Culture box for my staff meeting at a new job, help please !

[Olivia933]

I'm starting a new job but have a staff training day next week before I start. They have told me to bring along a culture box to help everyone get to know me.

I have no idea what to put in it. I'm a mum to 3 children so don't have much going on other than being a mother.
They mentioned to fill a shoe box.

Does anyone have any ideas or tips ?

Thanks In advance 😁

biscuits

What type of company is it, OP?

Oh my...
I'd be thinking I'd made a big mistake at this point...

What on earth is a culture box???!!

Favourite book
Favourite chocolate bar
A postcard or photo from a place you love
Song lyrics or a favourite CD
Family tree
Pic of immediate family

My thoughts exactly, what is a culture box 😂
The job is at a preschool as an early years practitioner.
I literally don't know a single thing I can put in it at this point 😂

Thank you so much, that's really helpful 🙏🏼x

Food is cultural
A favourite childhood book

Ah, well that makes it alone less 🙈🙈🙈🙈 then, OP!

ive not heard of it either. I think it’s probably not a great term in this instance - maybe a ‘Get to know me’ box is a better description.

ChatGPT says…

Does anyone have any ideas or tips ?

Look for another job asap

This will be about cultural capital so places you’ve visited, museums, art galleries, postcards, favourite books, time in nature etc.

Where are you / your family from, OP?

I’m from Scotland / the north east but live in the south now. So I might put in some Scottish tablet, a postcard of Bamburgh Castle, and one of my gran’s recipes. Plus my immediate family tree and my favourite book / poem / song lyric.

Resignation letter ! .... honestly I have no idea what they are asking for - why do companies do this, it's worse than 2 truths and a lie !

@cocoloco23 I'm from England and the city where I live 😂 that's what makes it more tough, as anything cultural will be what all my colleagues are used to anyway. From advice on here, I'm just going to put in some of my favourite foods and books etc. maybe a few family pictures, hope for the best. X

Thanks everyone. I'm glad I'm not the only one as baffled with the idea. I'd understand the whole point if I was living in a different country etc as it's having an understanding of my personal culture.. as mentioned, a get to know me box would probably be a better way of putting it.

I've got some good ideas from you all, so thank you 🙏🏼😁💕 xx

I cant believe companies or organisations still go along with this wank

I would put nothing in it and say Im a woman of mystery. Work me out for yourselves.

It does seem a little strange as a request. I’d put some postcards, seashells, pine cones, a scented candle, some inspirational quotes, several lipsticks and some theatre tickets, fairy lights, family photos, and my old Brownie badges in there and use favourite books to fill the rest of the shoebox to show I don’t just spend my time watching TV. Perhaps a torch and a Swiss Army knife to show resourcefulness and a face mask from Covid.

It’s to showcase cultural capital, I’d be tempted to put my little flag from the Queen’s jubilee to demonstrate British values too.

As much as I wouldnt go along with this BS, just to say that we all have a culture, its formed of our family habits and traditions, national habits and traditions, our ethnicity, religion, personal habits and traditions

So you have a culture, its formed of how you live, what you do, what is important to you, your habits and routines and rituals that your family do.

Not that I would do this but just explaining how lots of people misunderstand the word culture.

for bullshit like this id be tempted to go down the cigarettes and alcohol route

A burnt spoon with some tin foil.

Me too, a Fifty Shades book and a photo of my ironing pile.

We do this with all the new children entering Reception year (EYFS) - they usually put in a few photos of family or holiday, and anything that means something for them - ticket stubs from a journey or a trip out, a toy etc. You can probably leave out the random rock or stick that often makes its way in there. 😆. It is just a way to help the little ones have a chat so we can get to know them, which is what I expect it is for you too,

That’s quite an assumption that A) everyone has a neat cookie-cutter set of cultural artefacts they can fill a shoe box with and B) that they feel comfortable to share that with randoms they barely know.

What if there was trauma in your heritage or family story? Or you are a private person? Or don’t wish to be identified in any particular ‘cultural’ way? Seems very intrusive to me.