Workshop overview
Cross-Cultural Relationships: Confronting Racism is a six session workshop that would normally run over one and a half days. There is many different and useful approaches to racism awareness. This one is designed as an interactive process to expand awareness of one's own and other's cultural background and experience. Biblical texts provide a focus for discussions in each session. The workshop is focused on listening to Scripture alongside each other's stories. There will be opportunity to reflect on the nature of racism in the broader world context and examine racism in the Australian context, and reflect on the causes, the victims, the remedies and strategies to overcome racism. The course assists people to reflect on the need for healing and justice within our communities including our church community, building bridges across differences.
Workshop objectives
In a world of marked separation between people of different races and ethnicities it is important that we work to unmask racism and search for ways to overcome ignorance. In the present Australian setting, particularly post September 11, 2001, and in the asylum debate we have seen a disturbing re-emergence of fear of difference. So it is especially timely that we challenge the negative stereotypes and images that abound and model community in new ways as God's people. Confronting racism is a central part of the mission of the church and of our identity as Christians.
Cross-cultural Relationships: Confronting Racism is a programme of cross-cultural learning that contributes to the ongoing task of identifying and overcoming the barriers that exist between people because of different cultural backgrounds. It aims to contribute to the building of communities of reconciliation, justice and sharing, that celebrate diversity and respect difference.
It is an educational programme that explores strategies to confront and overcome racism in society. The programme provides some of the building blocks (awareness, skills) for building such communities in the places the participants come from. It seeks to further encourage our Uniting church in its' commitment to building a multicultural church where we live together as people from different cultures in worship, witness and service. Through scripture, stories and role play, small group dialogue and interactive exercises, participants will:
Better understand and confront racism within the Australian context, and the wider context and make links between racism and other types of human oppression. Reflect on the systems of oppression that separate people and how their own lives are impacted by racism.
Develop greater awareness and skills to understand the significance of differences people have because of their different cultural backgrounds and experiences.
Reflect on biblical themes that undergird a commitment to celebrating diversity and respecting difference: the interconnectedness of God's creation, the call to justice and sharing; the challenge to build cross-cultural communities of love, acceptance and inclusion where the gifts of all are valued.
Be encouraged to take specific steps to reduce one's own ethnocentism in relating to people of different backgrounds.
Identify some of the bridges needed and begin to explore ways of bridging racial, cultural and other divisions in the congregations, communities and work situations from which people come.
