(https://twphilanthropist.wordpress.com/tag/poverty/)

 

Nicaragua is a developing country in Central America with a population of just under 6 million. According to Forbes Nicaragua is the poorest country in Central America and the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (Forbes, 2014). This poverty stems from underemployments and extends to roughly 45% of the population (Forbes,2014). As a result many communities, especially in rural areas, are underserved. It has been reported that only 29% of children in Nicaragua complete primary school (Manna Project, 2015). Due to this lack of education few have the knowledge and skills necessary to lead Nicaragua out of this poverty stricken state.

All of the above circumstances describe the town of Chiquilistagua which is located just outside of the nation’s capital Managua. Children from this town face such struggles as improper nourishment, insufficient water sources, poor and poor public schooling options. In recent years several non-government organizations have stepped in to help out the town of Chiquilistagua and others facing extreme poverty.

(www.nicanadadores.org)

 

One of these organizations is Nica Nadadores whose goal is to teach leadership and life skills through the sport of swimming for the children of Chiquilistagua. Along with providing lessons to a population where 93% of the population are unable to swim in water above their head, scholarships to better schools are awarded to those who met basic the standards of their program. These scholarships allow for children to attend better schools and further their education without the financial burden that many of their families cannot afford. The Nadadores program also carries out community service projects to better homes and show pride in their communities.

In terms of global leadership the opportunities that Nica Nadadores gives the children of Chiquilistagua are significant to not only the participants but the nation as a whole. Leadership skills such as determination, teamwork, and perseverance coupled with the better education helps equip children up with skills necessary to become leaders in their community. It also allows for the possibility of inspiring and leading change that their nation so desperately needs. This organization also fosters international relations between children of different cultures. Swimmers from the United States who donate gear and funds to the Nica Nadadores program are exposed to a lifestyle which they may not have been otherwise. This fosters a curiosity and compassion for other cultures which is essential is becoming an informed citizen of the world. Overall I truly believe that education and awareness provided by interest or participation in non-government organizations like Nica Nadadores is key in bridging the gap between different cultures and creating positive global relationships.

(www.nicanadadores.org)

 

References
Forbes. (2014, December). Nicaragua – Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/places/nicaragua/
Manna Project International. (2015). Manna Project International | MPI Nicaragua. Retrieved from http://mannaproject.org/nicaragua

 

(http://www.operationworld.org/hait)

 

Haiti is poverty-stricken insular country located in the Caribbean with a population of roughly 10 million. For many years the tribulations of this country have made international news including their civil unrest and natural disasters. These tribulations most certainly illustrate the challenges presented to insular nations.

Like other insular nations, the environment has caused major struggles for Haiti. Haiti’s geographic location leads it vulnerable to a variety of different natural disasters. Hurricanes are prevalent and highly destructive in this part of the world. In fact in 2008 hurricanes accounted for over 800 deaths and destroyed 70% of agricultural land (Henley, 2010). Along with hurricanes Haiti is vulnerable to earthquakes, like the 7.0 magnitude one in 2010 that absolutely devastated the country. These environmental factors present major problems to the nation of Haiti. When disaster strikes not only are lives lost and buildings damaged, but many times the food supply for the country is severely or completely destroyed. In insular countries, maintaining a proper food supply is hard enough under normal conditions, but to work around this level of devastation is extremely difficult.

(http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1954087_2043663,00.html)

Along with food and water supply, raw materials are often hard to come across or extremely expensive in Haiti. In the rebuilding efforts after the 2010 earthquake many supplies had to be imported from the United States which was extremely expensive and time consuming process (Fallon, 2015). After obtaining the goods necessary to rebuild, citizens lacked the work ethic to get the job done quickly and efficiently. From his experiences Paul Fallon noted that the only sure way to motivate Haitian workers was to make fun of himself, allowing them to maintain a feeling of superiority over him (Fallon, 2015). Unfortunately the reality is that Haiti relies heavily on foreign donations and aid to maintain their existence.

While many nations, like Japan, have worked to overcome the challenges of insular living, Haiti shows how costly a lack of leadership can be. In order to be successful governments must first create trustworthy environments. There should be no doubt that decisions are being made with the best interests of the country and its citizens in mind. Next leaders must be prepared to come up with new and innovative ways for their country to establish a level of independence from other countries in order to balance their need to rely on imported materials. While there may be challenges that are unavoidable, like natural disasters, insular nations can be prosperous with competent leaders at the helm.

References

Fallon, P. (2015, January 12). Haiti’s Economic Aftershocks. Retrieved April 14, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/12/opinion/haitis-economic-aftershocks.html?_r=0

Henley, J. (2010, January 14). Haiti: A long descent to hell. Retrieved April 18, 2015, from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/14/haiti-history-earthquake-disaster

There are truly many ways to learn about the different cultures and countries of the world. Many gain knowledge through classes where they seek to learn how to speak languages which are not their native tongue such as Italian, Russian, and German (to name a few). Others learn through first hand experiences from study abroad courses or travel for pleasure or business. Information about other cultures can also be found in countless books and online articles. As someone who aspires to travel the world I have studied foreign languages and read books to gain insight on the areas where I long to travel. Though I would say I have gained a fair bit of knowledge over the years a true understanding was not present until learning about Hofstede’s dimensions of culture.

