Webinar: Intercultural intelligence in the context of COVID-19 (Amy Rankin & Martin Pont)
Intercultural intelligence in the context of COVID-19: how we might help students face this moment without letting covert bias, fear and xenophobia create barriers where there should be bridges.
Description
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a sharp rise in xenophobic reactions and commentaries by public figures and in the media, particularly as regards Eastern cultures. The speakers argue that a useful strategy in response to this may lie in the development of students’ intercultural intelligence.
Speakers
Amy Rankin: Amy Rankin is a mental health consultant, educator, program developer and therapist. She spent the last 10 years working primarily in China rebranding mental health from a negative to a positive. As the Director of Personal Development at Shenzhen (Nanshan) Concord College, she pioneered the first counselling and psychoeducational programming in schools that focuses on mental health and wellness. Her philosophy that prevention and education will reduce stigma and the need for intervention has paved the way for mental health awareness to grow both within the school and local community. This included developing and implementing this innovative and successful approach in different schools around China. She currently runs Maple Mental Health out of Toronto, which provides mental health consultancy, education, and counselling.
Martin Pont: Martin teaches at Escola Sesc de Ensino Médio, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is maintained by Sesc – the Brazilian trade sector’s social services organization – and offers a high-quality free education to students hand-picked from around the country (being predominantly from low-income families). Over the years, Martin has been a member of the dorm faculty, a tutor, mentor, research group advisor, and emotional intelligence advisor, among other roles. He has taught in Brazil, Malawi and the UK, and his passions include all things relating to education and his family.