Presidio Graduate School Field Study in Emilia Romagna, Italy, July 8-14, 2018

Posted by Cilla Utne

Cross Cultural Journeys aim is (and always has been) to make sure that we during our journeys seek to find our common humanity, without diminishing our very diverse and important values differences across cultures. The most important aspect of such journeys beginning with how we ourselves understand our very own cultural and personal contexts, in which we live our daily lives. We then learn from our neighbors around the planet, weather they are near or far from home, to listen, understand, sit, and observe, before jumping in with our own ideas and previous experiences. Our recent trips and our many upcoming exiting itineraries are doing just that: reflecting and dialoguing with local people, being invited to eat their best local foods, staying in traditional but comfortable accommodations, and spending a lot of time on just leaning in and learning from who and what is around us. We can call it less ‘tourism’, and more cultural immersion and deep dive.

In that vein, our field study to the heart of the cooperative region of Emilia Romagna in Northern Italy with Presidio Graduate School earlier this month was a big hit, and I think we will be welcomed back J. A unique offering in CCJ’s trip roster, this is the only Master’s level course in the United States on Cooperative Management offered by Presidio, and we are thrilled to be able to provide a three dimensional and very dynamic

content for the course. We even included a couple of my former professors in intercultural consciousness – Milton Bennett and Ida Castiglioni – in a conversation about what it means to learn and absorb information in a cultural context that is different from the one we are used to, different from home. You can read more about our visit in this article, published by one of our local Italian hosts at Legacoop.

If you, or anybody you know is interested in setting up an intercultural learning tour or field study for your college or graduate class, please contact me directly at cilla@crossculturaljourneys.com. We can without a doubt make that happen!