Cultural Exchange

Awareness & Understanding

Salt Lake City is more diverse than many people realize. The Wasatch Front is home to large Polynesian, Latino, Somali, Tongan, and refugee communities from dozens of countries. Start by exploring the Utah Refugee Center (utahrefugeecenter.org) website to learn who has settled in Utah and why. Watch the TED Talk "The danger of a single story" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on YouTube — it's 18 minutes and will change how you think about culture. Then walk through a neighborhood you don't usually visit, or find one cultural restaurant or market nearby and spend 20 minutes looking around. Write down five things you noticed that were new or unfamiliar to you. You're ready for the next step when you can name three cultural communities in the Salt Lake Valley and one thing that is meaningful to each of them.

Research & Investigation

Go beyond surface-level facts and learn about the story behind a culture. Choose one cultural community in Salt Lake City that is different from your own. Read at least two articles or watch two documentaries about their history, traditions, and experiences — the free PBS documentary series "American Experience" is a good starting point. Visit the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs (heritage.utah.gov) website for local resources and events. If possible, attend a public cultural event — a festival, a faith community's open house, or a cultural market. Write a one-page "cultural profile" covering: history, values, traditions, and one challenge this community faces in Utah today. You're ready for the next step when you have completed your cultural profile and can share three things you genuinely did not know before.

Planning & Preparation

Plan a real cultural exchange — not just reading about it, but creating a moment where cultures actually meet. Your exchange can be small: a shared meal, a show-and-tell presentation, a storytelling night, or a cooking class. Reach out to one person from the community you researched and ask if they'd be willing to share something — a story, a recipe, a song, a tradition. The International Rescue Committee in Salt Lake City (rescue.org/united-states/salt-lake-city-ut) connects volunteers with refugee families who often welcome cultural connection. Write a one-page plan: what will you do, who will participate, where, and when? Make sure your plan centers their voice — your job is to listen and learn, not perform. You're ready for the next step when you have a confirmed plan and at least one person from that community who has agreed to participate.

Taking Action

Carry out your exchange and document it fully. During the event, take notes on what you learn — specific stories, foods, words, traditions, or perspectives that are new to you. If people are comfortable with it, take a few photos (always ask first). Afterward, write a detailed reflection: What did you experience? What assumptions did you have going in that turned out to be wrong? What question do you still have? Thank your participant with a handwritten note or follow-up message. Share a short summary (3–5 sentences) with at least two friends who didn't attend. The Sounds True podcast "Being Multicultural" on Spotify or YouTube has great conversations to extend your learning. You're ready for the next step when you have completed your exchange and written a full reflection with at least one corrected assumption.

Leadership & Expansion

Turn your experience into something others can learn from. Create a short presentation, a photo essay, a zine, or a social media post series that shares what you learned — centering the voices and stories of the community, not your own reactions. Present it to a class, community group, or school assembly. Pitch the idea of a cultural exchange program to your school or local library — the Salt Lake City Public Library (slcpl.org) runs multicultural programming and may be a partner. Help one friend or classmate make their own connection with a different cultural community. You're ready for the next step when you have shared your learning publicly in at least one format and helped one other person start their own cultural exchange.

Impact & Reflection

Close out your six weeks with a genuine look at how you've changed. Write a two-page reflection: How did your understanding of this community shift? What bias or gap in your own perspective did you discover? What surprised you most? What ongoing relationship, if any, did you build? If you want to continue, the Utah Refugee Center and IRC Salt Lake both have volunteer programs for ongoing engagement. Find one way to stay connected — volunteer regularly, attend a community event quarterly, or simply stay in touch with someone you met. Share your final reflection with your cultural exchange partner as a thank-you and to close the loop honestly. You're ready for the next step when you can describe one specific way this quest changed how you see your own city and the people in it.