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Running head: TAKING TAIZ

Taking Taiz: An Intercultural Training

Audrey Batista

Kent State University

Running head: TAKING TAIZ

Located in northern France, the Taiz Community is made up of over one hundred brothers from the Catholic faith and various Protestant backgrounds, coming from around thirty nations. The community wants its life to be a sign of reconciliation between divided Christians and between individuals who are separated from the church. The brothers of the community live solely by their work. They do not accept donations or personal inheritances for themselves but rather, give the monetary gifts to the poor. Over the years, young adults have been coming to Taiz in great numbers. The youth come from every continent to take part in weekly retreats. Church leaders also come to Taiz. The community has welcomed Pope John Paul II, four Archbishops of Canterbury, Orthodox metropolitans, fourteen Lutheran bishops of Sweden, and many pastors from all over the world. This training will be designed to prepare students who plan to travel to Taiz for the cultural, emotional and spiritual journey they will embark on. The Taking Taiz training will familiarize students with the history and culture of the community, and will prepare the students to become active participants in the Taiz experience. By understanding the history and culture of the community prior to departing, the students will be given the opportunity to reflect upon their experiences before, during, and after their journey to Taiz, in a way that will allow critical thinking, comprehension and creativity. The organization seeking this training is the First Presbyterian Church in Dexter, NM. More than half of the students participating will belong to the organizations youth group. The additional students will come from various organizations in the community and will have learned about the trip through friends or literature posted throughout the Town of Dexter. The youth group has been in existence since the founding of the church and began making trips to Taiz in the spring of 2005. The first groups to attend the Taiz trip ranged from five to seven students.

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The number of students participating in this training will range between six and eight. The purpose of the Taiz trip is to give young adults the opportunity to experience a spiritual and cultural journey. In an assessment of previous trips, and in an effort to better prepare students for the Taiz experience, the youth group leaders have sought training through former Taiz travelers. As a member among the first, second and third trips to Taiz through this organization, I have volunteered my time and experience-based knowledge to assist in the Taiz experience preparation efforts. The students will fall anywhere between sophomores and seniors in high school, which places them between 15-18 years of age. At this time in the students development, it is very likely that they have not had a large amount of experience with multicultural interactions. The students are most likely life-long residents of Dexter, NM and up to this point, have only maintained high interactivity with individuals of the Hispanic and Anglo race. Traveling to Taiz will be the first time the students have interacted with multiple races outside of the races mentioned above. In addition, this will be the first time the students have left the country, but will have already been instructed by their group leaders regarding passports and money as the training will be held one week prior to the students departure. At this point in the pre-Taiz experience, students are only familiar with the idea that they will be traveling to France to experience the culture of a simplistic monastery in which they will have the opportunity to build their faith. Students will interact with new races and cultures but will not be trained on specific intercultural interactions with a specific culture as all young adults traveling to Taiz will be expected to adjust and embrace the culture of the Taiz community, thereby, assimilating the youth into one culture during their stay.

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I will be the only person designing and facilitating the training, and will not have anything more than a friendly, acquaintance like relationship with the students, as I have not been a permanent resident of the Dexter community since the spring of 2007. At most, I will know students through their families or friends. Prior to the training, I will meet with the youth group leaders to discuss the materials I will cover, but will not be responsible for reporting my material, or assessment results, to any particular individual. If requested, I will gladly share the material or assessment results with the church pastor or members of the congregation. The training methods I will use are designed to meet the diverse styles of student learning. Each session in the training will include at least three of the following four training methods. The first method will be interactivity in which students will have the opportunity to participate in simulations to give the student an opportunity to engage in experiential learning. The second method to be used will be lecture based in which the students will receive information from me, and the third style will be conversational which will give the students an opportunity to engage in asking questions of each other and myself, as well as share opinions and ideas. This will assist verbal learners in conveying their thoughts, and show understanding of the material being presented. The final method of training will be based on reflection through writing in journals. The reasoning behind the journals is to help students understand how they process their personal thoughts and reflections when asked to participate in silent reflection and meditation. Silence, meditation and self-reflection are major components of the Taiz community which means it will be important to train students how to guide their thought process. It is my goal to assist the students in the reflection process by providing question prompts after each activity and asking the students to spend a few minutes writing their opinions and thoughts about each subject in the

