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Cultural Appreciation

Cultural Appreciation

group of happy young girls

Purpose

Learning about other cultures is an adventure! Each one offers unique traditions, music, food, and even ways of looking at the world. As you learn to appreciate other cultures, you’ll have more love for all God’s children and you’ll be able to serve them better. You’ll enrich your own life too!

Description

This activity is best done in two parts:

  1. Before the activity, ask group members to each choose a culture that is part of their heritage or one that they’re familiar with (for example, if they have lived in another country). Ask participants to prepare a short presentation (5 minutes or less) about the culture. (If two people want to do the same culture, they can work together on the presentation.) The presentation can include objects, traditions, music, and even food.

  2. At the activity, invite participants to give their presentations. Afterward, invite participants to share what they enjoyed and how their appreciation of other cultures has grown.

As you plan this activity, please follow the counsel given in chapter 13 of Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010) and review “Safety Recommendations for Church Activities.”

More Ideas

  • Play games—Learn about games from other cultures by reading books or searching online. As a group, choose one or more games to learn and play together.

  • Guest speaker—Invite someone familiar with another culture to make a presentation to your group. Consider asking participants to prepare questions ahead of time for the guest speaker.

  • Cultural event—Find an event in your area that celebrates a certain culture, and attend the event as a group.

  • Holiday celebration—Choose a holiday from another culture and celebrate it as a group.

  • Cultural appreciation event—Plan and host a cultural event for your ward, branch, stake, or community. Consider having booths on different cultures. Offer food, games, and anything else you’d like to include. If possible, involve people from the cultures you choose to help you plan and present the event.

Discussion

Encourage participants to talk about what they are learning. Discussions can take place before, during, or after the activity. You could ask questions like the following:

  • Why do you think it is important to appreciate other cultures?

  • When have you had a positive experience learning about other cultures?

  • What feelings or impressions do you have about appreciating cultures that are different from your own?

  • How can you apply what you are learning in your life?

Related Resources

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