CultureALL
Sherry Gupta
PO Box 3913
Urbandale, IA 50323
(515) 273-8569
explore@CultureALL.org
www.CultureALL.org
Central Mission of the Organization:
CultureALL is a Des Moines-based non-profit organization that involves Iowans in learning about other world cultures. These discovery-filled experiences strengthen understanding and appreciation of one another in our daily lives. CultureALL in the Classroom provides what text books and research projects cannot: real-life interactions with people from other cultures. CultureALL in the Community presents unique events that make Central Iowa a vibrant and attractive place for global citizens to live, study, and work. CultureALL is the only organization in the nation that has recruited and trained 100+ local residents to become Cultural Ambassadors. These Cultural Ambassadors represent more than 50 different cultures.
History of the Organization:
Sherry Gupta, an anthropologist and certified Intercultural Communications Professional, formed CULTUREALL™ in 2005. Born in a mostly Caucasian farming community near Grinnell, Iowa, she developed an interest in cultures and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Grinnell College. Marrying a man from India, she moved to Des Moines and began work in international market research at Principal International Inc. Later, she became the leading trainer for intercultural communications and helped corporate employees learn how to live and work more effectively with people from other cultures. Through this work, Sherry noticed that employees in the Global Awareness Program benefited more from personal conversations with Cultural Ambassadors than from any other well-designed training facilitation. A few years later, Sherry volunteered at her son’s elementary school (Beaver Creek) in Johnston, to organize a Cultural Arts Day. Her goal was to have the 700 students feel personally connected to the Cultural Ambassadors they met and to feel excited and curious to know about other cultures and people. On that day, as the students and their teachers rotated throughout the school from one workshop to the next, excited about the experiences and knowledge they just gained, Sherry realized this was an experience all schools needed to have access to.
International Issues and Focus:
Iowa is alive with world cultures. When you walk into most schools in Central Iowa today, you enter a landscape where you may hear more than 50 different languages spoken in the hallways. The same is true in many businesses and social gatherings. Yet, many Iowans know little about their neighbors who come from other countries and recent immigrants face the challenge of learning the ways of a new country. Both must try to understand someone whose background and beliefs may be very different from their own. Learning to live and work effectively with people from other cultures is similar to learning another language--it takes practice in a safe, supportive environment for learning.
Events and Programs Sponsored:
All CultureALL programs are about more than discovering other cultures' arts, clothes and language. These programs use music, art, play, chores, clothes, traditions, and more to help students and adults discover new concepts, experience different perspectives, and learn to respect both the similarities and the differences between cultures.
CultureALL in the Classroom: Classroom Presentations, Multicultural Days, Photo Ethnography, Teacher Training, Day Camps, International Youth Story Exchange
CultureALL in the Community: CultureKin Networking events , the Living Cultures Dinner series, and Story Mob
CultureALL for Business: Lunch and Learn, Diversity Training, Train the Trainer, Cultural Ambassador Training, Event Organizing
