By Aliona Yermalayeva
In recent years, SIETAR groups across the world have seen an incredible surge in interest in global connections, reflecting a shared desire to learn from and engage with each other. This growing momentum led to a significant milestone last year: the creation of SIETAR Global. The foundation for it was laid by the dedicated leaders representing SIETAR Europa, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Southeast Asia, Chile, Australasia, and Argentina, including our own SIETAR USA President Sue Shinomiya, who now represents our organization within the Global network. This initiative is dedicated to fostering intercultural dialogue and collaboration with the aim of creating a more harmonious and resilient global intercultural community.
With this in mind, we are excited to introduce our new column, bringing you direct updates and valuable insights from the SIETAR Global network!
Newsletters & Blogs
- To kick things off, we invite you to explore Young SIETAR’s blog, which features:
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- TOPOI GPT – an AI bot, designed to enhance intercultural communication.
- Insights on Bilingual Networking.
- Discussions on recent developments in intercultural communication.
- In its June Newsletter, SIETAR India presents multiple articles ranging from the culinary arts to parenting and expatriation, all viewed through an Indian lens.
Publications
For those seeking deeper insights, we highly recommend exploring The Swiss Journal of Intercultural Education, Training, and Research. The 2024-2025 issue highlights the following topics:
- Linguistic diversity within teams and the importance of creating environments of trust and mutual accountability.
- Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), and virtual collaboration across borders that fosters mutual understanding and collective problem-solving.
- Inclusive Communication and the TOPOI-model.
Past & Upcoming Events
- The recent SIETAR Switzerland 2025 Conference in June 2025 brought together professionals, researchers, and enthusiasts from all over the world to Lucerne to discuss topics around Intercultural Leadership. Explore more information about the Conference, including keynotes and speaker biographies, here.
- Looking ahead, mark your calendars for the Virtual Institute & Film Festival 2025 on September 22–27th. Co-hosted by SIETAR Europa and Young SIETAR, this virtual event invites educators, researchers, and change-makers to explore the theme “Navigating Interculturalism in an Era of Disruption: Where are we coming from, where are we now, and where do we want to go?”
- 40th Anniversary Annual Conference in Japan with the timely topic of “Intercultural Communication and Peace-Making Efforts” will take place in Tokyo on October 11-12th, 2025.
And to wrap up a busy year, November will see four other significant events happening (nearly) simultaneously!
However, if you find yourself in France or Germany during that time, make sure to check out the following events:
This was just a snapshot of resources and events from our global network, and we encourage you to explore what else other SIETAR Global groups have to offer. For more information, please feel free to reach out to Sue Shinomiya – our point of contact for SIETAR Global. Stay connected and continue building bridges with us!