Geert Hofstede is a Dutch social psychologist known for his work in comparative studies of cultures (Hofstede, n.d.). Through his research, Hofstede created six dimensions by which you can compare cultures: Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Individualism/Collectivism, Masculinity/ Feminity, Long-term/Short-term Orientation, and Indulgence/Restraint. Power distance relates to the equality or inequality of people within a culture while uncertainty avoidance shows ambiguity. Scores relating to individualism show the degree that groups or individuals are accountable for different outcomes and actions. References to masculinity show the behaviors of a nation, whether it is highly competitive, nurturing, or somewhere in between. Degrees of long term orientation portray whether decisions are made to benefit present situations or have long term goals and impacts. Finally indulgences scores relate to whether a members of a culture look to be instantly rewarded or gratified (PSU, 2015).

An understanding of the scores for each of these six dimensions provides an understanding of the cultural aspects and tendencies of a nation. Let’s take a look at Ireland for example. Ireland has a power distance score of 28. This relatively represents a belief that generally rejects inequalities among its people. Ireland has a score of 70 in regards to individualism. This suggests that Ireland is an individualistic nation where people are expected to be independent and self-reliant. Looking toward masculinity, with a score of 68 Ireland is considered to be a masculine society which means that people are competitive and want to succeed or win. With an uncertainty avoidance score of 35, Ireland is comfortable with uncertainty and are not resistant to change. Ireland has a long-term orientation score of 24. This low score shows an importance of tradition to the culture and value stability. Finally, Ireland proves to be an indulgent society with a score of 65.

Along with providing an understanding if a single culture Hofstede’s cultural dimensions allow us to compare and contrast different cultures. When looking at Ireland and the United States we can see that they have are very similar when it comes to masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, long term orientation, and indulgence. However differences can be seen in power distance and individualism. With a power distance score of 40 social inequalities are more accepted and common place in the United States than Ireland. Also with a score 90 the United States is a far more individualistic culture than Ireland.

I believe that Hofstede’s six dimensions of culture provide an easy way of comparing and contrasting different nations. The ability to compare a nation which you may know little to nothing about to your own with a concrete set of values opens the doorway to a knowledge and more importantly an understanding of other cultures. The only thing that I find to be unfortunate about these cultural dimension is that I had no clue of their existence before taking a global leadership course. With the reality that many people get their information on different nations via Wikipedia pages, I believe that an effort should be made to add Hofstede’s research to these pages. Links could also be provided for site like http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html which allow you to compare the scores for several countries side by side.

References
Geert Hofstede. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2015, from http://www.geerthofstede.nl/
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015). OLEAD 497B Lesson 02: Introduction to Culture. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp15/olead497b/001/content/02_lesson/01_page.html

Human rights are “universal standards for the treatment of all people” (PSU, 2015). In 1948 the United Nations created the Universal Declaration of Rights stated which should be afforded to all people around the globe (PSU, 2015). Today, some 76 years after its creation, we still see many violations to these rights. These violations include discrimination, poverty, torture, slavery, and education.

In terms of inequalities, gender inequality is still plaguing the world today. These inequalities are present in all facets of life. In the work force women are paid 10% to 30% less than their male counterparts and are less likely to hold leadership roles in business (UN Women, 2014). In fact only 4.6% of Fortune 500 companies have female CEOs (UN Women, 2014). Female presence is also lacking in governmental leadership roles as well. Unfortunately, the inequality between men and women extends far beyond business. Three out of every four trafficking victims is female and two-thirds of illiterate people in the world are female (UN Women, 2014).

Although the Universal Declaration of Rights has yet to be upheld globally, the U.N. has not been deterred from their human rights crusade. Through actress Emma Watson, the “HeForShe” campaign, created by UN Women, was announced with the aim of promoting gender equality. The key aspect of this campaign is encouraging men to become “advocates for change” (Emma Watson, 2014). “HeForShe” strives for men to recognize how beneficial gender equality is, allowing for the collapse of stereotypes and gender roles for both sexes. Special attention is also directed to is inspiring young people do be active in the fight for gender equality.

In my eyes this initiative capitalizes on an important aspect of change, unity. If we truly want human rights issues to disappear we must fight for equality whether or not it relates to you personally. Although I do not live in poverty, I support any efforts to eradicate its presence. In the span of gender equality I hope men will support “HeForShe” just as fervently as I would support “SheForHe”.

