Have you ever wondered what it means to be an intercultural citizen?
We created the Intercultural Citizenship Test, so you can find out more about what intercultural citizenship is. This test goes beyond testing the level of your intercultural citizenship by also providing food for thought and relevant materials. There are no wrong or right answers here, we are not trying to evaluate you. We hope that taking the test creates some good food for thought, and that you have fun learning about yourself in the process.
The test has 18 questions in total. Some good tips before you get started:
To navigate the test, scroll down to see the question below the picture and jump between questions by clicking next or prev.
Make sure to catch the good ideas for further actions after each question, including the links to further materials if you’re interested.
The identity of an individual is essentially a function of her choices, rather than the discovery of an immutable attribute.
- Amartya Sen -
What makes you who you are? Your sex, gender identity, your education, your job, the place you live in, the language(s) you speak, your passport, your skin colour, your faith? These matter more or less depending on where you are, the people you are with, and the different stages of life. It hurts when someone insults a part of your identity. Respecting your own and other people’s identity, is a moral imperative and a key to living together in diversity.
Most of our communities have been by shaped by people who, at some point, have moved from a rural area, from another city or another country. Think for example about food, music, architecture or art. You will most probably find a number of great examples very close to your home.
The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie -
It is normal to be afraid of the unfamiliar. The only way to conquer this fear is to make the unfamiliar familiar by learning, exploring, and understanding. Your friends were strangers once; and maybe you even disliked some of them at first. If you instinctively shy away from people who look different or have a different language, faith or interest - try to get to know them. Perhaps they will become friends one day.
4/18 - I enjoy meeting people with a different background (migrant background, but also coming from a different region, or with a different socio-economic background).
If you enjoy meeting people from different backgrounds, keep enjoying it and maybe try to convince others to experience it too. If you feel uncomfortable or have fears, this is also normal. Trying to find something in common with people of different origins and backgrounds can be a first step to making strong connections. Positive interactions create the foundation for society – can you think of a way to contribute to a positive interaction today?
Not all of us can (or want to) be the perfect “cooking-a-welcome-pie” kind of neighbour. While that is perfectly ok, we should always try to treat newcomers with respect and a welcoming attitude. We have all experienced situations where we have been new to a workplace, school, city or group - can you recognise which actions have made you feel like you belonged and were welcomed into your new context? If you appreciated a gesture, others may feel the same.
Cities have always been a meeting place for people from diverse backgrounds. Through this, cities and citizens alike have experienced the diversity advantage. It is likely you have diverse friends and did not realise. This means that you have an intercultural mindset, that diversity is perfectly normal for you. If you are an exception, this can mean there is segregation in your city and that barriers such as prejudice and inequalities, prevent cross-cultural relations. What can you do in your city to break down these walls?
Voting is not only our right, it is our power. When we vote, we take back our power to choose, to speak up, and to stand with those who support us and each other.
- Loung Ung -
If you know the answer, well done! Not many people do. We often take democracy for granted but it took centuries and many struggles to build the democratic society. Still, our democracy is imperfect when it excludes some people – is it fair that some residents live, work, pay taxes, study or consume in a place, but have no say in how the city is run?
8/18 - Is the city council diverse enough? Do you know of X members of your city council that represent different backgrounds (ethnic, religious, linguistic, gender, sexual orientation, age)?
If you don’t know how diverse your city council is, it is probably easy to find out. If a city council reflects the diversity of the community, this suggests that the political process is open and inclusive. It also means that there is a greater chance for the interests and needs of everyone to be considered, a guarantee for fairness, stability and prosperity.
It is logical that people should be able to vote in the city they live in. Unfortunately, this is not always the case for those who have a different nationality. This means that some people do not have a voice and can be ignored by politicians, thus having fewer opportunities to influence their surroundings. In the long run, and with an increasing number of people in this situation of exclusion, stability and social trust are undermined, which harms everyone.
10/18 - People who do not share my ethnic/religious/linguistic background, gender or sexual orientation cannot represent me faithfully in the political sphere.
Why wouldn’t they? If someone has a different sexual orientation, this does not mean that you cannot share the same political values. You can have a lot in common as students, parents, workers or users of the local parks with people of a different faith, or with no faith, and you can share the same views on workers’ rights with people who have a different mother tongue. Sometimes looking for what you have in common rather than your differences will open a whole new perspective.
