This document discusses cultural and diversity awareness. It defines prejudice and discrimination and encourages sharing experiences of feeling included and excluded. It emphasizes the importance of making people feel included by remembering names, listening, involving everyone, and understanding different abilities, cultures, values and beliefs. It also discusses disability, mental health, well-being, and indicators of mental distress. The document stresses cultural awareness, including different concepts of culture, language barriers, and cultural differences regarding etiquette, socializing, religion, gender, and relationships. It encourages learning names, engaging with other cultures, and focusing on open-minded communication and understanding differences.

1. Cultural and Diversity Awareness

3. What is prejudice?
• Preconceived opinion that is not based on
reason or actual experience.
• Dislike, hostility, or unjust behaviour deriving
from preconceived and unfounded opinions.
– Oxford online dictionary

4. In your groups take turns to share with each
other:
• A time when you experienced prejudice or
discrimination
5

5. Inclusion & Exclusion
• Think about a time when you felt included and
a time when you felt excluded from a group
and share with your group.
• Who might feel excluded?

6. How can we make people feel
included?
• Remembering people’s
names
• Listening
• Involving everyone in
conversation
• Asking questions
• Understanding limitations

7. What do we need to be aware of?
• Learning difficulties
• Cultural differences
• Disability
• Mental health issues
• Race
• Religion
• Gender
• Values and Beliefs

8. Disability
• What is a disability?
• Question sheet
• Talk Video
• Etiquette Guide from Disability Matters

9. What is Mental Health?
“The emotional resilience that enables us to
enjoy life and survive pain, disappointment
and sadness. It is a positive sense of well-
being and an underlying belief in our own and
others’ dignity and worth”
(HEA 1997)

10. What is Mental Wellbeing?
“ A state of well-being in which the individual
realises his or her own abilities, can cope with
the normal stresses of life, can work
productively and fruitfully, and is able to make
a contribution to his or her community”
(WHO 2001)

11. Mental Health as a Continuum
Mental Wellbeing Ongoing Mental
(Emotional
health difficulties.
Problems/Concerns)
(stress and strains of Causes disruption
and difficulties) (MAY be diagnosed as
life are managed) an illness)

12. How would you know ?

13. Indicators of Mental Distress 1
• Emotional upset or distress, e.g. tearful,
anxious, panicky
• Tense, irritable, agitated
• Feeling edgy, uneasy or detached from other
people and the environment
• Feeling over alert, or less alert than usual
• Persistent low mood

14. aIndicators of Mental Distress 2tors
of Mental Distress 2
• Mood or behaviour changes (maybe subtle or
significant)
• Talking incoherently
• Disturbed, unusual or erratic behaviour
• Reduced productivity, judgement, memory,
concentration
• Working less effectively

15. Indicators of Mental Distress 3
• Withdrawal from family & friends, or from
course
• Poor timekeeping/attendance
• Very loud or seems to have no inhibitions
• Paranoia
• Holding fixed beliefs (not culturally contextual)
• Hearing voices

16. Indicators of Mental Distress 4
• Change in sleep pattern
• Change in appetite/weight
• Deterioration in self-care, neglecting personal
hygiene
• Smell of alcohol or cannabis

17. Indicators of Mental Distress 5
• Tired all the time and less energetic, or feeling
very over energetic
• Finding it difficult to relate to/communicate
with other people
• Expressing feelings of hopelessness, despair,
or extreme loneliness
• Thought disturbance, e.g. difficulty sustaining
conversation, flight of ideas, etc
• Talking about suicide or self-harm, or actually
doing/attempting it

18. Noticing when a student is in difficulty
• Ask, be interested and listen
• Notice clusters of signs
• Notice changes from usual
• Notice possible ‘coping’ strategies

19. Beware of…
• Labelling
• Diagnosing
• Discrimination
• Stigmatising
• Language

20. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUzHK97
wdWw&feature=player_embedded

21. Not always a ‘right’ or ‘perfect’ answer!

22. How you can help....
– Get to know your students
– Listen and show that you care
– Show empathy, acknowledge their feelings
– Avoid giving advice
– Boundaries
– Offer other sources of help - referral
– Look after yourself
– Trust your instincts
– Seek advice/support from your supervisor

23. Culture
• What is culture?
• The combined beliefs, customs, and social
norms of a particular group in a specific place.
• Culture influences food, dress, beliefs,
buildings, manners, language, social behaviour
etc.

24. Culture
• University itself can be a ‘culture shock’ for
most people because it is so different from
school.
• What if a student is coming from abroad? How
might they feel?
• Video (First Impressions)

26. Language Barriers
• Split into A’s and B’s. A’s tell your partners about
what you did at the weekend without using any
words starting with the letter ‘N’.
• B’s Just listen

27. How do we communicate
• Words
• Tone
• Voice
Words
• Eyes Tone of Voice
• Face Body Language
• Body

28. Language Barriers
• Even if a student has very good English they
may be frightened or embarrassed to practice
it.
• It can be harder for international students to
get involved in University life due to Language
Barrier.
• Body language and things such as they way of
telling the time may be different.

29. Cultural Differences
• Etiquette
• Socialising
• Cooking
• Religion
• Gender

30. Sex, Relationships and gender
• Cultural attitudes differ. Some students may
find it shocking to see condoms freely
available or to see public displays of affection.
• Attitudes of men to women and of women to
men will be influenced by their home culture.
• It is important to treat issues of sex, sexual
orientation and contraception sensitively.

31. How can you be culturally aware?
• Learn names and ask your mentees to write
them down if they are unusual to you.
• Be aware of any language barriers or possible
cultural misunderstandings.
• Engage with other students’ cultures by asking
questions.
• Be open! Don’t get into the habit of thinking
your way is the only way of doing something-
how is it done in another country?

32. • Think about what you can learn from other
students, and what you can teach them.
• Invite students to share their culture with you.

33. Take Away Points
• Be aware
• Be open minded
• Communication is incredibly important to making
people feel included.
• Discuss differences if they arise to enable for
wider understanding.
• No one is right or wrong.
• You are not a mentor to preach the ‘right’ thing
to students. Your role is to facilitate their
transition and learning.