Blog Series: The 5 Essential Elements of Cultural Competence: Self-Assessment

This is the second installment in this blog series. It's based on an article by Terry Cross and colleagues written in 1989 about cultural competence. In the article, the authors talk about cultural competence in relation to organizations and systems. In this blog series, we're attempting to pare it down to the individual and include tips on how to develop these skills in your home with your kids.

This post is about the second element, having the capacity for cultural self-assessment. This is exactly what it sounds like; how well someone can look inside themselves and acknowledge their own level of cultural competence. This is such an important skill for kids to develop and parents can do a lot to help it grow. Here are some quick tips on how to help your kid examine themselves as cultural beings:

• Model Cultural Self-Awareness: This is the first step in helping your child develop this skill, but it can also be one of the most difficult. It means that you have to look inside yourself and acknowledge yourself as a cultural being and talk about where some of your biases may lie. Remember, it's not a question of if you have biases, it's a question of which ones. Everyone's got 'em, so get in touch with yours and show your kids that it's ok to make mistakes around diversity. If they feel that it's not ok to make mistakes, they will avoid the topic altogether, which is exactly what you don't want.
• Verbalize and Label Your Child's Self-Assessment: Your child is learning so much about him or herself, whether a toddler or a teen. When you see your child learning something new about themselves, let them know what is happening. Have they learned that they do like broccoli? Label it! Have they learned that they like European History more than American History? Label it! Have they learned that they really enjoy spending time with male friends as well as female friends? Label it! Have they learned that they enjoy Indian food as well as Chinese and Italian food? Well, you get the picture...
• Help Child Understand Self As a Cultural Being: Everyone has a culture! What is yours? What is your family's culture? What is your child's culture? If your child is artistic, this can be an art project. If your child is a writer, they can write a poem or short story about themselves as a cultural being. If your child likes to talk, find a relaxed and fun place to be with them and just talk about it. Understanding that they have culture is helpful in beginning to understand others' cultures as well.

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