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We are living in a world that is becoming ever more polarized by people adhering unbendingly to stringent beliefs cultural, religious, political and economic in scope. The less flexible we become as a global society, the more difficult it becomes to build communities founded on courtesy, kindness, respect and trust at local, national, and international levels. It is sad because these are traits that allow for the existence of an engaged multicultural society. However, PPSPA strives to teach students’ the value of a multicultural community through inter-cultural and –religious dialogue.

From the moment I arrived at PPSPA, I was touched by the way all VIA volunteers, not only the school’s volunteer, are considered family. The willingness to help volunteers and even friends of VIA volunteers, accepting us as we are, not telling us to dress or express ourselves a certain way, is a demonstration of the utmost kindness and respect.

Welcoming all VIA volunteers to practice teaching in classrooms at PPSPA shows that PPSPA teachers and staff trust that the students can be exposed to people from different cultural and religious backgrounds without losing sight of their own beliefs. I remember one of the new volunteers wearing a knee-length dress to PPSPA, but nobody told her she was not welcome. The reaction was courteous; people understood that she was dressed in a manner appropriate for a similar event in her own culture. The community at PPSPA lives the values of courtesy, kindness, respect, and trust, thereby opening doors to the world beyond Indonesia for the students and promoting curiosity about other cultures and religions.

As a volunteer in 2008-2009, never was there a moment when I felt judged for holding different religious beliefs. In fact, students’ and teachers’ curiosity about religious beliefs (Buddhism, Judaism, Catholicism) and race relations in the United States was impressive. Even more inspiring is the openness to re-evaluating commonly held stereotypes of Westerners. I distinctly remember two groups of visitors who were invited to see the school and meet with students. Interfaith dialogues spoke about the possibility of a religious minority to act as a mediator in a conflict between religious majorities, promoting the idea of respecting other religions and focusing on common goals rather than divisive elements. When the Australians came to visit, students were able to learn about Muslim life in a non-Muslim, Western nation at the same time as learning about Australian culture.

However, intercultural dialogue is not only about learning other cultures and religions, it’s also about sharing one’s own culture and religion. Some of the events I value most from my time at PPSPA are being invited to watch the slaughter and helping cook at Idul Adha as well as watching the students parade through the streets in costume at night bearing torches and blowing fire (takbiran keliling). I feel blessed that the PPSPA community shared these events, both cultural and religious, with me. At an even more basic level, living in a multicultural community and engaging in intercultural dialogue is about sharing dinners, taking trips together, dancing in ruins, and baking pies together. The enthusiasm with which the teachers and staff interact with other cultures encourages students to follow suit.

PPSPA has set the foundation blocks for students to become great inter-cultural communicators, but it can go even farther in the coming years by creating a crosscultural understanding club, online inter-group dialogues using Skype, and working towards study exchanges for selected students. I hope PPSPA continues to produce wellrounded, analytical thinkers who strive to build bridges and close gaps between different cultures, religions, political ideas, and economic standings to create a global community as peaceful, warm, and welcoming to live in as the PPSPA community.

By Rebecca Wick Gluckstein

Volunteer In Asia (ViA) 2008 - 2009 di PPSPA