This year Fairbanks will host the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) convention, which is the largest annual gathering of Native peoples and the largest convention in Alaska, drawing more than 4,000 people from around the state. The Culturally Diverse Communication Committee will provide several one-hour training opportunities in September and October to the public and employees of businesses in Fairbanks to help ensure the comfort, safety, and satisfaction of visitors during the convention. Courses will be offered at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center on September 17 at 11 a.m., September 20 at 6 p.m., September 24 at 3 p.m., October 5 at 5:30 p.m., October 8 at 3 p.m. and October 10 at 5:30 p.m.  You can register for a Culturally Diverse Communication Training session at afnfairbanks.com/training.

Training topics will include an understanding of what culture is, who are Alaska’s diverse Native peoples, differences in communication styles, how to avoid misunderstandings while communicating, and how to accommodate cultural differences.

If preferred, managers can have their staff trained on-site. The length of training can be customized to meet your staff’s needs, if done on-site. For more information about training content or to schedule a training session, contact Helen Renfrew at (907) 459-3765 or email hrenfrew@explorefairbanks.com.