As part of the integration process to the cultural practices in the United States, we have asked volunteers and friends from the community to facilitate workshops on different cultural practices. This helps newcomers better acclimate to their new environment through understanding. This past December we had a cultural class on the meaning and practice of Christmas. While a number of immigrants might be Christian and know about Christmas they do not always fully comprehend the way that it is practice in America. Furthermore, a number of immigrants are Muslim and they do not celebrate Christmas but do want to understand what the holiday is all about. The purpose is to build bridges between traditional and new communities so that we can eliminate a lot of these issues that divide us. As once we learn more about each other we will most likely find that there is more we have in common.
Everyone that attended the event found that these cultural courses gave them insight into their new community that they could not necessary receive by just reading about it or watching it on television. They were able to talk to someone and ask them why and also share what is similar about a holiday in their culture. We plan to have more events like this in the future. Please stay tuned.
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