#177 Empower Teens to Bridge Differences and Thrive with Tara Harvey

Flourish Coaching

Jun 3, 2025

In this episode, Lisa and Tara discuss:

Navigating cultural, generational, and personal differences through intercultural competence
Building self-awareness as the foundation for meaningful cross-cultural understanding
Creating opportunities for teens to develop global and human skills in everyday contexts
Connecting intercultural experiences to long-term success in education, careers, and relationships

Key Takeaways:

Intercultural competence includes understanding one’s cultural values and norms and using that awareness to interpret and empathize with others’ differences, not just across nations but including neurodiversity, socioeconomic background, and generational gaps.
Teens can gain intercultural skills without traveling abroad by participating in local experiences such as taking inclusive classes, hosting exchange students, or attending language immersion camps.
Intercultural learning is most effective when combined with intentional reflection or mentorship to help teens make meaning from their experiences and apply the lessons in other contexts.
Skills developed through intercultural experiences — like empathy, emotional intelligence, and flexibility — are increasingly valued by colleges and employers and can significantly enhance a teen’s college application and workplace readiness.

“Developing intercultural competence, a big piece of it is developing self-awareness — like, who am I? What groups am I a part of? How have those shaped my values, my thinking, my interests?” – Tara Harvey

About Tara Harvey:

Tara Harvey, Ph.D., is a highly regarded specialist in intercultural teaching and learning in higher education. In 2016, Tara founded True North Intercultural LLC to provide high-quality professional development to higher education faculty, staff, and institutions, helping them better navigate cultural differences and facilitate students’ intercultural learning (at home and abroad). Tara is also in an intercultural marriage and the mom of two teens.

Episode References:

Tara’s Blog, Intercultural Experiences for Teens: https://www.truenorthintercultural.com/blog/intercultural-experiences-for-teens
#160 How World Languages Open Doors with Dr. Karyn Koven: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/160
#135 Transformative Cultural Abroad Experiences for Teen Personal Growth with Johnny Tock: https://www.flourishcoachingco.com/135
Concordia Language Villages: https://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/

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