At One World Language School our mission has always been clear: to empower young people to realize their potential by fostering resilience, confidence, empathy, and cross-cultural communication. We strive to strengthen relationships and promote a more connected, understanding world. But to cultivate these values in our classrooms, we must first live and breathe them as a team.

On May 16, 2026, a group of board members and teachers gathered at the Brown Center for an experiential training session. This day marked “Part 2” of our ongoing journey into “Advocating for self and others,”beautifully building upon the foundation we laid a year ago around “appreciating one’s own and others’ cultures and perspective-taking.” Our focus shifted from the internal to the external: moving from self to others, connecting with the inherent value we each offer and exploring how we can actively use that value to lift up those around us.

Here is a look inside our day of reflection, physical challenge, and deep conversation.

Phase 1: Honoring Where We’ve Been & Who We Are

We began the morning by grounding ourselves in our collective history. Angel handed us anonymous statements to reflect on with a partner. Unbeknownst to us these were statements we had generated at our last retreat:

• “Keep an open mind: ‘my’ perspective is not the whole picture.”
• “Each of our perspectives is slightly different… and therefore don’t assume you don’t have anything to contribute.”
• “Make space for others’ input (without judgment).”
• “I am important/my view is important.”

Revisiting these truths reminded us that our diverse backgrounds are our greatest asset. This led into an activity called Fill Me In, where each of us selected an object representing our heritage and the unique perspective we bring to One World. Passing these items to one another, we debriefed on what it felt like to hold space for a colleague’s story and considered the intangible gifts—like trust, wisdom, and support—that we receive from each other. Through games like Team Tag and Knot My Problem, we examined the physics of connection: How do we recognize when a colleague is struggling? When does someone else’s challenge become “our problem”?

Phase 2: The Island Challenge: Translating and Navigating Together

Moving out to the low ropes course, we faced a physical metaphor for teamwork on the Islands/Nitro element. Split into three groups, we were handed constraints: two of us were blindfolded, two were mute, and two held the vital resources (anagram puzzles and a bucket).

The goal? Gather together on one island, solve the puzzles, and use a swing rope to transport resources to the other side.

The debrief brought powerful, eye-opening insights:

• The Danger of Assumptions: We realized how easy it is to assume what others need. For example, our blindfolded teammates tended to wait quietly for instructions rather than actively asking questions.
• The Burden of the ‘Resourced’: Those managing the resources had to balance distractions and prioritization. It took a conscious shift in awareness for them to realize they needed to actively “translate” and advocate for the mute team members.

This challenge perfectly mirrored the workplace: sometimes we have the tools but lack the communication; sometimes we have the vision but are navigating in the dark. To succeed, we must communicate intentionally.

Phase 3: Moving from Scenarios to Strategy

The heart of the afternoon was spent diving into real-world scenarios that our teachers and staff encounter. We looked at three specific challenges:

1. Responding to Cultural Mockery: How to handle a student making a fake accent and exaggerated sounds when discussing other cultures.
2. Advocating for a Student Experiencing Bullying: How to support a newly immigrated student whose accent and traditional food are being targeted, even when the student quietly says, “It’s okay, don’t make a big deal.”
3. Encouraging Authentic Representation: Navigating the pressure to “Americanize” cultural lessons (like serving only tacos and nachos) out of fear that authentic regional traditions might be rejected or mocked.

As a team, we brainstormed how to respond in the moment and how to support colleagues facing these exact dilemmas. Our key takeaways centered on approaching situations with curiosity instead of shutting them down without explanation. When a student mimics an accent, we explore how those actions make others feel and try to understand the intent. We committed to cultivating empathy by role-modeling, connecting lessons to teachers’ own lived experiences, and honoring individual uniqueness while celebrating what makes us alike.

What We Give, What We Need: Crafting Our Group Norms

To wrap up our workshop, we put pen to sticky note, mapping out what we can realistically give to our team and what we need in return to be successful.

What We Can Give: Our team is ready to step up. Members offered to give everyone meaningful space to contribute, regardless of limitations. Others pledged their time, ideas, and unique perspectives, expressing a readiness to communicate more deeply than last year. We had beautiful offers of logistical support: sharing technical expertise, volunteering classroom time, and taking “busy work” off leadership’s plate so they can focus on big-picture impact.

What We Need: In return, our team asked for vulnerability and clarity. To support our teachers, we need to know what they are going through. We want a more profound involvement in their daily work such as classroom experiences, prep work, and parent communication to understand how to best lift them up. We also identified structural needs, such as clearer behavioral contracts for parents to protect the quality of the teaching environment all year long, and a desire for specific tasks tailored to individual strengths, interests, and availability.

Moving Forward

We closed our formal session with a lighthearted game of Vegetable, Vegetable before transitioning into a wonderful shared lunch.

The training at the Brown Center reminded us that advocacy isn’t a passive concept; it is an active, daily practice. By honoring our own experiences, approaching discomfort with curiosity, and leaning heavily into authentic communication, we are better equipped to guide the young people toward a more empathetic and connected world.

Thank you to Angel Brunelle for a transformative day, and to our incredible staff for showing up with open minds and vulnerable hearts! We also want to thank NHCharitable and the Joanne and Jane Dwyer Fund for making this workshop possible.