Welcome to GSWCF’s Culture Club!

Girl Scouts of West Central Florida serves more than 33,000 girls and 13,000 adult volunteers within our eight-county jurisdiction. The Culture Club is an information source developed to help our adult membership understand the racial, economic and cultural makeup living within Citrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Marion, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and Sumter counties.

What is cultural competence?

There are many definitions for the term cultural competence, most often found within the healthcare industry. Following are a few different definitions in regards to cultural competence:

Cultural competence refers to an ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures. Cultural competence is comprised of four components:

• an awareness of one’s own cultural worldview
• attitude towards cultural differences
• knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews
• cross-cultural skills

Cultural competence requires that organizations have a defined set of values and principles, and demonstrate behaviors, attitudes, policies, and structures that enable them to work effectively cross-culturally.