A crowd of nearly 80 attendees, including local service providers, Fanshawe students, and agency staff gathered on February 22nd at the St. Thomas Seniors’ Recreation Centre to participate in an Intercultural Competency training session hosted by the St. Thomas-Elgin Local Immigration Partnership. Facilitated by Michele Manocchi from the Cross Cultural Learner Centre in London, the morning’s event was an opportunity for attendees to educate themselves on the factors involved in communicating across culture; how to interact with a diverse range of people in a way that is informed and respectful; and how to recognize how and where cultural differences may cause confusion, so that confusion doesn’t escalate to frustration, anger or indifference.

Training facilitator Michele Manocchi speaks on intercultural competency

As these skills will frequently form the basis of service provision and client-support moving forward into an increasingly multicultural society, a second installment of the training will be hosted at a TBD later date, expanding and building upon the material of the first session.