Autobiography of intercultural encounters

Book excerpt: Intercultural encounters are part of our everyday lives with or without globalisation and internationalisation. In the contemporary world, encounters with people from other cultural backgrounds have become part of our everyday lives. These intercultural encounters may be used as an opportunity to learn about other cultures, to develop our capacities for effective and respectful communication, to think about our own cultural affiliations and to reflect on ways in which we might take action for the common good. The Autobiography of intercultural encounters (AIE) is an educational resource that can be used by learners to achieve all of these outcomes. It supports learners in thinking about and learning from intercultural encounters that they have experienced either face to face, through visual media (such as television, films, magazines), or through the internet. The present volume contains an updated and revised edition of the original AIE, which supports learners’ reflections on face-to-face intercultural encounters. There are two versions of the AIE: a standard version for those who can complete it and a younger learners’ version for use by children who need support from an adult in thinking about intercultural encounters. Both versions are accompanied by notes for facilitators which explain in detail how the AIE may be used. These new editions have been fully updated and aligned with the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture and may be used by educators and learners in primary, secondary and higher education and in non-formal and informal education.