Cultural Expo 2023

Thursday's educational activity was completely reimagined in 2019 by some of our very own SD Mines students! The Passport Activity still gives attendees the chance to learn about many different countries from community members and college students representing their own cultures but in a new interactive and engaging approach! Please see the linked PDF below to read the instructions of the activity (instructions vary by grade).
Passport Activity Instructions

This is an integral part of Thursday's event programming. Stories, including oral retellings, are one of the basic and fun ways to communicate. Learning about different cultures and countries can be done through those children's stories. It shows the cultural and gender norms of that culture/country and creates basic images of that society.

Here at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, we try to re-create this in out Storytime Corner during the Cultural Expo. Along with our community partner, International Students, Inc. and out students, we try to give visitors another avenue to learn about cultures/countries that are different from what we know. It also gives visitors a chance to ask questions to a native of that culture/country.

For more information, please see our Children's Story and Cultural Learning handout and a question sheet for meaningful discussion of a story.

Started in Denmark in 2000, the Living Library was a tool to breakdown prejudice and discrimination. Nowadays, it has expanded to challenge not only prejudice and discrimination but also stereotypes and stigmas around the world. Here at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, we want students to learn more about a culture or country that is of interest. Our volunteers consist of SD Mines students and community members from different backgrounds.

How it Works

• Take this excerpt from the Council of Europe, "It works just like a normal library: visitors can browse the catalog for the available titles, choose the book they want to read, and borrow it for a limited period of time. After reading, they return the book to the library and, if they want, borrow another. The only difference is that in the Living Library, books are people, and reading consists of a conversation."

How to Evaluate

• It's good to debrief with your students after they have finished 'reading'. Here is a sample evaluation for "Readers" of the Living Library. If you would like us to develop something more specific for your class, please let us know. We want to make the Cultural Expo a great learning tool for you and your students.
• If you are interested in becoming a part of the Living Library for the 2019 Cultural Expo, please fill out the volunteer form.