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UNIT TITLE Intercultural communication/civic competence in counselling women with migration/ refugee background |
Workload: 8 hrs |
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OBJECTIVES: The aim of this unit is to equip professionals with necessary knowledge and skills to successfully deal with female clients having a migrant or refugee background in counselling services. In order to be able to provide them with useful counselling, it is required to understand the principles of intercultural communication, as well as possible ways to apply them. Social and civic competences are required in this context to provide clients with useful knowledge about their civic rights and duties and also, to encourage and empower them to actively take part in society.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES |
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Upon completion of this unit the learner will be able to: |
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ACTIONS |
PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
KNOWLEDGE |
SKILLS |
AUTONOMY AND RESPONSIBILITY |
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Transfer civic competences into counselling concepts related to the civic empowerment of your target groups |
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EXTERNAL RESOURCES See information below |
Unit of competence 2: Intercultural Communication & Civic Competences in counselling women with migration/ refugee background
This unit covers the topic of “intercultural communication” on the one hand and on the other “civic competences” both necessary to know and apply in counselling sessions. Learners, counselling professionals working with female clients having a migrant or refugee background, will learn about related concepts and practice different counselling situations particularly relevant for them when dealing with that target clientele, helping them familiarising in intercultural – civic competences for their counselling work.
The unit wants to offer practical oriented activities in which learners will also have a chance to put themselves in the situation of their clients aiming at developing better empathy in communication with female migrants/ refugees and understanding their civil situation required when providing cultural-sensitive counselling.
Different resources shall complement the unit and inspire learners to further learn in these two areas.
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Workload |
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Face to face learning |
2.5 hours – depends upon the selected approach |
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Online learning |
2 hours – depends upon the selected approach |
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Evaluation/Self-assessment |
0.5 hours |
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Sub-unit 1 |
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1. Title of the sub-unit: Intercultural communication in counselling women with migration/ refugee background |
Total duration: 5 hours |
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2. Objectives of the sub-unit:
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3. Content The aim of this sub-unit is to support learners reflect upon own cultural prerequisites in their work and the understanding of how people from different countries and cultures may communicate and perceive the world around them, how these aspects may influence one’s acting and reacting in communication. For this purpose, learners will first be familiarised with the concept of intercultural communication and competences by Erll und Gymnich that is cognitive-affective-communicative dimensions when meeting people, associated with clarifying requirements of a counsellor applying intercultural communication in terms of knowledge, behaviour and attitude. (This can be done in a self-study session based on online learning.) The term communication shall be analysed then in a subsequent face to face training as: verbal vs. para-verbal and non-verbal in order to understand that elements of culture may be manifested in the way people speak, use mimic, gestures and (their) voice. For this, video input shall help as starting point and lead to a discussion and – individual self-reflection based on experiences from own counselling sessions. Then, learners are introduced to relevant concepts related to cultural differences which play a role when dealing with clients from a different culture (such as ethnocentrism, norms, rules, roles, stereotypes, and communication barriers). This, again, can be done in self-study/ by going through different types of online material not to overload the learner though with theory but offer example cases rather reflecting upon these aspects. Supported by a model on intercultural communication styles that is built upon opposites of communicational traits (low and high context; direct-indirect; linear-circular, etc.), learners shall experience conditions and behaviours that may be beneficial in intercultural communication and those which might become obstacles in certain situations. To do this, learners shall conduct an activity applying some of the presented different communication styles (e.g. possibly discuss in groups how those can be adapted to clients’ communication in order to help them better understand one another; or apply this in their own counselling services and then discuss with their peer learners experiences made. It is however suggested to use real cases as basis) For further in-depth hands-on sessions, working with case studies is recommended (The Good Practices (GPs) developed in frame of No Gaps (IO1) may be used for this as a stimulus if participants do not share individual experiences).: Learners shall read three stories from/ about refugees on their own as preparation to help then take the role of a refugee in a subsequent role play. During a final face to face training session and based on a case the group agrees upon, the learners shall form groups of 3 (three) participants per group in which each individual shall act once in one of the three given roles: as a migrant/ refugee women, as a counsellor (providing their own counselling service), as the observer of the counselling session taking notes on his/ her observations from the communication. Each session is recommended to last 15 - 20 min. After they will have all acted in the different roles, the groups shall reflect upon the individual sessions based on their different perspectives and share how they felt, what they think their communication partner felt about the session. The observers should share their views from “outside”, apply positive feedback on communication aspects learnt about earlier. Then, reflection taken from the group works to the “class” followed by a discussion on practical implementation of different communication styles in such counselling sessions shall help to close reflection and the unit’s activities. This can be done both, in group and then also individually e.g. using a log book or reflective diary. |
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4. Resources:
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5. Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this learning unit the learner will be able to: |
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Knowledge |
Skills |
Autonomy and Responsibility |
