September 2nd:  Managing Conflicts Among People of Different Cultures

Conflict is inevitable in life. Our responses to it are affected by both our human nature and our cultural backgrounds. Cultural differences can be the cause of conflict and can complicate our efforts to resolve it. In this program, we will explore ways of addressing conflicts involving people from different cultures.

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September 9th:  Refusing to be Enemies:  The Zeitouna StoryZeitouna is Arabic for "olive tree" or "olive".  In the sumer of 2002, a unique sisterhood was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, comprised of six Arab and six Jewish women.  Naming themselves Zeitouna, they unknowingly embarked on a life-changing journey, both personal and socio-political.  Committing to learn to hear each voice in the group has permanently joined them across the divide of their ancestral communities.  Zeitouna's mission is to embody and promote the peaceful and just coexistence of the Arab and Jewish peoples through connection, trust, empathy, and actions focused on supporting a sustainable future for Palestine and Israel.

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September 16th:  Conflict and Miscommunication Across CulturesNina has worked with many cultures in her decades of mediation work. She will share concepts such as the different ways of looking at fairness, how cultures respond to conflict and why they have dissimilar desires as to their goals and outcomes, how people express the same emotion in a variety of ways, and why it is a common mistake to "pretend to be in someone else's shoes".  This very practical 30 minutes will help you understand some of the diversity across cultures that can create problems and explore positive steps in working through the conflict.

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September 23rd:  Transforming Our Inner ConflictWhether we are aware of it or not we live in a racial world, which proposes equality, but is firmly set on hierarchy, inequality, and separation.  patterns of racial dysfunction have been handed down from generation to generation.  How do we transform these patterns and begin to live the connection that is part of our natural human existence?

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September 30th:  Embracing Cultural Differences Requires Challenging Your MindsetGlobalization is making our world smaller with cross-cultural situations at the core. Even though diversity can be a powerful source for creativity, adaptability and innovation, the potential for conflict increases, requiring even more attention to how we deal with differences and how people work together. People’s actions reflect people’s thinking. One challenge we all face is the way we think about the parties involved in any conflicting situation. When interacting with others, people assume and attribute intentions to others. An “all-or-nothing” thinking and a right/wrong mindset lead people to play blame games and get stuck judging others instead of looking forward to resolve the matter at hand. Can we get “unstuck”?

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