One of the Alaska Family Engagement Center’s partners, The Alaska Humanities Forum, incorporates culture camps every summer in their Cross-Cultural Competence (C3) program to onboard new teachers. Within C3, teachers new to rural Alaska:
- Attend community-led culture camps before the start of the school year
- Enroll in a Multicultural Studies course
- Engage in in-person and virtual connections with teacher-mentors and their fellow new educators.
The goal of the C3 program is to increase teacher connection to students, families, and communities while reducing turnover. This year, the Alaska Humanities Forum partnered with the Northwest Arctic Borough, Bristol Bay Borough School District, Dillingham City School District, Lake and Peninsula School District, and Southwest Region School District.
Immersive experiences like culture camps help new educators:
- Understand the unique way of life and values of the communities they serve,
- Build relationships with their families and communities, and
- See themselves as learners and the community as educators
How might your school or district help new teachers understand and connect with their new community? Even setting up something small, such as tea with Elders, can help new teachers build their comfort and understanding with the community.
To learn more about the Creating Cultural Competence (C3) program, click here or contact Julie Rowland.