The Center for New North Carolinians

Cultural Information - Kaleidoscope

Please note: all items require the Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader, which can be downloaded from the Adobe web site.

Table of Contents

 

This information was compiled from interviews with people living in our community who have come from another country. It reflects their personal insights into their cultural heritage and traditions.

This resource is meant to be used not as "an end all to be all" source of information about particular cultural groups, but rather as a reference guide.an introduction to each group's culture.an overview of cultural practices generally considered to be common to people from a particular geographic location outside this country. It is important to note that, just as we cannot use a few pages to describe all North Carolinians, Greensborians or High Pointers, graduates of a particular school, or members of a particular religious group, we also cannot do this for Vietnamese, Cambodians, or people from any other country who now reside in Guilford County, North Carolina, in the United States of America.

Rather, it is the hope of the Cultural Competence Task Force that these descriptions will give the reader an insight into the culture of a particular group of people from a specific place different from our own community. These profiles attempt to provide an overview of people who, because of their cultural differences, are likely to prefer foods not native to the Southern United States, are likely to practice religious traditions quite different from those practiced in our more mainstream churches, are likely to describe thoughts and beliefs differently because their native language is not American English, and are "adjusting" to being in this country, in this state, and in this community where nothing is familiar. We are hopeful that this resource guide will facilitate a two-way communication between the service provider, teacher or counselor and the consumer of services or student. We want to provoke questions, not make assumptions or reflect stereotypes. We want to assist in providing a means for our community to become more culturally competent.

The Center for New North Carolinians
413 South Edgeworth Street   
Greensboro, NC 27401-2707
VOICE 336.334.5411
FAX 336.334.5413
EMAIL alschilcott@yahoo.com