Learning Life is pleased to announce the start of CDI Language Partners (LPs), which will connect individuals in the USA and abroad who wish to practice a foreign language. The LPs will complement our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative‘s family-to-family diplomacy by connecting more US-based volunteers who wish to practice a foreign language with members of our families and organizational partners abroad.
Many millions of people worldwide participate in language classes as part of school, and some youth and adults elect to meet in groups small or large in or out of school to practice speaking a language of interest. Far fewer people though connect live with a foreigner living in another country to practice their language as they learn about the foreigner’s experiences and perspectives. Our LPs will do just that.
The LPs will meet live online through Skype or Whatsapp at least once per month for an hour or more, speaking half the time in English, the other half in the language of our foreign partner, whether this be Spanish, French, Arabic, or else. For each meeting, the LPs will choose a topic or issue of common interest (e.g., friendship, courtship/dating, family life, poverty, corruption, diabetes, food culture, social media effects, climate change, economic change) and find one or two news or opinion articles on the topic online in English and/or another language to stimulate their discussion.
LPs who speak English also join an email list for CDI LPs and Mentors, and participate in a once-per-month “learning community” meeting of CDI language partners, mentors and Learning Life staff by phone, Skype and/or face-to-face to share their experiences, discuss any issues, and learn together to deepen the experience.
“I was born and raised in France until age 11, but then my family moved to the USA, and I lost a lot of my French,” explains Learning Life founder, Paul Lachelier. “I recuperated some of my French when I returned to France for a year abroad in college. Since then, I have occasionally initiated face-to-face language exchanges with family and friends or acquaintances. We’d meet over coffee, tea, or a meal, and talk half the time in one language, then switch to another language for the other half to allow us to practice a language(s) we didn’t regularly use but wished to maintain or develop. Using the internet, smart phones, laptops and our growing CDI international family, we can now do the same with individuals living in different countries to bring the world closer together through learning.”
To become a CDI Language Partner, please email us your resume at email@learninglife.info, and indicate which language you are interested in practicing with a foreign partner fluent in that language. Currently available languages are: Spanish, French and Arabic.
Cross-National Food Culture Research Goes Public
Learning Life’s Director, Paul Lachelier, and Drs. Melissa See and Kim Bullock of the Georgetown University Medical Center’s Community Health Division co-presented key findings from a joint study of the food culture of lower-income families in Washington, DC and Dakar, Senegal on Monday and Tuesday this week.
The cross-national research is intended to better understand the food culture (i.e., people’s shopping, cooking and eating practices, and the meanings they attach to those practices) of some of the families participating in Learning Life’s Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI). “Since Learning Life launched CDI in summer 2016, we heard some of our DC participants express interest in learning about Africa given their own African origins, so it made sense to dig deeper into their food cultures” Lachelier explained. “Food culture is an accessible entry point into world affairs because not everyone may understand how world trade or the United Nations work, but everyone eats. Further, food culture varies by country, and can tell us a lot about not only about families and communities, but about the larger economic and political forces impacting their health.”
The multi-method study compared three lower-income families in Ward 8 of Washington DC with three lower-income families in the Guediawaye Department of Dakar. Combining interviews, participant observation and photo and video evidence, Dr. See spent several hours shopping, cooking and eating with each of the three DC families while Lachelier did the same with the Senegalese families in Dakar during February-April. They then compared their findings to produce a poster presentation (see actual poster image plus the full-text of the poster below) that was delivered at meetings of MedStar, a metro DC-Baltimore community health organization, and Unity Health Care, “DC’s largest network of community health centers” on April 30 and May 1. They will also present the poster at the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine annual conference on Tuesday, May 8 in Washington, DC.
“This research will help inform Learning Life’s work as we seek to improve the health of our CDI families in the long-term,” said Lachelier. “Health is fundamental, and it’s under threat in many ways in lower-income communities. Working with partners like GUMC’s Community Health Division, we think we can improve our families’ health and citizenship in the long-term by working patiently with them on health-focused local-to-international projects.”
Read the full text of the poster below, with accompanying photos. For a free electronic copy of the actual poster, contact us at email@learninglife.info.
Cross-National Ethnographic Study Comparing the Food Cultures of Lower-Income Families in Washington, D.C., and Dakar, Senegal
Background
As incomes rise across the world, more people are embracing a Western diet of packaged, processed food, and moving away from long-standing indigenous food traditions. This trend, combined with food product advertising and reduced daily activity have contributed to rising rates of chronic diseases (Popkin 2009, 2012, Khoury et al. 2014). Despite these troubling macro-trends, there exists considerable variation at micro-levels that can inform health policy and clinical practice. A large body of research justly focuses on food culture, that is people’s shopping, cooking and eating practices, and the beliefs they attach to these practices (e.g., Bruss et al. 2007, Visser, Hutter & Haisma 2016, Larson et al. 2017). However, fewer studies examine food culture cross-nationally. This study takes an ethnographic look at the food culture of six lower-income families in Washington, D.C. and Dakar, Senegal as part of a nonprofit’s long-term efforts to improve health education among lower-income families participating in an international exchange program.
