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Georgia State Launches 'Multicultural Competence and Peer Education Ambassadors' Program

Object of program is to reach 'enlightenment'

Georgia State University
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August 23, 2017

Georgia State University has launched a program for students to serve as "Multicultural Competence and Peer Education Ambassadors" (MAP).

The MAP ambassadors will work 12 hours per month to "train and educate the Georgia State University community in multicultural competence, allowing them to explore the world through a more progressive perspective."

"Cultural competence and identity affirmation are highly integral for the success of our students," the ambassador position description explained.

Campus Reform reported that the university will recruit six students, each paid $100 per month for their work.

The ambassadors "must facilitate at least two programs per month," including "workshops, discussion forums, and inclusive programming." They will work with Multicultural Center, which has provided "practical educational experiences for students both inside and outside the classroom," and "resources for faculty and staff as they incorporate and address diversity, difference, multiculturalism, and cultural competence in their contexts." The students can also collaborate with other departments.

Workshops at the Multicultural Center include "The Game of Oppressions," which is described as taking 10 to 20 participants through a three-hour exercise by which "visible and invisible inequities and injustices in the American social system are brought to life."

"The object is to reach 'enlightenment,' however the path will not be easy," according to the description.

Another program is called "Cross the Line," where students are taught to "identify and eliminate the barriers between people that perpetuate acts of unkindness due to lack of cultural understanding."

William Britto, the senior student development specialist for multicultural education and competence, responded to the Washington Free Beacon's request for comment with a demand for "some explanation as to who and what your organization is and your overall goal as to why you would like information about the MAP Ambassadors." He did not respond to a subsequent email.

Dean of Students Darryl Holloman did not immediately respond to the Free Beacon's inquiry.

Published under: Education , Georgia