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journals provided. Determining which types of questions prompt thinking will train the students how to embrace their individual thinking and reflection patterns. The topics to be covered during the training will be designed to introduce and prepare students for what they can expect from the Taiz culture. The students will begin the training by learning about the history of the community to become better acquainted with the mission, vision and values of Taiz. In addition, the students will learn about the culture of prayer and music in Taiz, as well as the style of bible reflections, the value of silence, and what to expect from the living and social community of Taiz. By the end of the training, the students will be able to understand how to define and apply the meaning of intercultural communication defined by Ting-Toomey and Chung as, the symbolic exchange process whereby individuals from two (or more) different cultural communities negotiate shared meanings in an interactive situation. In addition, the students will be able to understand the meaning of the term process, the underlying principles of process consciousness, the term nonverbal communication as well as nonverbal communication forms to include artifacts and clothing, paralanguage and kinesics. A full list of the definitions can be found in Appendix A. The training will be held in the classrooms of the First Presbyterian church in Dexter, NM. Prior to the students arrival, I will clear one classroom of all desks and chairs so that students will be able to sit on the floor as they will do in Taiz. I will also clear a second classroom and place 20-30 candles near the front to guide students through a prayer simulation using the values of song, prayer and silence mentioned above. Students will encounter a similar set up in the Taiz church as candles are placed as a focal point for meditation and reflection at the front of the room. I will also conduct a simulated Bible reflection. All of the material for the Bible reflection and prayer simulation will be found in prayer and music books I have collected

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from previous trips to Taiz. In addition, I will be purchasing bread, chocolate and hot chocolate to serve to the students for a breakfast simulation as these items will be what they will have for breakfast each day during their stay in the Taiz community. I will also purchase blank journals for the students to use as an aid for the self-reflection and meditation methods mentioned above. Prior to the training, students will only be asked to come in with an open mind and a positive attitude. No work or preparations will need to have been completed prior to the training. The students will be asked to dress comfortably. A complete scheduled itinerary can be found in Appendix B. The first learning objective for the students in attendance will be to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the history of Taiz. By looking at the cultural value patterns of the community, students will understand how the Taiz community came into existence and will have the opportunity to connect traditions, values and goals of the community with their own experience while maintaining an appreciation for the years of commitment shown by the brothers of Taiz. This portion of the training will include the conversation, lecture and reflection methods of training. Students will be asked to discuss their current knowledge of the history of the Taiz and ask questions about what they would like to know. After determining what knowledge the students have obtained on their own prior to the training about the history of the Taiz community, I will offer a brief lecture that will address all questions and missing information. When all questions have been answered and the lecture is complete, the students will be given prompt questions to guide their first journal reflection. A complete list of the prompt questions to be used throughout this training can be found in Appendix C. In addition, a brief look at the lecture based portion of the history of Taiz session can be found in Appendix C. All information for the history of Taiz is adapted from the Taiz website.

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The second learning objective of the training is for students to predict how the Taiz culture may have an effect on individuals traveling to the community. By presenting students with information regarding the daily routine in Taiz and providing insight to the vision behind the prayers, music, bible studies and value of silence, students will have the opportunity to reflect on their own views and values and prepare themselves for the culture of the community. Reflecting on their own values prior to the trip will allow the students to enter the Taiz community with understanding and will help to eliminate culture shock. All four training methods will be used in this portion of the training. I will first conduct a lecture over the culture of prayer and song in the Taiz community. After the lecture, students will participate in an interactive simulation in which they will go through a prayer session in the pre-prepared classroom. I will lead the prayer and songs. I will provide music from a CD purchased during one of my travels to assist in the simulation. After the simulation, students will be invited to ask questions and share opinions. When all questions have been asked and sharing is complete, the students will be provided with questions to guide their journal reflection. (See Appendix C) Included below is a brief look at the lecture-based portion of this training session. The information provided is adapted from personal recollection and the Taiz website. -Start- Three times each day, all activity stops in Taiz. All those residing in Taiz will be called together to the church by the prayer bells designed to call the community to worship. At these times, hundreds or even thousands of young adults from all over the world will come together to pray and sing with the brothers of the community. During the prayer gathering, short songs are sung repeatedly in a meditative style. The songs are designed to express a simple reality that can be easily comprehended. One of the brothers will read a passage from the bible in three to four different languages. The languages selected will change with each mass. The only