Methods
Settings: Neighborhood food markets and stores, as well as, participating family homes in Ward 8 of Washington, D.C., USA, and Commune Golf Sud, Guediawaye Department, Dakar, Senegal.
Participants: Three African-American families in Washington D.C., and three Senegalese families in Dakar.
Similarities
Price Prevails: Most families conveyed that prices direct their food purchasing choices more than other factors (e.g., quality, nutritional value, tradition, ethical concerns).
Eating Out Means Indulging: The Senegalese families eat out less than their American counterparts, but they share in common, the sense that eating out means indulging in tasty, less healthy foods like pizza.
Skinny Means Healthy: Cultural notions connecting vitality and beauty with curvier bodies notwithstanding, the Senegalese and American families alike associated being skinny with being healthy. Accordingly, they assumed, thin family members need not worry about what they eat.
Dissimilarities
Traditional vs. Modern Cooking: The Senegalese spend more time and energy cooking the same few national dishes made of rice, vegetables, meat and fish using fewer kitchen appliances (e.g., no ovens, microwaves). The Americans prepare and eat processed foods that are relatively easy to make using more appliances.
Supermarkets and Healthy Eating: The large variety of healthy foods in supermarkets in developed countries does not ensure healthy eating. Indeed, we observed the reverse: our lower-income Senegalese families ate more healthfully (i.e., more whole and minimally processed foods, less fat, sugar and salt) than their American counterparts, despite the absence of supermarkets in their community.
Clear-Cut vs. Blurred Gender Norms: Mothers and daughters are mainly in charge of shopping and cooking in the Senegalese families, whereas the picture is quite varied and more egalitarian in the American families.
Conclusions
Meet Them Where They Are — Culturally Competent Nutrition Education: Eating and health occur in family, school and other cultural contexts that shape beliefs and practices. Hence, nutrition interventions should pay attention to the target population’s actual food culture, including the foods people choose, the ways they prepare and consume that food, and the meanings they attach to these practices. Health researchers and educators should thus meet families and communities where they are rather than imposing homogenous nutrition programs and expecting participants to understand, let alone comply with nutritional recommendations that are unrealistic or irrelevant to their everyday lives.
Rediscover Food Traditions: The Senegalese families’ penchant for home-cooked meals made with whole and minimally processed foods following healthier Senegalese food traditions may be worth preserving and promoting. The food industry makes more profits from people eating their processed products, and fewer profits from informed consumers who cook with whole foods. Yet policymakers and practitioners interested in promoting public health may find it worthwhile to invest in public re-discovery of tasty native or immigrant dishes made with whole foods, with potential returns not only to community health but small business development.
Implications
This ethnographic study of cross-national differences speaks to the importance of food culture in two ways that can help inform public health efforts. First, public health programming can and should take into account target populations’ actual food contexts, practices, and beliefs. Among other things, this means paying attention to the practices and beliefs of parents/guardians as central food gatekeepers. Second, programs that help families practice indigenous and/or foreign food cultures, particularly those rooted in whole foods, may help enhance public health.
References
Bruss MB, Applegate B, Quitugua J, Palacios RT, Morris JR. Ethnicity and diet of children: development of culturally sensitive measures. Health Educ Behav. 2007 Oct;34(5):735-47.
Khoury CK, Bjorkman AD, Dempewolf H, Ramirez-Villegas J, Guarino L, Jarvis A, Rieseberg LH, and Struik PC. Increasing Homogeneity in Global Food Supplies and the Implications for Food Security. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111:11:4001-4006.
Larson N, Miller JM, Eisenberg ME, Watts AW, Story M, Neumark-Sztainer D. Multicontextual correlates of energy-dense, nutrient-poor snack food consumption by adolescents.Appetite. 2017 May 1;112:23-34.
Popkin, BM. Global Changes in Diet and Activity Patterns as Drivers of the Nutrition Transition. Emerging Societies – Coexistence of Childhood Malnutrition and Obesity, ed. Kalhan SC. 2009;63:1-14.
Popkin, BM. The Changing Face of Global Diet and Nutrition Food Addiction: A Comprehensive Handbook, 2012. eds. Kelly D. Brownell and Mark S. Gold. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Visser SS, Hutter I, Haisma H. Building a framework for theory-based ethnographies for studying intergenerational family food practices. Appetite. 2016 Feb 1;97:49-57.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the six participating American and Senegalese families for welcoming us into their homes and allowing us to break bread with their families. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Bullock for her guidance and support.
Intern Spotlight: Rilind Abazi
This is the fourth in a series of spotlights on our spring 2018 student interns. Learning Life’s students this spring are assisting with research, outreach, fundraising, and international family-to-family projects focused on community photography and food culture as part of our Citizen Diplomacy Initiative (CDI). Rilind Abazi, interviewed below, is, among other things, helping with fundraising research and event organizing, research on democratizing diplomacy, and transcription of food culture interviews we conducted with some of our CDI families.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Kosovo, an independent country in Southeastern Europe that was formerly part of Yugoslavia, and lived there for my first fourteen years. I moved from Kosovo to Newtown, Connecticut in 2012.