11/18 - When creating a project group (at work, school, in my local club…), I actively try to include people from different cultural/ethnic/religious backgrounds in it.
Everyone can help to make sure that each and every individual feel a part of their place of residence. Belonging is a two-way process. Sadly, it is easy to exclude newcomers at school, work or in social activities – we all find it easier to talk to those we already know. It takes an effort to include new people, but it means a lot for them, and for a happy city.
Communication is key to any relationship. Through communication we understand each other, get to know one another and create a sense of belonging. We have all travelled and found ourselves in situations where we have not had the means to communicate. Many of us have also experienced gratitude when we have been met half-way in our attempt to make ourselves understood. While communicating without a common language can be tricky, even a small gesture may go a long way. Practice makes perfect!
The intercultural principle of equality advocates that all residents, regardless of their administrative status, should have the right to access basic services such as health or education. While local regulations vary, basic human rights apply to all individuals. On an international level this would be seen to include for example the right to emergency health care. If you do not know what the situation in your city is, who could you ask to find out? In many places there are organisations working to provide assistance to those most vulnerable.
The intercultural principle of equality refers to the access and full enjoyment of rights and freedoms for all people, irrespective of their sex, origin, sexual orientation, age, etc. This principle is often questioned when it comes to migrants without a residence permit. Regarding children’s education, their fundamental right to education must prevail, irrespective of their administrative situation. Granting access to education for children is an international obligation, but also a benefit for the host society as a whole. If you do not know what the situation in your city is, who could you ask? Do schools and the city provide information on the right of access to education?
For it is often the way we look at other people that imprisons them within their own narrowest allegiances. And it is also the way we look at them that may set them free.
- Amin Maalouf -
The intercultural principle of equality requires a strong commitment against discrimination by all institutions, but it is also essential to raise the awareness of the whole population and to foster empathy in the face of any kind of discrimination.
In the current globalized world, some experience a fear of losing their national (or local) identity. The desire to preserve one's “identity” in itself is not a problem. The problem arises when one's identity becomes a tool for the exclusion and marginalisation of others (and somehow, provoking reactionary, nativist or discriminatory sentiments and behaviours). To protect peaceful living together, we could all together think about how we could work against isolation, exclusion and discrimination. Your city and your neighbourhood could be an excellent opportunity to meet and celebrate differences, but also to identify and fight for common goals as a society, taking advantage of the diversity. This is what interculturalism is all about, building bridges and breaking walls.
17/18 - I intervene if someone is treated unfairly in the public space for having a different skin colour, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, or appearance.
Prejudice is a chain, it can hold you. If you prejudice, you can't move, you keep prejudice for years. Never get nowhere with that.
- Bob Marley -
Intercultural integration requires an effort of society as a whole; it is not the exclusive responsibility of those who come from outside or who belong to certain minorities. It is a two-way process. Adopting a proactive attitude at a personal level in our daily life is important to encourage positive interaction between people with different profiles and backgrounds.
18/18 - I actively support equal participation of people with different backgrounds in several social occasions (e.g. decision-making processes and public debates/events).
En enää hyväksy asioita, joita en voi muuttaa. Muutan asioita, joita en voi hyväksyä.”
- Angela Y. Davis -
Yhtenäisten ja kulttuurienvälisten yhteiskuntien rakentamisessa ei ole kyse vain julkisesta politiikasta, vaan se nojaa myös yksilön vastuuseen luoda myönteistä vuorovaikutusta, joka voimaannuttaa uusia tulokkaita. Kun tuemme monimuotoista osallistumista, voimme saada kaikkien äänen kuuluviin, avata yhteiskuntaa ja vahvistaa yhteistä yhteenkuuluvuuden tunnetta.
Thank you for completing the Intercultural Citizenship Test!
How did it go? Do you have new ideas of what you can do to make newcomers feel welcome and connect to the locals? Your actions do not need to be grand gestures - small steps go a long way. Completing this test is a good first start on your intercultural journey. Continue joining us in building bridges and breaking walls!
The identity of an individual is essentially a function of her choices, rather than the discovery of an immutable attribute.
Read more on the European Convention on Human Rights here.
Children and Adolescents from a migrant background: Integration and Education
