This document discusses incorporating cultural awareness into technology training. It recommends adopting agreements like speaking your truth, assuming good intentions, stepping up/back, suspending judgement, and expecting non-closure. It asks how cultural awareness is currently built and what more could be done. Various cultural groups in the community should be identified. The Community Technology Empowerment Project incorporates diversity/equity planning, intercultural training, and inviting community activists from diverse cultures to speak. Cultural competency resources are provided. Cultural awareness training should be incorporated into digital skills classes, staff/board training, and auxiliary programming.

1. Incorporating Cultural
Awareness Into Tech Training
Lisa Peterson de la Cueva
peterson.delacueva@spnn.org
Dir Training and Education, Community Technology Empowerment Project
An AmeriCorps program of the Saint Paul Neighborhood Network
Technology can be complicated. In this session we’ll talk about how to embrace cultural awareness to help
inspire students, create better programming, and reach out to multiple communities while tackling digital
inclusion.

2. AGREEMENTS
• SPEAK YOUR TRUTH, YOUR P.O.V
• ASSUME GOOD INTENTIONS
• STEP UP, STEP BACK
• SUSPEND JUDGEMENT
• EXPECT NON-CLOSURE
Resource: Adapted From
“The Four Agreements of
Courageous Conversations”

3. • What do you currently use to build cultural
awareness in your digital inclusion work and
what more would you like to see happening?
• What are the various cultural groups in your
community?

4. How does the Community Technology
Empowerment Project Do This?
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Structural Planning
• Intercultural Competency Workshops and Trainings
Connect with your community to identify topics.
• Invite community activists that represent non-dominant
cultures and narratives to speak to your staff about their
work and communities.
• Identify ways technology can help community activists from
across cultures do their work.
• Understand varied expectations of educational institutions
and teachers (knowledge expert).

5. 1. NEA: Diversity Toolkit: Cultural Competence for Educators
2. Cultural Competence and Linguistic Competence Icebreakers
3. MN Campus Compact: Developing Civic Agency Workshop Resources
Cultural Competency Workshop Resources

6. To incorporate
• During digital skills classes
• With your staff or with your board
• During auxiliary programming if digital
skills classes are paired with soft skills

7. For Example
Resource Link: Social Identity Wheel Framing Material

8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBeE5Dokl2o
Why do we need cultural
awareness training in
digital inclusion work?