About the Cross Cultural Center
about the cross-cultural center
Since November 2021, SDSU-Imperial Valley’s Cross-Cultural Center (CCC) has focused on supporting the success of our diverse student community through programs and events centered on their social justice, inclusion, and validation. We are dedicated to fostering students' wholistic learning and growth through initiatives emphasizing the social justice, inclusion, and validation of the intersectionalities of their social identities such as race, ethnicity, class, ability, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, immigration status and being part of mix-immigration status families.
MISSION STATEMENT
Like the CCC, our mission is ever changing with our campus, greater community, societies and geo-political context at the Imperial Valley and Calexico-Mexicali border region. The mission of the CCC is to create an inclusive campus climate and environment for underrepresented students at SDSU-IV by advocating for the challenges they face and embracing the strengths, talents, and resiliencies they bring from their communities at the Imperial Valley and Calexico-Mexicali border region. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive, welcoming and safe space for all our students through events and initiatives centered on critically conscious dialogue and communication. Overall, the CCC is student-centered and guided by the following student development theories:
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Community Cultural Wealth- Yosso, T.J. (2005).
By applying the community cultural wealth model we recognize the talents, strengths, and experiences that students of color bring with them to their college environment, including aspirational, linguistic, familial, social, navigational, and resistance.
Funds of Knowledge- González, N., Moll, L.C., & Amanti, C. (Eds.). (2005)
By applying the Funds of Knowledge model we recognize the complex life experiences, academic knowledge, and skillsets that derive from our diverse student communities and draw from them to enhance praxis, rather than relying on mainstream or middle class notions of knowledge.
Intersectionality- (Crenshaw, 1989)
By applying an intersectional lens, we recognize how race, gender, class, sexuality and various social identities overlap, and thus create specific challenges and multiple oppressions for our diverse student communities. Recognizing intersectionality helps us create institutional and community equity and social justice.
Critical Consciousness- (Freire, 1970/1993)
We practice critical consciousness, which denotes the ability to recognize and analyze systems of inequality and assume a commitment by taking action against these systems of oppression. Critical consciousness is a foundational process to fighting for equity and social justice in our programming.
OBJECTIVES
Research
We are dedicated to applying empowering and liberatory methods of inquiry, such as photovoice and collaborative autoethnography for the study of student development in higher education, by centering students as the experts and authors of their own stories.
Community engagement
In collaboration with organizations dedicated to the social justice of vulnerable communities at the Imperial Valley-Mexicali border region. We welcome and encourage the greater community to collaborate, participate and attend our events, initiatives and programs.
Multimedia
Broadcast and document events online to provide all students the accessibility to engage with the CCC remotely. Disseminate social justice efforts, policies and practices through the clicktivism of information in social media. Engage in digital social spaces for collaborative community–based content creation, research, and advocacy.
Multi-generational mentorship
Foster the success of first-generation college students in navigating higher education and graduate studies exploration through faculty/staff to student mentorship and student-peer mentorship at SDSU-IV, the community college and high school.
VALUES
Inclusion
Collaborations across campus and the greater Imperial Valley-Mexicali border region through an open horizontal decision making process.
Empowerment
Encourage the acceptance, affirmation, empowerment, representation and validation of all students at SDSU-IV.
Solidarity
Supporting each other and vulnerable communities at SDSU-IV and the greater Imperial Valley-Mexicali border region.
Social justice
Advocacy through action and equity, for the service, success and empowerment of underrepresented students at SDSU-IV.
Humanism
Loving people for who they are, where they are, through care, compassion and grace.
VISION STATEMENT
We aspire to create an inclusive and socially just campus environment for all students at SDSU-IV at our Imperial Valley campuses through interdisciplinary and multifaceted collaborations through SDSU on a local, national, and global scale.
