Cultural Complexity: The Role of Young Voices

Learning Objectives

1. Identify ethical and cultural tensions that arise in cross-cultural partnerships.
2. Explore how to center local voices while considering global human rights principles.
3. Reflect on the limits and possibilities of advocacy in immersive, short-term work.
4. Consider the role of youth voices in shaping their futures and community norms.

Scenario

Erica is a sophomore studying global health. During her spring semester, she starts a virtual internship with an NGO based in rural East Africa. After the semester, she will travel to the region to work directly with the organization. Her faculty mentor is connected to the NGO and recommended her to them. The NGO supports girls’ education in several villages. While it receives international support and funding, the NGO itself is run by locals. One of the local NGO leaders, Hellen, asks Erica to prepare three sessions for their after school programming. The sessions will focus on puberty and basic reproductive health. Hellen notes that this is a sensitive topic, but she believes that by focusing on foundational knowledge about physical development and health, they can provide much needed information in a way that is respectful of local customs. Erica works hard on this assignment, and is excited to spend four weeks in the region delivering the sessions in the villages. After her final exams, she departs with great hope for the work. The first two weeks go off without a hitch, Erica is enjoying her instructional role and her sessions have been well received in the first two villages. In the third village, local elders request the materials before they are presented. After reviewing them, they voice strong opposition and ask Erica to pivot to complete different content. Erica finds herself in a sensitive situation. She believes the content is essential and respectful of local custom. She has the support of Hellen and the NGO. But she recognizes her role as an outsider, and is not sure how to respond in a way that is respectful but also makes her feelings known. 

Discussion Questions

1. What are the competing perspectives in this scenario?
2. What values or concerns might be motivating the elders’ opposition? The staff’s advocacy?
3. As a visiting student, what is Erica’s role in this process? What are the limits of her influence?
4. How would you engage respectfully with community elders while also honoring the priorities of youth and NGO staff?
5. What strategies might help build understanding across these different viewpoints?
6. How would you balance humility, solidarity, and responsibility when working in another cultural context?
7. Does there come a point in which personal or communal moral values take precedent in a given situation? When might this apply here? 
8. How could youth—especially girls—be engaged in shaping the after-school program in this scenario? 
9. What risks and benefits might come from involving youth in such decisions?
10. What next steps might you suggest to Erica? 

Facilitator Consideration

• ACKNOWLEDGE TENSION. Hold space for discomfort—it’s okay if there are no easy answers. Limits are natural and will be a part of this work. 
• EXPAND POSSIBILITIES. Emphasize both/and thinking rather than either/or binaries.
• UNDERSTAND BEFORE TAKING ACTION. Redirect if students begin to “solve” the problem without acknowledging local agency or complexity.
• EXPLORE PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES. Explore with students how their own perspectives, beliefs, and motivations might influence their view of or approach to the situation.

Closing Questions

• What’s one thing you learned or thought about differently during this discussion?
• How might this conversation or process look differently if it was being done within your own cultural context? Would you feel more capable of participating? Why or why not?