The idea behind the BridgeBuilders Club is to build a team, that goes on exchanges to learn about their own and other cultures and most important, to “build bridges” between them. Bridgebuilders Clubs use The Bricks , a series of 14 sessions that make cultural learning fun and inspiring. These Bricks are practical preparations for the exchanges but also help foster the discussion about topics of culture, local impact, faith, friendship and more.
As each BridgeBuilders Club is different, each group explores the Bricks in a different way. Some groups might discuss them; others turn them into action. Exchanges are expensive because they involve travelling. Fundraising activities and strategies are an integrated part of the Bricks. Money management, attitudes towards money and funds, and helping each other reach their individual and team goals, are skills learned for life.
A BridgeBuilders Club works with the Bridgebuilders cycle of Activities. Next to the regular meetings, which are twice a month, the highlights are a start-day/weekend, two exchanges (one being the host, one being the guest) and participating in an International Youth Festival in the summer at the end of the first exchange.
The Bridgebuilders Club is not a formal learning setting; you learn as you go. The members learn by experience as they encounter other cultures, by actually meeting them.
Becoming aware of one’s own cultural background and biases
Resolve ambiguity as you aim to understand backgrounds
Interact with different mindsets in open dialogue
Develop flexibility when crossing cultural barriers
Gain a spiritual 360 degree perspective of reality
Empathy is seeing others from a global and heavenly perspective
Balancing different value systems and discovering your limits
Understanding and appreciating diversity
Initiate interest in meeting others
Lighting up your world – be a glow worm
Delay judgement
Eager to learn from others
Room to expand outside one’s comfort zone
Stand in the gap and hold the middle
