lots of new people to meet and make into friends.  Some friendships are fake because people are trying to get something from you.  At our High School you get to be friends with people from many different religious and ethnic backgrounds.

18. Ideas about clothing: We see a lot of people wear stuff to look cool, or because it is part of their religion, but most just dress comfortably for school in a T-shirt and jeans or such.

19. Food: We eat everything from pizza, sushi, ice cream, and all different ethnic foods from around the world.

20. Greetings: Some of the greetings include hand shakes, hugs, kiss, and saying compliments.

21. Facial expressions and hand gestures: These include the expressions of smiling when happy, frowning when sad, mean eyes when mad, laughing when joyful, and turning away when shy.

22. Concept of self: We have free expression, but as high school students we often feel or see others as being insecure in who they are, self conscious, and even depressed.  We do know that we can be what we want in life and it is up to us.

23. Work ethic: With our school work and volunteer work, deadlines are very important.  It is important to do well to get a head in life and get ready for college, and then a job.

24. Religious beliefs: We have many different religions represented at our high school like Christian, Muslim, Catholic, and even some that don't believe in a God at all.

25. Religious rituals: The places of worship such as Churches, Mosques, Temples are all over town and each has different rituals of praying, and days to be in the place of worship.

26. Concepts of beauty: Here image is very important, and the media (TV and magazines) tell us what is beautiful.  This includes looking like a super model and having the right make-up, hair style, clothes, and jewelry.

27. Rules of behavior: Common politeness like saying "Please" and "Thank you", and covering your mouth when you cough, and even how not to be judgmental and try to be friendly to all you meet.

28. Attitude toward age: There are specific ages where a young adult is legally allowed to do things, for instance 16 to drive a car, 18 to vote and be considered an adult in the law, 21 to drink legally, and even 25 to rent a car.  Can be a very private thing and it is not always polite to ask someone's age.  The youngest you can work is 14 with a work permit, but most jobs will not hire you until you are 18.

29: The role of family: Family can be defined as any person or group of people who you share a deep, supportive, and trusting bond with, and not just your biological family.  Family is very important to help you with things and offer love and support in life, not just when you're young.  People in your same ethnic group can sometimes be called sister or brother to show closeness, even if not blood related.

30. General worldview: That the US is a powerful nation and should do something to help the world where it can.  That many people need help and that we should reach out a hand to be there for them.  As a refugee student one girl stated that she was told that money grew on trees in America, what she came to find out was that it was not money but opportunities that grew in America.  You get out of life what you put into life.

Heritage School of Dehradun, India

RESPECT Intellectual Club of the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Accra, Ghana

What is Culture?

Culture to us can be described as an acceptable lifestyle of a particular group of people within their locality. This involves art, thought and customs which consider clothing, food and behavior and or beliefs. What culture means to us is oneness of belongingness and self confidence in whatever we say, do and belief in. This is particularly beneficial to a society because its elements live together under norms which are free from deviant behaviors or activities.

GROUP A: No one is exactly like me.

1. My moral characters
2. The way I reason.
3. The way I speak.
4. My belief and my behavior that constitutes my character and attitude.
5. My style of dressing.
6. My interactions with my peers or those who associate with me.
7. My concept of doing things couple with my ability of doing them.
8. My speed, style and process of eating food.
9. The way I feel about things around me.
10. The way I worship my God.
11. My concept or belief about creation.
12. The way I write, speak and listen.
13. My manner of greetings others.
14. My level of understanding.
15. The means through which I address issues when               confronted                                                        

GROUP B: Every person in the world needs some of the same things that I need.

1. Food
2. Shelter
3. Clothing
4. Education
5. Good Health Care
6. Human Rights
7. Everybody needs somebody.
8. Sustainable environment for us now and for future generation.

RESPECT INTELLECTUAL CLUB mentors participated in a five days training workshop organized by The British Council Ghana and the World Bank Institute in Accra from the 25th September to 30th September, 2006 at the Head Office of British Council in Accra, Ghana.

GROUP C: I have many things in common with the members of my community.

