EDUCATION FOR GLOBAL MINDSET AND PERSPECTIVE
THE SWEDEN-INDIA PROJECT is an experiential, field based training programme for culture workers – social workers, nurses, lawyers, doctors and teachers.
The objective is to reduce ethnocentrism and increase global mindedness so that participants can work in a multi-cultural environment, immigration integration processes, aid work and international assignments.
The project has been in existence for ten years now and about 450 participants have gone through the training.
VALUE STATEMENT OF THE PROJECT
International exposure for culture workers is concerned with the profession and practice in different parts of the world, different roles culture workers perform, the practice methods they use, the problems they deal with and the challenges they face.
Why is this field based study through Sweden-India Project relevant and important for social work students, students who want to become teachers, social workers and other care-giving professionals ?
- Globalization leave no nation unaffected by the international impact of economic, political and social problems
- All culture workers need to have some appreciation of international perspectives, some knowledge of global events and processes and cross-cultural issues to feel better equipped for social intervention and support.
- Make a synthesis of social practice and theory with a global outlook
- Understand and appreciate local identities and interest towards a wider and deeper view in professional education.
- Increase cross cultural experience beyond national boundaries in internship and fieldwork contents
- Consciousness that patterns of behavior in one country or part of the world can have profound implications for whole populations in other societies or even worldwide
- Having an increased understanding of global events, influences and problems; recognizing the international and cross-cultural dimension of local issues; utilizing derived knowledge to analyses of problem areas and evaluation of possible strategies for intervention.
MAIN FOCUS
Building relationships and trust :
Reducing and eventually eliminating the negativity that initially governs interactions with the host society, and replacing it with trust and commitment to shared interests
Overcoming cultural differences:
Recognizing the differences in values, habits of thought, and behavior patterns that people bring from their world; learning to use these to leverage strength from diversity.
PROJECT APPROACH
- Highly interactive.
- Flexible through knowledge, experience and social skills.
- Work with real time organizational issues; i.e. examples, situations and group processes.
- Explore cultural topics in a secure and comfortable atmosphere.
- Study visits to social organizations engaged in various social work activities.
