Undergoing a name change could cause an identity crisis for some, but the director of Brigham Young University’s Intercultural Outreach program thinks the fit of its new name is more appropriate than ever.
Formerly known as “International Outreach,” the program has returned to its roots and chosen a name that is more indicative of its goals.
“‘Intercultural Outreach’ better represents what the program aspires to accomplish,” said Cory Leonard, program director and assistant director of the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.
Intercultural Outreach is a three-credit class (IAS 353R), offered through the Kennedy Center, in which students who have spent at least three months outside the United States work with elementary and secondary teachers to spread cultural understanding to the schools. They develop lesson plans that share the culture they have experienced as classroom presentations, which are then published and made available for purchase as “CultureGuides” used by K-12 teachers.
Although the content is still international, raising cultural awareness is the name of the game in this program, and the new name helps participants remember the focus of what they’re doing: helping students overcome cultural misunderstandings and replacing cultural generalizations with respect and acceptance, according to Leonard.
For more information on Intercultural Outreach, visit the Web site at outreach.byu.edu.
Writer: Brooke Eddington
