When it comes to VE, the main aim is to develop participants’ intercultural competence. That is, the skills and knowledge that will enable them to work effectively across cultures; thinking and acting appropriately, and communicating well. With that in mind, it almost doesn’t matter what the topic of your VE is, as long as it provides opportunities for your participants to work together, learn about each other’s cultures, and practise intercultural communication in a safe space.
Therefore, when it comes to picking a topic, the world is your oyster. Try to think about what would interest your participants and provide them with opportunities to either co-create or discuss with the other group. Here are a few ideas:
An international book group: each group chooses books that represent their country or local area for everyone to read and discuss.
International craft collaboration: each group creates part of a larger project and they are joined together at the end of the project (e.g. parts of a quilt).
Photography across borders: create a shared photo album charting life (or any other topic that takes your fancy) in each country/local area.
Problem solving: choose a shared problem and investigate how it is tackled in each country, maybe even implementing what you learn to your local area
Take a look at the What is VE? Case Studies and examples page for some more inspiration.
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