Menomonie Middle School eighth-grader Rachael May decided to attend the intercultural leadership portion of the Summer STEAM Experience at University of Wisconsin-Stout because she wants to know how to stop bullying.
“A friend of mine was bullied because of her different culture,” May said. “I want that to stop. I want to know ways to stop bullying. Just because people are different doesn’t mean they should be treated differently.”
Intercultural leadership was the newest offering of STEAM Experience, a weeklong collaboration of UW-Stout’s art and design camp and its science, technology, engineering and mathematics camp for students in grades eight to 12. More information on the camp can be found at www.uwstout.edu/steam.
It is believed to be one of the first times such a track has been offered, according to Leni Marshall, an intercultural development ambassador and professor in the UW-Stout English and philosophy department. Nine students participated.
“Intercultural leadership is finding ways to connect people across cultural differences in ways that help acknowledge our differences and strengths,” Marshall said. “It’s about being aware enough of one’s own cultural beliefs and assumptions so that we can respond to differences in ways that respect other people’s values and still maintain our own. Intercultural leadership helps us work together and get things done.”
Teen leaders emerging
Bringing intercultural leadership to the STEAM camp made sense given how teens nationally are showing great ability to lead, Marshall said. She noted the Parkland, Fla., teens leading the debate on gun violence after the shooting on Valentine’s Day that killed 17 students and teachers.
“We’ve seen teens without any leadership experience step up. It’s exciting to imagine the possibilities if they had leadership training,” Marshall added.
One activity at the camp was preflocking, a term Marshall created. Students walked, crawled or hopped in a space together, learning to follow each other and to lead.
“At first, the lag time between when one person starts and when the whole group is moving is relatively long, as is the time between when one person stops and everyone stops,” Marshall explained. “As the group of people gets to know each other better their movements become more synchronous, and that lag time decreases.”
Research has shown that practicing synchronous movements together unites a group. “Thus, preflocking is a way to create community and a way to help students better understand the idea of synchrony and the existence of culturally-dependent use of space and pace of movement,” Marshall added.
Students also talked about nonverbal communication and how it can vary in different cultures; they donned sunglass with different lens colors to help understand how cultures have different world views.
They also sampled diversity beans, jelly beans with a different flavor than the outside color of the bean suggest. “This candy is just like people — you can’t determine what’s on the inside by simply looking at the outside,” the label stated on the candy. “It reminds us to experience people one at a time and enjoy their unique qualities.”
‘Pursue your dreams’
Chancellor Bob Meyer and Provost Patrick Guilfoile were guest speakers at the camp. Meyer told the students he believes a leader should respect others, have integrity and be accepting. “Being a good listener is really important,” Meyer said.
He said UW-Stout is committed to being more inviting to other cultures and has a growing international student population. “We all learn from our differences,” he said.
Setting goals is important too, he said. “I would urge you to pursue your dreams,” Meyer said. “You can accomplish pretty much anything you set your mind to.”
The camp is being evaluated by a reviewer with the National Science Foundation to see if grant funding could be applied for other such camps or educational activities, Marshall said.
“I am hoping the students will walk out of here having expanded their understanding of themselves as intercultural leaders and having the confidence and skills to bring some ideas back to their communities and have the awareness that will let them become the kind of people who can build bridges that celebrate differences,” Marshall said.
Rin Kilde, 17, of Menomonie, a home-schooled senior, attended the intercultural leadership experience. Kilde plans to become a teacher or a social worker.
“I just thought this would be a great way to start that process,” said Kilde, who expected the camp would be about using correct diversity language and was pleased it was more about communicating with people.
Achieve through differences
Marshall, UW-Stout Professor Kate Thomas, social science, and interculturalists Angela Williams, of Salt Lake City, and Mafra Clark, of Nashville, Tenn., co-facilitated the track.
It was encouraging to see how the lights went on in students’ eyes, Williams said, noting they are figuring out how to understand and communicate effectively and respectively.
Thomas pointed out that intercultural leaders bring people together. “We are different, and we can tackle a lot,” Thomas said. “We can achieve a lot by getting along through our differences.”
Including intercultural leadership, 12 tracks were part of the Summer STEAM Experience. About 200 campers also took interior design, studio art, video game design, 3D animation, graphic design sampling, 3D print and jewelry, digital filmmaking, industrial design, l building and launching rockets, manufacturing and practical math, and forensic detectives.
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Photos
Chancellor Bob Meyer speaks with the students attending the intercultural leadership portion of the Summer STEAM Experience, urging them to pursue their dreams.
Students at the intercultural leadership portion of the Summer STEAM Experience shoot foam rockets after different groups received varying instructions on how to play a game. The students could not speak during the exercise. The goal is to teach students about learning to respond to differences and to understand nonverbal language varies across cultures. Intercultural leadership strives to find ways to connect people across cultural differences in ways that acknowledge differences and strengths.
Rachael May, of Menomonie, works on a project during the intercultural leadership portion of the Summer STEAM Experience. May says she attended the conference to help to learn how to stop bullies.