What school do you attend, and what is your year and major there?
I am a sophomore at George Washington University, studying International Affairs and minoring in Law and Society.
What do you like to do in your free time?
In my free time I like to be outside, explore new places, and try new cuisines, like Vietnamese. I enjoy reading, writing, and practicing calligraphy. Recently, I’ve found a passion for movies (especially dramas and documentaries) and try to go to the movie theater more often.
Is there a life experience you have had that has particularly shaped you thus far? If so, what is it, and how has it shaped you?
I think in many ways different parts of my life have informed my belief that I am to be of service. I was born in the middle of a genocide, grew up in a developing country, moved to Newtown, Connecticut in the same year that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred, and was in front of the White House, as a first time voter, on the night of the 2016 Presidential Election. I think that these life experiences have made me realize the importance of serving others, whether that is in the local, national, or global community. I believe that having courage and hope in humanity can help societies open their minds and hearts to embrace the struggle for justice and peace.
What are your career plans?
I am not sure at this moment. I hope to be able to use my skills and knowledge to engage in making positive change that would improve the quality of life for all people, especially underrepresented, historically oppressed communities.
Why did you choose to intern with Learning Life?
I think that it is crucial for young children, especially those from low-income families and communities to get more exposure to international affairs and the opportunities in that realm. Learning Life’s approach can inform and empower our younger population to appreciate other cultures and traditions more, and maybe even incite them to pursue a career in international affairs.
What is the most beautiful place you have seen on Earth, and why is it so beautiful?
The most beautiful place I’ve seen is Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, Japan. It is a serene temple painted in gold. The balance between human construction of the temple and the surrounding nature of gardens and a tranquil pond gave me a profound feeling of calmness and order.
DC Rich and Poor: A Tale of Two Wards
Like all cities worldwide, Washington DC is subdivided into smaller governmental units. In DC, these units are called wards, and the city has eight of them. Six of DC’s wards are located west of the Anacostia River (Wards 1-6), two east of the River (Wards 7 and 8). For all the gentrification happening throughout DC, the Anacostia River divides the city not just naturally, but economically and racially, clustering wealth disproportionately west of the River, and poverty east of the River, with sharply different consequences for the lives and prospects of DC’s inhabitants. To learn more about the conditions our lower-income Ward 8 families face as they participate in Learning Life’s Citizen Diplomacy Initiative, our research partner and Georgetown University Medical Center fellow, Dr. Melissa See, helped collect statistics comparing DC’s richest ward, Ward 3, and its poorest, Ward 8. Below are the arresting racial, economic and health facts she gathered, weaving a Dickensian “tale of two cities” separate and very unequal.
Notes: The numbers in brackets [ ] below refer to the sources of the data, which are linked at the bottom of this page. Percentages are rounded to the nearest one percent. Average family income is rounded to the nearest $1,000.
WARD 3
WARD 8
Ward Population 2015 [5]
83,152
81,133
Median Age 2015 [5]
37
29
% Children 2010 [2]
13%
30%
% Black 2015 [2]
6%
92%
% White, non-Hispanic 2015 [2]
74%
4%
% Foreign-Born 2011-2015 [2]
19%
3%
Median Household Income 2015 [5]
$113,000
$31,000
% Unemployed 2011-2015 [2]
4%
23%
% of Population in Poverty 2011-5 [2]
10%
38%
% Children in Poverty 2011-5 [2]
3%
50%
# of Individuals on Food Stamps 2016 [2]
378
41,561
% without HS Diploma 2011-5 [2]
2%
17%
% with College Degree 2015 [5]
86%
14%
% Female-Headed Homes with Children 2011-5 [2]
12%
74%
% Low Birth Weight (under 5.5 lbs)
2011 [2]
7.1%
13%
% Birth to Teen Mothers 2011 [2]
0%
18%
Physically Inactive 2013 [3]
10%
34.5%
Not Tested for HIV 2013 [3]
44.5%
16.6%
# with Chlamydia Per 100,000 People
2013 [3]
75
1,173
% Current Smokers 2013 [3]
7%
41%
% Obese 2013 [3]
12%
42.8%
% Diabetes 2013 [3]
3%
16%
% Depressed 2013 [3]
23.7%
28%
% of Population with Emergency Dept Visits 2014 [3]
The LPs will meet live online through Skype or Whatsapp at least once per month for an hour or more, speaking half the time in English, the other half in the language of our foreign partner, whether this be Spanish, French, Arabic, or else. For each meeting, the LPs will choose a topic or issue of common interest (e.g., friendship, courtship/dating, family life, poverty, corruption, diabetes, food culture, social media effects, climate change, economic change) and find one or two news or opinion articles on the topic online in English and/or another language to stimulate their discussion.