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language that remains consistent is the English language. After the reading of the passage and a song, the congregation will begin a long moment of silence which will last between 10 and 15 minutes. The idea behind this moment of silence is to allow the individuals in attendance to reflect upon the meaning of the message delivered through the passage and to reflect upon their own relationship and encounters with God. The goal is to begin an inner dialogue with yourself and the Holy Spirit. The Taiz communitys prayer has changed over the years to become simpler. Brother Roger was always concerned that nothing in prayer should appear inaccessible. This concern to make the inner experience of prayer accessible to a large number is the reason why the community developed a way of praying with simple and meditative songs. Rather than singing a whole psalm, students will focus on a single verse. This allows individuals to meditate on the meaning and assist in bringing the message to life within themselves. The overall goal of the simplistic prayer and song in the Taiz community is to provide direct messages of faith and understanding. The hours of prayer are designed to be individualistic in that the students will be invited to look within themselves by adapting the prayer into their presence in an effort to clear uncertainties. EndThe second session on the learning objective mentioned above will cover bible reflections in the Taiz community. This session will include all four training methods. Similar to the previous session, the students will receive information about the bible reflections through a lecture. When the lecture is complete, the students will be led in a bible reflection simulation. One of the youth group leaders will lead the reflection after which the students will break into small groups and discuss the meaning of the reflection together. After the simulation, the students will be invited to engage in conversation and ask questions. When all questions have

Running head: TAKING TAIZ

been answered and sharing is complete, students will be given prompt questions to aid in their journal reflections (See Appendix C). Included below is a brief overview of the information to be covered during the lecture based portion of this session. All information is adapted from personal recollection. -Start-Every day, the brothers of the community present a Bible Reflection followed by a time of group sharing. The students will be placed in groups based on their age. The reasoning behind this style of group placement is to allow students to speak with a group who can empathize with each other and discuss thoughts and reflections on a level realistic for young adults. Following the Bible reflection and group sharing is an extended period of silence. The students will be expected to spend 45 minutes to an hour in silence and will be dismissed to their living quarters or any place where they may peacefully reflect on the lessons of the day. Some of the students may find this hour of silence to be difficult at first so I will encourage them to turn to their journal to assist in documenting their experience and list their thoughts and reflections during this time. In the afternoons, if all practical work is complete, students may choose to attend afternoon workshops designed to help deepen the relationship between faith and life in the areas of work, social questions, art and culture and the search for world peace.-EndThe following session will cover the topics of practical work and optional vows of silence. This session will include the lecture, conversation and reflection training methods. Students will receive information about practical work and the value of silence through a brief lecture and will then be given the opportunity to ask questions and share opinions. Students will then be invited to reflect in their journals. (See Appendix C) The information to be covered in

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the lecture based portion of this session is provided below. All information is provided through personal recollection. -Start-Upon arriving in Taiz, each student will receive a schedule of daily chores they will complete each day. It is rare that students from the same group will be placed with each other which will give students the opportunity to interact with young adults from different countries. The chores can be viewed as negative or positive. I will be persuading the students to think positively about the chores. The practical work assignments will range anywhere between serving meals, washing dishes, or cleaning restrooms, to gardening and simple maintenance. The students will not be given a choice as to what chores they will perform. Completing the practical work is what helps the Taiz community to function with such as high population of travelers and visitors. In addition to practical work, silence is another value of the Taiz community. During the students stay in Taiz, they may choose to spend the week in silence. The idea behind spending the week in silence is to allow individuals to reflect on the events of their lives and to discover more about how faith is present in their daily routine. Students who opt to spend the week in silence will join in common prayers but will live and take meals separately. One of the brothers will lead a Bible reflection each day and those who choose to spend the week in silence will also be given the opportunity to meet individually with a brother of the community. The rest of the time will be spent in silent, personal reflection. Students may alternatively choose to spend two days in silence, from Friday until Sunday. EndThe third and final learning objective for the training is to guide students to identify personal reservations about interacting with youth from different cultures and integrate the students culture into their interactions.

