STARR International Is Hosting Global Cultural Exchange Event

STARR Community Service International is gearing up for its cultural exchange event with the National University of Singapore. Photo provided by Katrina Adams.
STARR Community Service International is gearing up for its cultural exchange event with the National University of Singapore. Photo provided by Katrina Adams.

STARR International Is Hosting Global Cultural Exchange Event

By Tia Carol Jones

STARR Community Services International is welcoming 25 students from the National University of Singapore for a global connection event from 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 12th, at Foster Park, located at 1440 W. 84th St. The event is free and open to the public.

STARR Community Services International, Inc., was founded to provide affordable STEAM and STEM programs to underserved communities. It does this by hosting out-of-school programs for students, starting with children in pre-kindergarten.

The students from the National University of Singapore will be engaging the STARR agents, as well as the community in an urban gardening project. The students from the University will also be sharing their culture and snacks with the community. The STARR agents will also be sharing snacks and their culture with the students.

Katrina Adams, the Executive Director of STARR Community Services International, Inc. said the event is part of a global exchange program where the students visit universities in the Chicagoland area. Adams connected with Dr. Jerome Kok and he agreed to bring students to do a cultural exchange with the STARR agents. There will be representatives from nine Asian countries. Vendors from the community and resources for community members will also be available at the event.

Adams said the event is also a way to increase community solidarity and will give the community the opportunity to fellowship. Adams said the goal of the cultural exchange is for the STARR agents and the community to see that the world is not as big as it seems, there are ways to connect with people around the globe. She said she also wants the STARR agents and the community to see that people from around the world have a lot more in common than people think.

“I really want the agents to get to know people outside of America, so they can see it’s not always about black and white, it’s also about our character. I would like the students from the National University of Singapore to come over here in our community, an urban community and see how we connect and get to know us, not what they might read or what they might hear,” she said.

As a world traveler, Adams said that she has felt welcome in other countries. She wants the STARR agents to get that same kind of opportunity and see that there are people outside the U.S. who do want to get to know more about the Black community. She thinks the event is a good way to move towards more global unity. Adams hopes that this cultural exchange will lead to more opportunities for cultural exchanges with people from other countries. She also is hoping that the STARR agents might be able to visit Singapore as a way to expand their horizons further.

“I just want them [STARR agents] to get that feeling of being them, without having to feel like they’re being discriminated against,” Adams said.

Adams said the STARR agents are excited about having the students come to visit. They have been preparing a dance as a way to welcome the students. The agents have been able to try some Asian snacks ahead of the visit. Adams has been teaching the agents about Singapore. She said the students from the National University of Singapore are also excited to visit.

For more information about STARR community services, visit starrcs.org, or you can email info@starrcs.org.

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