Cultural Competence A-Z: E is for Events

Summertime events are sure to be a blast!

I admit it. This one is pretty broad. And that is intentional on my part. There are so many different types of events  that can increase a child's cultural competence and diversity awareness. Many different geographic areas host cultural events that you can attend and oftentimes, there are parts of the event geared towards children. In big cities, there tends to be a ton of options. As I've mentioned previously, I live in Washington DC where there are multiple cultural events every week. For example, here's a sampling of cultural events from the last month: Fiesta Asia Silver Spring, DC Dragon Boat Festival, and Passport DC. Some of these events are HUGE and some are much smaller, more specific, and obscure, but no less interesting.

So I am really lucky living in an area with so many events that are open to the public (and often FREE!). It is the nation's capital after all and you can't throw a ball without hitting an embassy (well, not really, but you get the idea). The cultural events in my town are abundant with so much diversity in one space. The same is true of many big cities throughout the U.S. and world. But I also want to point out that even though some diversity is not as visible, it does not mean that it is any less important. So while large cities tend to have a ton of diversity that you can see, many smaller cities and towns also possess incredible diversity and hold fantastic events to showcase them.

Below are some summer festivals that are happening throughout the United States and the world. If you are close to one of these cities or towns consider checking one of them out. If all of these are too far or don't coordinate well with your summer schedule, research the offerings in your area. I'm sure that there is something going on close to home - you may just have to do a little digging:

• African Film Festival; Dallas Texas; July 2016 http://artandseek.org/calendar/event/72404/the-african-film-festival
• Aomori Nebuta Matsuri Festival; Aomori, Japan; August 2016 http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3755.html
• Arab & Chaldean Festival; Detroit, MI; July 2016 http://www.arabandchaldeanfestival.com/
• Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival; Astoria, Oregon; June 2016 http://www.astoriascanfest.com/
• ​Dublin Irish Festival; Dublin, Ohio; August 2016 http://dublinirishfestival.org/
• Feast of Sant Joan; Barcelona, Spain; June 2016 http://www.barcelonas.com/sant-joan-in-barcelona.html
• Festival of the Nations; St. Louis, Missouri; August 2016 http://www.festivalofnationsstl.org/
• ¡Globalquerque!; Albuquerque, New Mexico; September 2016 http://globalquerque.org/
• National Black Arts Festival; Atlanta, Georgia; July 2016 http://nbaf.org/
• Salem Jazz and Soul Festival; Salem, Massachusetts; August 2016 http://www.salemjazzsoul.org/
• Utah Pride; Salt Lake City, Utah; June 2016 http://www.utahpridefestival.org/
• Tabor Czech Days; Tabor, South Dakota; June 2016 http://www.taborczechdays.com/
• Wianki Festival; throughout Poland; June 2016 http://thenigo.com/index.php?action=event&id=145
• World Eskimo-Indian Olympics; Fairbanks, AK; July 2016 http://www.weio.org/

I hope that you enjoy learning something new at an event this summer. Where did you go and what did you learn? Leave a comment below.

Check back next week for the letter F. This one is universal - you are bound to find something that you can incorporate over the summer and into the school year. Better yet, sign up for the newsletter so you don't have to remember to check! You'll get tips and strategies every week in addition to the blog. I hope you enjoy - share with your friends!

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