1. Dressing
2. Types of Food
3. Ways and means of worship
4. Medium of communication
5. Ways and manners of greeting others.
6. Educational
7. Health Center
8. Life
9. Time
10. Money
11. Cultural Exchange
12. Ability to make new friends

Trail Ridge Middle School of Longmont, Colorado, USA

Features of Culture    

• Styles of dress - jeans, sweatshirts, t-shirts, shorts and suits and ties in the business world.  A variety of footwork can be worn
• Ways of greeting people – shake hands, say “Hello, how are you doing?”
• Beliefs about hospitality – offer a beverage or food to guests
• Importance of time – very important to be on time
• Paintings – a variety
• Values – we value peace, education, safety, and having a fair legal system
• Literature – classics, also a variety
• Beliefs about child raising – we do value and want to protect kids (we have laws against child abuse), but we also underestimate the abilities of kids too
• Attitudes about personal space/privacy – We got it!  We like to have our own personal space “bubble”, we also buy land and want it to be our own
• Beliefs about the responsibilities of children and teens – we have chores to do and sometimes get jobs, however there are child labor laws which don’t allow young kids to work
• Gestures to show you understand what has been told to you – nod our heads, uh huh
• Holiday customs – Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, 4th of July, Valentine’s Day, Easter, St. Patrick’s Day
• Music – variety
• Dancing – variety
•  Celebrations – Birthdays, Anniversaries 
• Concept of fairness – we share and help out those less fortunate than us, we have a justice system in place
• Nature of friendship – we have our best friends, close friends, acquaintances, and our peers
• Ideas about clothing – you can have your own style, yet there are dress codes in different settings (work, school)
• Foods – pizza, burgers, fries, candy, a variety
• Greetings – Hi!
• Facial expressions and hand gestures  wave and a smile
• Concept of self – we each have our own personalities and rights as human beings
• Work ethic – we work pretty hard
• Religious beliefs – Most Americans believe in a God, Christianity is big, but we also have Muslims, Islam, Jewish, Mormons
• Religious rituals – celebrate holidays (Christmas,etc.) confirmation, go to church on Sundays
• Concepts of beauty – in Colorado we see nature (the mountains) as beautiful, but in our society being skinny is seen as beautiful
• Rules of polite behavior – chew with your mouth shut, use silverware
• Attitude toward age  respect your elders, however there is a fear of aging
• The role of the family – We have the core family that provides our needs, relatives live in separate homes
• General worldview  We think we are the best.  We also do give a lot of money and resources to other countries

Webb School of Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

Features of Culture.

1) Jeans; t-shirts; athletic shorts; North Face jackets; tennis shoes.

2) Smile; shake hands; wave; hugs if you are emotionally close to person; say "hi" or "hello."

3) Talk to strangers; introduce them to other people; give food, clothes, toys, etc., to the homeless.

4) Be on time; Americans have very little spare time; use time wisely; arrive and depart promptly.

5) Pastels; watercolors; crayons; museums and galleries; sculpture.

6) Come from parents, heroes, famous athletes, and celebrities; friends/family; money; education; nice house and car; religion.

7) Books; poems; magazines; blogs.

8) Being polite, behaving well, and having good manners are important; "grounded" (cannot go out with friends) for bad behavior.

9) Each child in a family usually has his/her own bedroom; do not use anyone else's hygiene products; put private thoughts in a diary.

10) Chores at home; must be responsible and respectful; need to learn how to handle own money (allowance).

11) Nod head; do "thumbs up" sign; shake head "no" if you do not understand.

12) Gifts; candy; music; caroling; decorating; traditions unique to each family.

13) Country; rock; rap; hip hop; classic; rhythm & blues; pop.

14) Ballet; modern; jazz; tap; break; swing; disco.

15) Christmas; Halloween; Easter; Thanksgiving; Fourth of July; Saint Patrick's Day; Hanukkah; Passover.

16) No cheating, lying, or stealing (our Honor Code at Webb School); no abortions.

17) Importance of being kind, happy, fair, truthful, friendly, generous, and helpful to friends; "sleepovers" with friends; birthday parties with friends.

18) Need to look good, be comfortable, and "fit in" with the crowd; short skirts and dresses; jewelry to accessorize; hats, especially baseball caps; shorts.

19) Pizza; hamburgers; hotdogs; Coke; Gatorade (sports drink); bottled water.

20) Wave; shake hands; kiss; hug; "good to see you."

21) Thumbs up; high-five; smile; say "hi" or "hey" or "what's up?".

22) Family, teachers, and friends are most important in shaping your concept of self.

23) Importance of working hard; must cooperate with others as a team; okay to work alone on some things.

24) Christianity; Judaism; Islam; belief in God, Jesus, Abraham, and Moses.

25) Praying; going to church; Christmas and Easter/Hanukkah and Passover are important holidays.

26) A good physical appearance is important; combed hair; get ideas from models and actors/actresses.

27) Greeting people politely; saying "please," "thank you," and "excuse me"; wearing appropriate clothes to suit the occasion; looking people in the eye as you talk to them.

28) The younger you are, the fewer privileges you have; will have more responsibility as you get older; must set a good example for younger people.

29) You must be there for your family; respect your parents; family is very important.

30) We worry about world hunger, poverty, pollution, global warming, homelessness, and nuclear war; our outlook on the future is somewhat negative.

The Miracle Corners of the World Trust Songea Education, Health & Youth Housing Community Village