Tips and Tales From Around the Globe

We know the saying “new year/ new you” but it isn’t a new you - it is You.

We aren’t starting over, every day we try to present our truest selves, and every year we ask for our communities to respect us. That’s the goal – to learn, to grow, to change, and accept who we are, the way we are, and live life to the fullest.  

It is our commitment through AIDE- Access, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity to foster a space that is rooted in respect. Global Experiences, part of the AIFS Abroad team, wants to let you know, we hear you, we see you, and learn more each day on how we can support you. We are educating our staff in new hire trainings, brainstorming in company retreats to make short and long-term goals, holding ourselves accountable to using inclusive language, customizing coordination for accessibility, and most importantly learning and immediately implementing changes when we notice change has occurred.  

You may feel that you are the "other" because you are the only person or one of the few people with your identity(s). In context, "othering" occurs when a marginalized identity differs, and is often excluded, from that of the dominant culture. When speaking of othering in this context Jiaqi Zhou defines it in a helpful way. “Othering is a way of negating another person's individual humanity and, consequently, those that have been othered are seen as less worthy of dignity and respect. On an individual level, othering plays a role in the formation of prejudices against people and groups.” (Jiaqi Zhou, Very Well Mind)