Young Marines Cultural Diversity Familiarization

 

By: Mr. Jestel

Special Operations / Training Officer

Vienna Young Marines

 

 

                As Young Marines you will always find friends throughout your career from other units that have different nationalities and religions.  We all fall under one Nation and serve as valuable tools that promote freedom together with young Americans thoughout the United States of America.  You are especially valuable when not at drill, maintaining the discipline that makes you even more special…a Young Marine. 

 

            At your next drill, why don’t you sit the unit’s Staff NCO’s in one area, and the NCO’s in a completely different area.  Since they are the leader’s of the unit, and will be charged with teaching classes to subordinates if they truly follow the leadership traits and principles at their unit, this will utilize the “trickle down” method of education which studies have proven actually works.  Youth tend to look up to people a couple years older then themselves instead of much older types like me and the rest of the adult staff in their units.      

 

In these two separate groups will obviously be Young Marines of different racial, cultural, national, or ethnic backgrounds.  Start the activity by choosing three of the following five scenarios and fulfill it. 

 

A) Go to a festival, celebration, or other event identified with one of the different individuals in your group.  At next drill, have a report written on what you saw, learned, and found interesting. 

B) Go to a church, school, or organization between drills as a group to one of the different individuals you pick.  At next drill, have a report written on what you saw, learned, and found interesting. 

C) Break up in pairs and talk to another Young Marine about what you know about your heritage and specific family traditions. 

D) As a group, pick a nationality from one of the individuals in the group and imagine that you are a UFO.  You have come down to Earth to learn about civilization.  Ask questions appropriately on what music, poetry, books, foods, media related shows watched, etc. and then write down everything you have learned. 

E) Go to a library or museum to see a program or exhibit featuring one individual in your group.  At next drill, write a report about what was seen, heard, smelled, and things you learned. 

 

            Then, at another drill, bring both the Staff NCO’s and NCO’s together and have a discussion on their learned decisions about individuals within their group.  If both groups were separated until today, would the two groups be able to get along, or would there be immediate tension to new ways unfamiliar to your group’s ways?

 

Talk about a contribution made to this nation by three different people, each from a different background such as black American, white American, Native American, Hispanic-American, Asian-American, or any other background of your choosing.  Their backgrounds may be religious, as well, such as Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc.

 

Do one of the following:

A) Bring the whole unit together and give a class on how all people are different and what you have learned after seeing their ways of living. 

B) Talk about some achievements that this country has accomplished by people from different nationality’s, religions, and beliefs pulling together and making the future a better place for all to live peacefully.