Intercultural dialogue

Intercultural dialogue encompasses culture, identity and politics. Sensitive, informed engagement creates relationships that are vital to the UK’s long-term interests.

These relationships are built to withstand changing circumstances and are an investment in sustaining the UK’s valuable interaction with the global community.

Our focus lies in working across cultures with young people and those who influence young people. Times change and the methods of engagement change too, but now, more than ever, cultural relations work plays a critical part of international affairs.

Why

‘You can clarify a lot of misconceptions by bringing people together,’ said Pakistani pop star Abrar ul Haq in his address to a British Council conference in Manchester in January 2009. He defined, simply, the purpose of intercultural dialogue.

Most of the world’s population is young, and responding to their aspirations and concerns has become one of our priorities; their future is critical to building a safe and secure culturally diverse world. We will extend our programme and partnerships to reach those who have previously had limited access and influence. For example, our Reconnect initiative builds the resilience and skills of young people and helps them to become active citizens in their own and wider communities.

Another feature of the world today is the growing strain placed on tolerance by conflict and by a spreading economic crisis, an echo of the era in which the British Council was first established.

Intercultural dialogue programmes open the way for different voices to influence public debate and the news media, strengthening people’s ability to challenge simplistic generalisations.

How

Intercultural dialogue requires an awareness and understanding of the culture of specific regions – the knowledge and expertise of staff in our worldwide network are a crucial asset.

In all our major programme areas we work to increase the capability of young people to engage constructively in building their future. They have the opportunity to work together across cultures, realising some of the common challenges they face. They also develop their skills for employability.

Partnerships are a part of the British Council’s work that is essential to meeting the challenge of maintaining our global impact while having relevance to local situations. Using the power of the British Council’s global network together with the resources and expertise of other organisations – large, small, public and private, British and international – multiplies the effect of cultural relations for the long-term benefit of the UK. An example is the volunteer exchange programme Global Xchange, developed jointly by the British Council and Voluntary Service Overseas, which gives young people and community leaders from a range of countries a unique opportunity to contribute together to the needs of local communities.

Intercultural dialogue is a particularly sensitive area of cultural relations, inherently contentious and open to contradictory interpretations. Mutual respect is crucial, as is reasoned disagreement – both build stronger, more authentic and longer-lasting relationships.

Avoiding difficult questions, such as those relating to political conflict or cultural values, is counterproductive; addressing them directly and with respect builds trust.

For engagement to take place activities must be of real value to those directly involved and to the wider professional or social communities they serve: they must provide skills, knowledge or inspiration.

Partnership with London’s Royal Court Theatre and organisations working throughout the Near East and North Africa region has opened a rich and continuing exchange between young Arab playwrights and contemporary theatre in the UK. A tour of Damascus – a play by David Greig – stimulated vivid and passionate debate about how we interpret our worlds and how we describe them to each other.

Where

We have reflected current geopolitical priorities by increasing resources to broaden our engagement with young people in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central and South Asia. In Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan our projects are having a deep impact on the personal understanding of participants and on how they contribute to their communities.

The UK’s relationship with China has broadened, creating a need for greater mutual awareness; we have set up youth and school exchanges to promote this understanding. Our future programmes will support stronger interaction between the UK and the significant emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Forthcoming literature work focuses on India and South Africa, deepening our conversation with these two complex and influential countries. The British Council’s work in Brazil will draw on its rich pattern of social inclusion and diversity.

In Europe’s relatively prosperous societies, including our own, social cohesion is challenged by major demographic changes. Projects such as Open Cities and Our Shared Europe will help to develop an understanding of what living together means for all citizens of Europe, whether from the perspective of cities being open and inclusive or from the need to confront stereotypical attitudes and exclusive interpretations of European history.

Our work in sub-Saharan Africa takes a more balanced approach to dialogue – listening more and encouraging the articulation of issues within a cross-cultural context.

Plans

Our focus is on working with schools, supporting global citizenship and leadership, and networking. Future emphasis will be on more direct acknowledgement and promotion of the positives of difference, and of the benefits. Using our grant-in-aid and funding under the contracts we manage, our focus will continue to be on three major projects – Connecting Classrooms, Active Citizens and Global Changemakers.

Connecting Classrooms and the Department for International Development school partnerships project are powerful mechanisms for pupils, teachers and education policy-makers in the UK and countries across the world to share understanding of one another’s societies.

Active Citizens has established UK partnerships with local communities overseas. It provides a new framework to help young people understand how they can contribute more fully to their societies and the global community, developing skills and self-awareness by means of multicultural learning and active participation.

Global Changemakers offers highly motivated young professionals insights into the arenas where decisions affecting millions are made. It enables them to work together to understand and influence policy formulation, and will create new networks of leaders in society, who will work on the global agendas of the 21st century.