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By familiarizing students with the multiple opportunities they will have to interact with young adults from different countries and how they can expect to take on those opportunities will help the students to gain excitement about the intercultural interactions they will experience during their stay in Taiz. During this session, I will integrate the terms listed earlier in the text to help the students to understand what they may encounter when interacting with youth from different countries. The following session will use the lecture, conversation and reflection methods of training. Prompt questions will be provided to students to guide in their journal reflections (see Appendix C). A brief example of the lecture method is provided below. -Start- I will be explaining to the students that interacting with youth from different countries is something they should look forward to. While it would be my choice to prepare students for a particular culture they will be interacting with, there is no way of predicting who they will meet as there are so many individuals who travel to Taiz each year. During my trips, I interacted with very different cultures. During my first trip, I interacted with youth from Portugal and Germany. During my second stay I interacted with youth from Poland and France, and during my third stay I interacted with youth from Spain and Italy. A unique aspect of the interaction the students will be facing is that all of the youth in attendance will be working to become part of the same culture. During these interactions, the students should not be afraid to express their own culture and make their culture a part of their daily life in Taiz. The interactions students will encounter are not only designed for learning about others, but also sharing about themselves. It is the sharing, meals and practical work of the Taiz culture that brings youth from different cultures together. The students will learn so much about the world and will gain friends they will have for the rest of their lives. At this point the students will learn

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the term intercultural communication and process as well as the underlying principles of process consciousness (see Appendix A). At this point during the lecture, students will learn about the living community in TaizStudents will sleep in rooms with anywhere between 6 and 20 other young adults. Beds are bunked and it is expected that students provide their own linens. Each room is either male or female, but males and females are housed in the same living community. Students will have to walk across the outdoor living community space to access the restrooms and showers. The living community will be a unique space in which the students will have the opportunity to socialize with young adults from different parts of the world. Many of the youth will share music, stories and traditions of their home countries, and will often bring items to exchange with others such as candy, t-shirts or any other culture specific trinkets. Out of respect for others, students are asked to begin quiet hours at 10:30pm. Students will then learn about the Oyak which is a location approximately half a mile from the Taiz community. It is here that many youth gather at night to drink wine or beer and socialize with one another. Noise levels are not restricted at this location. Students can also purchase soup, and small snacks at the Oyak. The drinking age is below 21 in France but students will have to receive permission from parents and youth leaders to purchase wine or beer. The Oyak is only open from 9:00-11:30pm, and does not open on Sunday nights. Phone booths are also available at the Oyak if a student wishes to place a call home. However, students will need to purchase their calling cards in Paris as no calling cards are available in Taiz. It is here in the lecture that students will learn the terms the term nonverbal communication as well as nonverbal communication forms to include artifacts and clothing, paralanguage and kinesics (see Appendix A)

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Before closing the lecture based portion of this session I will give students advice for packing and travel. Students should pack light as they will be carrying their luggage at times, for up to a mile. Students should also keep in mind packing a light jacket and tennis shoes. There are many outdoor adventures to be had in Taiz and it is important for the students to be comfortable. Students should pack a small sleeping bag and toiletries to include shampoo, body wash and towels as these items are not provided in Taiz. If the students will need to use an electrical outlet, they should seek a European adapter as American outlets differ from those in France. If the student is a heavy eater then packing snacks is also recommended as the food in Taiz is served in very small portions and does not always consist of a heavy substance such as meat. Students should also bring a camera to document the excitement during their trip. EndAfter the training I will ask students to answer open-ended short answer questions regarding how prepared they feel for the Taiz experience. I will then host a post-reflection when the students return in which they can share their experiences and how they can incorporate what they have learned into their lives at home. Another questionnaire will be distributed with questions designed to ask how affective the training was once the students were in Taiz and suggestions for future trainings. I will share the results with the youth leaders. I will also share the results with the church pastor and members of the congregation if requested.

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References Ting-Toomey, S., Chung, L.C. (2005).Understanding intercultural communication. What is intercultural communication? (pp.39-48). New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc. Ting-Toomey, S., Chung, L.C. (2005).Understanding intercultural communication. What are the ways to communicate nonverbally? (pp.200-207). New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc. The Taiz Community. Retrived from http://www.taize.fr/en

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15 Appendix A

Intercultural Terms Intercultural communication Defined by Ting-Toomey and Chung as, the symbolic exchange process whereby individuals from two (or more) different cultural communities negotiate shared meanings in an interactive situation. (pp. 39) Process Defined by Ting-Toomey and Chung as, the interdependent nature of the intercultural encounter. One two cultural stranger make contact and attempt to communicate, they enter into a mutally interdependent relationship. (pp.40) Underlying principles of process consciousness Defined by Ting-Toomey and Chung as the following: o Principle 1: Intercultural communication often involves mismatched expectations that stem, in part, from cultural group membership differences. (pp. 43) o Principle 2: Intercultural communication often involves varying degrees of biased intergroup perceptions. (pp. 44) o Principle 3: Intercultural communication involves the simultaneous encoding and decoding of verbal and nonverbal messages in the exchange process. (pp. 44) o Principle 4: Intercultural communication involves multiple goals and the goals people have are largely dependent on how they define the interaction episode. (pp. 45)

