Cross-cultural dialogue at SECMOL

The VISpas, SECMOLpas, and SECMOL volunteers participated in a cross-cultural activity called the Triangle of Values Collage, an activity I learned at the School for International Training in Brattleboro and decided to lead here as part of my exhibition on cross-cultural dialogue. In the activity, each participant received a triangular piece of paper on which s/he wrote—in English and their mother tongue—their three most personally significant values and decorated the triangle. Then, using English as a common language, the participants matched the edges of their triangle with people who shared the same main values until everyone’s triangle fit into the collage.
The activity illustrates the universal values people across cultural lines share. SECMOLpa Nema says “It was really good… [especially between VISpa and SECMOLpas] because it show[s] that we all have same values like… compassion, kindness, education.” VISpa Taylor agreed that the collage shows commonality, but also acknowledges that it exposed some cultural differences of value. She illuminates, “not one VISpa wrote education as a value, while nearly every Ladakhi did.” Taylor continues to say, “It is important to acknowledge differences to understand them, and it helps to bring us together, creating a tighter community.” She believes that values are “a very individual thing, but every individual works together with other individuals to create a community and the culture of that community.” This activity is an important cross-cultural activity that also builds community and teamwork, as everyone works together to fit the triangles into the collage.
The activity was really fun, because it involved all the SECMOLpas and VISpas in a creative and productive way. Fitting all the triangles together was like a puzzle with many possible final outcomes. Having never completed the activity with so many people, I was unsure of how well it would work, or if it would work at all. The triangles fit perfectly. It would be so cool to do this with everyone in the entire world.

--Simone