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6. Methodological approach The methodological approach of the training combines teaching of theoretical basics with practical activities, including a mix of online – self-guided learning – and facilitated and moderated training sessions with other learners. Learners receive information and/or material to self-study psychological concepts of intercultural communication. It shall help them to get an idea of what “intercultural communication” means, what competences this considers; also, to support their understanding of influencing communication mechanisms having two people with a different cultural background. Practice is seen as essential to prepare learners’ counselling sessions effectively (also) when dealing with clients’ concerns coming from other cultures. Therefore, the focus of the training lies on experiential learning that requires from learners to become aware and to reflect upon own communication attitude and (civic) behaviour. Examples for these activities are e.g. simulations, role plays, reflective discussion based on case studies and/or self-reflections or an informal face‐to face interaction (in hypothetical contact situations). It is recommended however, to make learners aware of different communication perspectives, including also the one migrant/ refugee women might have in the counselling services, learners provide. The trainer in this unit should have background knowledge regarding intercultural communication and be prepared to explain theories and concepts used in the training. Besides sharing information, the trainer should rather take the role of a moderator/ facilitator who guides activities and discussions without intervening if not necessary. This implies, s/he should be able to build a trustful relationship with learners from the start and be able to create a “safe communication space” (for individuals and the whole group) in order to allow learners speak and act freely and honestly – also e.g. according to the role in the role plays. It is also relevant to have a suitable location for the face to face training when it comes to necessary physical space (needed according to the group size and the activities chosen) and equipment (PCs and a projector). Suggested examples for learning and teaching methods in this sub-unit:
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7. References further reading:
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8. Evaluation For the evaluation of this sub-unit, active participation can be considered as a key factor (i.e. participation in reflections and discussions). Results created during the training can be used to assess learners’ state of knowledge (e.g. presentations, simulation of counselling sessions). Learners’ self-assessment, evaluation through peers and results that can serve as well as evidence of in-depth self-reflection (e.g. reflective personal diary, etc.) can finally be used to assess skills and competences regarding intercultural communication achieved. Suggested examples for assessment methods in this sub-unit:
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Workload |
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Face to face learning |
1 hours – depends upon the selected approach |
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Online learning |
1.5 hours – depends upon the selected approach |
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Evaluation/Self-assessment |
0.5 hours |
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Sub-unit 2 |
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1. Title of the sub-unit: Civic competences in counselling women with migration/ refugee background |
Total duration: 3 hours |
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2. Objectives of the sub-unit:
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3. Content The aim of this sub-unit is to enable learners (professionals working with female clients having a migrant or refugee background) impart their knowledge to their clients and help empower those clients to actively participate in society. Learners will first be introduced to different concepts related to civic participation and trained to encourage migrant/ refugee women become (more) active in civic life. For this purpose, learners shall initially be familiarised with different concepts of civic participation, including maybe different possibilities their clients may know from their homes and cultures. A first activity can be to read – only as self-guided learning - about the human development approach and a rights-based training (UN women training centre) to better understand the diverse and often precarious (working) situations of migrant / refugee women. It shall help learners become acquainted with migrants’ rights and a gender-sensitive counselling approach. Based on this, they shall practice to transfer knowledge in their services to their clients aiming at an active participation in society. Based on the knowledge of these concepts, learners shall further work using good practices related to the topic (like the Good Practices developed in frame of the No Gaps or from the ENGAGE project, migrant women association Malta, European Network of Migrant Women, etc.). Learners shall learn and practice about different aspects that may be beneficial in the development of civic competences. They shall also discuss how civic competence can be promoted among clients, how they can help empower these migrant/ refugee women to engage in civic society. This can be done in a face to face training session. Finally, learners shall develop an initiative/campaign based on their counselling services and on the sup-unit topic – in individual work or in small groups – aiming at supporting migrant/ refugee women’s civic participation. To close the unit activities, a discussion on practical implementation of counselling for migrant women considering reflection taken from the group work can be implemented. Each individual learner shall then also try to summarise lessons learnt in a log book or reflective diary.
Additional resources on European citizen rights, on the civic inclusion of people with migrant or refugee background shall help strengthen learners’ knowledge necessary when counselling also that target group. |
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4. Resources:
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5. Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this learning unit the learner will be able to: |
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Knowledge |
Skills |
Autonomy and Responsibility |
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6. Methodological approach The methodological approach is built upon a theoretical introduction to familiarise learners with the topic, followed by practical activities. For this purpose, learners receive information and/or material for self-study on civic participation and engagement to then discuss civic competences and different concepts behind, also in view of different cultures their clients may come from. When it comes to enhancing migrant/ refugee women’s civic participation, their view of society and their understanding of their own social status are very important aspects. This is particularly relevant, since some of these young women have often even strongly been marginalised – or even been traumatised. Many of them have been exposed to precarious living and working conditions. These aspects of their life should be kept in mind throughout the whole training. For a better understanding, it is therefore recommended that learners are provided with real life examples, to learn from them about approaches that empower migrant women and to work on identifying key success factors that can encourage them to take action (e.g. low threshold access to society; child care, job centre services; etc.). The suggested simulation of planning a campaign follows a project approach that requires from learners to work in a structured manner, to do different tasks in parallel and to assign work among group members. The trainer in this unit should have background knowledge regarding the topic. His/her role is to guide the activities and moderate, facilitate discussions and reflections. Regarding the training location, depending on the group size and the activities chosen, appropriate physical space should be available when conducting the suggested activities. The room should further be equipped with PCs and a projector. Suggested examples for learning and teaching methods in this sub-unit:
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7. References further reading: available in English
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8. Evaluation For the evaluation of this sub unit, active participation can be considered as a key factor (e.g. through presentations and discussions, as well as reflections). Results that created during the training can be used to assess learners’ knowledge (e.g. presentations, the campaign). In addition, assignments can be used for assessment of achievements (e.g. paper, report, etc.) Suggested examples for assessment methods to be used in this sub unit are:
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