World Cultures

Awareness & Understanding

Salt Lake City is more diverse than most people realize. Over 90 languages are spoken in Utah schools, and the Salt Lake area is home to large Polynesian, Latinx, Somali, Vietnamese, and refugee communities from dozens of countries. Global diversity is not just something "out there" — it is right here on your street. Start by watching TED-Ed's "How Languages Shape Thought" and a few episodes of the YouTube channel "Geography Now." Then walk or drive through a neighborhood in SLC — Rose Park, Glendale, or the International Peace Gardens in Jordan Park — and notice how many different cultures have shaped it. You're ready for the next step when you can name at least five cultures represented in the Salt Lake Valley and describe one way each has contributed to the community.

Research & Investigation

Choose one culture that is new to you and research it deeply. Use the free online encyclopedia Britannica School (available through the Salt Lake City Public Library with a library card) and watch at least two YouTube documentaries or travel vlogs from creators who actually live in that culture — not just tourists describing it. Look into the culture's history, language basics, traditional foods, arts, and how people from that culture live today in SLC. Find one local organization in Salt Lake that connects to this culture, such as the Centro Civico Mexicano, the Utah Polynesian Cultural Center, or the International Rescue Committee Utah. You're ready for the next step when you can explain five specific facts about your chosen culture and name one SLC organization or community that connects to it.

Planning & Preparation

Plan a cultural learning experience you will actually do — not just watch online. Options include attending a free cultural event (check the Utah Arts & Events Calendar at utah.com/events), cooking a traditional dish from your chosen culture using an authentic recipe, learning ten words in the culture's language using Duolingo, or visiting a local cultural restaurant and talking to the owner. Write out your plan with a specific date, what you will do, and what you hope to learn. Ask a parent or teacher to help you connect with someone from that culture for a short conversation. You're ready for the next step when you have a specific, scheduled cultural experience planned and know what questions you want to explore during it.

Taking Action

Do the experience you planned. Take notes, photos, or a short video if appropriate and respectful. If you cooked a dish, document the process and how it tasted. If you attended an event, write down three things you noticed that you did not expect. If you spoke with someone from that culture, write down the most interesting thing they told you about their life or their culture. Look up one global issue — like climate change, education access, or food security — and find out how it affects your chosen culture differently than it affects people in Utah. You're ready for the next step when you have documented your cultural experience with specific details and connected it to at least one global issue.

Leadership & Expansion

Share what you learned with others in a way that teaches — not just informs. Create a short presentation, a recipe zine, a photo essay, or a short video and share it with your class, a community group, or online. Connect your local SLC examples to the global picture. For instance, if you learned about Somali culture, explain both the global context of refugee resettlement and the specific Somali community organizations active in Salt Lake. Challenge your audience with one discussion question about cultural understanding. You're ready for the next step when you have shared your cultural learning with at least ten people and collected at least two pieces of feedback about what they found most interesting or surprising.

Impact & Reflection

Wrap up your six weeks by writing a personal reflection. Answer these questions: How did your thinking about this culture change from week one to now? What assumption did you have that turned out to be wrong? How does understanding other cultures make you a better member of your own SLC community? Then look outward — the United Nations lists 195 countries, and you have studied one culture deeply. Write one paragraph about which culture you would explore next and why. Share your reflection with your teacher or post it to a community blog. You're ready for the next step when you can describe how your understanding of global diversity changed over six weeks and explain one specific way it will affect how you interact with people in your community.