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o Principle 5: Intercultural communication call for understanding and acceptance of diverse communication approaches and styles. (pp. 46) o Principle 6: Many intercultural encounters involves well-meaning cultural bumps or clashes. (pp. 46) o Principle 7: Intercultural communication always takes place in a context (pp. 47) o Principle 8: Intercultural communication always takes place in embedded systems (pp. 48) Nonverbal communication Defined by Ting-Toomey and Chung as, communication without words through multiple communication channels. (pp. 200) Nonverbal communication forms The following are defined by Ting-Toomey and Chung as: o Artifacts and clothing are, ornaments or adornments we use to communicate just by wearing the actual item. Both artifacts and clothing serve as markers of our identity. (pp. 203) o Paralanguage is, the sounds and tones we use in conversation and the speech behavior that accompanies the message. Simply put, it is how something is said, not what is said. (pp. 205) o Kinesics is, the study of posture, body movement, gestures and facial expressions. Kinesics comes from the Greek word Kinesis, meaning movement. The face is capable of producing about 25,000 expressions. (pp. 207)

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17 Appendix B

Training Schedule *All times are subject to change 7:00am Students Arrive at First Presbyterian Church 7:15am Introductions/Meet and Greet 7:30am Breakfast Simulation 8:00am History of Taize 9:00am Culture of Prayer and Music 9:30am Prayer Simulation 10:00am Bible Reflections 10:30am Bible Reflection Simulation 11:00am The living and social Community 12:00pm Additional Questions/Dismissed

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18 Appendix C

Journal Prompts

History Reflection What do you think about the history of Taiz? How do you feel the original values of the community will be displayed during your trip? Do you identify with any of the values of the Taiz community?

Bible Reflection What was your reaction to the bible reflection simulation? What types of activities do expect to participate in during bible reflection in Taiz? Did you discover anything about yourself during the bible reflection?

Practical Work and Optional Vows of Silence What is your opinion of practical work and how do you expect to react to tasks you are assigned? Do you have any interest in taking a weeklong or weekend vow of silence? Please explain? Culture of Prayer and Song in the Taiz What do you think the value of work and silence brings to the Taiz community? What thoughts came across your mind during the prayer simulation? How do you feel about the meditative style of prayer and song? What do you expect to observe during hours of prayer in Taiz?

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Interacting with Youth from Different Countries What challenges to you think you will encounter when interacting with youth from different cultures? How can you use the terms learned today to help guide intercultural interactions? What excites when thinking about interacting with youth from different countries? What makes you nervous when thinking about interacting with youth from different countries?

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20 Appendix D

The History of Taiz Lecture The Taiz community was started by Brother Roger who left Switzerland, his home country, to live in France to seek recovery from a long battle he endured with tuberculosis. During his recovery in France, Brother Roger was called within himself, to create a peaceful community. When the Second World War began, he knew it was time to begin creating this community by coming to the assistance of people suffering from the war. The small village of Taiz, where Brother Roger settled, was close to the line that divided France at that time. The village was well situated for sheltering refugees fleeing the war and friends of Brother Roger began to give the Taiz address to people in need of safety. After settling in Taiz, Brother Roger bought a house with neighboring buildings that had been abandoned. There was no running water accessible in any of the buildings. In order to fetch drinking water, Brother Roger and the refugees staying in Taiz had to go to the village well. Food in Taiz was simple and consisted primarily of soups or corn flour brought at a very small price. This style of food remains a staple of the community today. Brother Roger prayed alone and sang far from the house as to not make the refugees, many who were Jewish, feel uncomfortable. In 1942, the activities of the community were discovered and residents of Taiz were forced to leave for safety reasons. At the end of the war, Brother Roger was able to return to Taiz. After his return, Brother Roger and friends who had come the community, worked with a regional association whose purpose was to take in children who had lost their parents in the war. At the time, a mens community could not receive children so Brother Roger invited his sister to join the community and become the community mother. On Sundays, the brothers welcomed German prisoners-of-war who were interned in a camp nearby Taiz. As time continued, other young men joined the group and on Easter Sunday in 1949, seven members of the group committed themselves together for a life of celibacy and simplicity, and joined Brother Roger in the Taiz community.

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