References

Emma Watson HeForShe Speech at the United Nations [Motion picture]. (2014). USA.
Pennsylvania State University. (2015). OLEAD497B: Leadership In a Global Context.Lesson 3: Diversity. Retrieved at: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp15/olead497b/001/content/03_lesson/01_page.html
UN Women. (2014, January 1). Action Kit – HeForShe. Retrieved January 31, 2015, from http://www.heforshe.org/Strategy/

I honestly had some difficulty in picking a topic for this week’s blog post. Don’t get me wrong, this lesson provided great topics like culture: organizational and structural, values, Hofstede’s dimensions of culture, and cultural gaffes all of which are worth discussing. But having never traveled outside of the United States and having limited interactions with people of different cultures, I found myself really struggling to personally relate to these terms (and providing a top of conversation different from my discussion post). As an avid reader, I have chosen to instead relate the term ethnocentrism, which as defined in our commentary is the “exaggerated tendency to think the characteristics of one’s own group or race is superior to those of other groups or races” (PSU World Campus, 2015), to the series Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. This series is available in 73 languages, and has sold over 450 million copies worldwide (USA Today, 2012). While in an unconventional manner, the idea of ethnocentrism is mentioned several times in the text, though the exact terminology is not stated.

 

To explain the text for those who have not read it, the series chronicles the life of a young wizard named Harry Potter and how he fights evil. This evil comes in many forms and is often not something he purposefully seeks to thwart, he simply is trying to do what he believes is right. One major character who Harry fights is Lord Voldemort, whose ideas epitomize the term ethnocentrism. Lord Voldemort believes that those who are “Purebloods” (both parents are wizards) are better than those who have come from non-magical families to the point he believes anyone who does not share his culture should die. Many wizards follow this feeling and look down upon other’s who don’t share their same decent. In fact in the first book of the series, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” the foil to Harry’s character, Draco Malfoy says: “I really don’t think they should let the other sort (children from non-magical/ mixed magical families) in, do you? They’re just not the same, they’ve never been brought up to know our ways.” (Rowling, 1998). Here we see a boy of 11 expressing superiority to other’s his age, and in the context of the book children he had never met before. This is a constant theme throughout the book: teasing, bullying, and even murdering someone based on ethnicity stemming from ethnocentrism.

 

It can be quite jarring to think that someone if 11 can hold these views, but that is the reality when values such as these are picked up from home. As stated in the commentary “Values tend to be formed in the beginning of life” (PSU World Campus. 2015). At home Draco Malfoy was taught that he was better because he was a “Pureblood” wizard. He, his family, Voldemort, and others of the same culture lased out of those who they believed were lesser because “Values determine behavior” (PSU World Campus, 2015). The fact that these beliefs lead to violence and discord in the series show how dangerous ethnocentrism can be and how it relates to interactions with others of different ethnicities and cultures.
So how is Harry Potter significant to global leadership? The idea that we need to approach people who are different from us with respect has been laid out in 73 different languages available around the world for children to read and learn from during their formative years. Author J.K Rowling had essentially taught the perils of ethnocentrism to those too young to know the term or even pronounce the word. J.K Rowling profoundly states in her book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, ““Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”(Rowling, 2000). By means of these books children and adults alike are learning that cultural differences mean nothing if were are willing set them aside and work toward a common goal, something essential of a global leader.

(photo credit: https://arts.ucalgary.ca/artsnow/learning-languages-harry-potter)
USA Today. (2012, September 25). Retrieved January 23, 2015, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2012/09/25/j-k-rowling-harry-potter-the-casual-vacancy/1582921/
Rowling, J. (1998). Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone. New York: A.A. Levine Books
Rowling, J. (2000). Harry Potter and the goblet of fire. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2015). OLEAD 497B Lesson 02: Introduction to Culture. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp15/olead497b/001/content/02_lesson/01_page.html

Hello, I am Laurel Reid and I live in Henrico, Virginia where I am a single mother and have been coaching competitive swimming for seven years. As a coach to children four to eighteen years old it is my responsibility to lead them to personal victories in the pool while developing life skills such as perseverance, goal setting, hard work, dedication, teamwork, good sportsmanship, and community service.
This is my fourth semester at Penn State where I am working to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Letters, Arts, and Sciences with a concentration in linguistics. I am hoping to find work in translation and ESL instruction. As for my favorite leadership quote, I am drawn to the words of Ovid, “A ruler should be slow to punish and swift to reward.” In my experience as a coach, rewarding and complementing a job well done leads to respect and a motivation to fix one’s weaknesses.
As I close out this post I wanted to give you all a little more information about myself. As I mentioned above I have a daughter who is eight years old (and swims on my team). I enjoy lots of outdoor activities including hiking, canoeing, and fishing. I also love music and have a growing vinyl collection. As for an unusual hobby I am very interested in genealogical research. I have found the process of researching my family tree to be utterly enthralling!
I look forward to working alongside all of you this semester,
Laurel