Engaging with people from different cultures can be a rewarding experience that helps students better prepare for university life. Here are three reasons why!
Engaging across cultures involves students developing an understanding of the values, behaviours, customs, and beliefs of different cultures and being able to communicate with people worldwide respectfully and meaningfully. It involves being open to learning about and respecting cultural differences and communicating in a way that promotes understanding and collaboration. In this article, you will learn about meaningful values you could learn from interacting with different peers and, indeed, perspectives and why they are significant in preparing for your future university life.
- It helps build connections
Engaging across cultures is an incredibly important part of preparing for university. Many skills and attitudes required to thrive in an interconnected world is the ability to engage in effective communication across cultures. It is said that there exists a significant association between having contact with people from other countries and students’ attitudes. Being exposed to multiculturalism during school years enables students to be connected to various cultures and perspectives.
Spark School offers the opportunity to engage in a global community and meet international people worldwide. As a young learner, engaging with colleagues is beneficial thanks to the explosion of online and flexible learning possibilities.
Every student brings their cultural capital, regardless of their country. What’s great about Spark School’s global community is that students can meet new colleagues from more than 10 countries, fostering relationships that make them peacefully understand each other and their differences. - It develops language skills
During the first years of school, most students are familiar with foreign languages, and the advantages multilingualism can have in their development as future adults. One recent study shows that almost 43% of people are bilingual globally, with 17% being multilingual. Speaking more than one language is a clear asset for effective intercultural communication. Studies show that teenagers aged 16-24 are by far the most likely to be able to speak multiple different languages. At Spark, you can choose the language you want to complete your language skills with, such as French, Spanish, German or English. Besides learning more languages, Spark students have the advantage of connecting with international people and can develop their speaking skills easily. - It develops your empathy
Young learners working together to complete a community project or a university contribution get to know each other as individuals outside the classroom and extend their social capital for a common purpose. Spark offers the chance to create friendships by participating in our club and societies or the Global Education course. Moreover, Spark School students are eager to help each other achieve results regarding different hobbies or assignments. By interacting with people from different backgrounds, you gain insight into how different cultures approach and solve issues, allowing you to become more understanding and tolerant of others.
At Spark, you can powerfully engage in a wide variety of activities with international students and create meaningful connections. There is no border in facilitating your perspective regarding inclusion, diversity, or friendships.