Racial Conflict not new to area
Panther Valley gathering provides open, honest dialogue

Times News, Allentown PA.

Calling the event a “launching point for the future of the Panther Valley Community,” Superintendent of Schools J. Christopher West on Monday welcomed a cultural diversity expert to a town hall meeting, held in the high school auditorium.

As West opened the meeting, which was attended by approximately 100 district residents, he said that during the past three months there have been several racial incidents, including a fight that broke out during a football game. “We’ve had our difficulties; we’ve had our struggles,” West told the audience. “We have reached far and wide and our search led us to Colorado.”

West then introduced Peter Vogel, founder and managing director of Safe to Relate, an organization that deals in diversity and cross-cultural issues.

Courier Express, DuBois, PA.

“In celebration of Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Penn State DuBois Campus students heard the insight of the late civil rights leader through a presentation by Colorado-based CulturePrep speakers Peter A. Vogel and Frances Eckhardt. Their message was that universal and unconditional love is essential for flourishment anywhere, whether the location may be urban or rural.

After a moment of silence for the slain leader, Vogel and Eckhardt employed personal experiences and visualization devices to demonstrate the necessity of using heart, hands, and head to foster peace.

Casper College Online
Casper, WY

“Judy Shepard, founder of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, will open with “The Legacy of Matthew Shepard.” Shepard will speak from a mother’s perspective and (will) urge audience members to make their schools and communities safer for everyone, regardless of their race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation. Since the death of her son, she has made the prevention of hate crimes the focus of her efforts.

Vogel, founder and managing director of CulturePrep Inc., will present a “Safe to Relate” workshop following Shepard. According to Vogel the workshop will incorporate a three-step process of guided self-examination, practical cross-cultural relations skills and the development of an organizational structure to support the advancement of cross-cultural relationships. “Safe to Relate works to foster a better understanding of our cultural biases, maximizing potential relationships.” said Vogel.

Program teaches students around the word to relate

Clear Creek Courant
Idaho Springs, CO

“The streets of the United States are not paved in gold, and despite impoverished conditions in Uganda East Africa, kids there still play on a daily basis. Eradicating such misconceptions about other cultures on both sides of the world is the goal of the Colorado-based organization, CulturePrep. Founder Peter A. Vogel is the messenger; helping Naama Elementary School students in Uganda share their traditions and culture with Grace Christian School students in Clear Creek County

Berks County Cable Television
Reading, PA

Interviewer: “Former university administrator Peter A. Vogel is the president of CulturePrep Inc. His company helps individuals and groups from the public, private and nonprofit sectors improve cross-cultural relationships.”
Interviewer: “Mr. Vogel, how can we begin cross-cultural advancement?”
Peter Vogel: “We begin by acknowledging that a critical need exists for all people to examine their hearts and minds for evidence of cross-cultural insensitivity and respond by being willing to learn practical skills to combat the forces that perpetuate division and intolerance.”

St. Peters College Paper
Jersey City, NJ

On February 12th, Racial and Gender Awareness Week presented its keynote speakers Jennifer Heins and Peter Vogel of CulturePrep Inc. The two explained that communication (listening) is important for cross-cultural relationships. They added that being passive adds to division. Heins suggests that only active attempts to raise awareness will lead to understanding.

Georgian Court College News
Lakewood, NJ

In October, the Student Government Association sponsored an enlightening discussion about interracial relationships on campus. The topic of harmony was introduced by CulturePrep Inc. facilitators, who initiated an in-depth discussion of issues such as, if you heard a derogatory racial statement made at your lunch table, would you react? If there were a cross-cultural conflict in your dorm, what steps would you take to rectify the situation? More general questions were posed on as an effort to promote self-examination.

102.5 FM Radio
Philadelphia, PA

Interviewer: “On Tuesday, February 22, our guest, Peter A. Vogel, cofounder of CulturePrep Inc., will be presenting a workshop at LaSalle University that examines the realities of the multicultural workforce while challenging professionals to scrutinize traditional biases.”

Littleton Independent
Littleton, CO

Differences along cultural, religious, ethnic, economic and social lines can divide neighborhoods, business groups and cities. According to Peter Vogel, owner of CulturePrep, it’s those differences that spurred him to start a business teaching people how to related to each other in spite of differences or past experiences. “I want to have an impact in people’s relationships,” he said,. “to empower people to improve or approach relationships with confidence.” Vogel works with businesses, schools and individuals in workshops designed to address personal, relational and systemic obstacles to relationships.

“Sister School” Program to Bring Unity in the Community
CulturePrep launches first Evergreen/Uganda elementary school partnership

Clear Creek Courant
Idaho Springs, CO

CulturePrep Inc., a leading cross-cultural relations firm, based in Idaho Springs, CO, announced today the launch of its Sister School Pilot Program for Evergreen’s Grace Christian School. The program is designed to help prepare young students for global citizenship and expand students’ perceptions of the world through civic and classroom involvement.

CulturePrep has partnered Grace Christian School in Evergreen with Naama Elementary School in Mityana, Uganda East-Africa for the 2005-2006 school year.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for both schools to get out of their comfort zones and reach out to a different community across continents,” stated Peter Vogel, founder and managing director of CulturePrep Inc. “Having visited both schools often, I saw that students in each country could benefit from learning from the other.”

During the school year, students in each country will write letters, create art projects and prepare a videotape of their school to send to the other. In addition to preparing their culture packet for Naama, Grace Christian students are selling Unity in the Community jar-openers to raise funds for both Grace and Naama needs.

“Fundraising is a great way for people to look beyond their own needs to the needs of others and that is just what our kids at Grace Christian School are doing with the jar-openers,” said Grace Christian School Board President Colette Standen. “Our students are very service-minded and are motivated to sell all of their jar-openers to help someone they have never met.”

After working with schools, businesses and communities from around the world to advance cross-cultural relationships since 1988, CulturePrep has volunteered to serve as the coordinating business and liaison for the one-year pilot program. CulturePrep will oversee the distribution, sales and collections of proceeds of jar-openers and serve as point of contact for the project between Grace and Naama schools. In September, CulturePrep will deliver the funds raised and culture packets from Grace, as well as previously-donated medical supplies, bicycles, books, backpacks and other items to the students of Naama Elementary.

This program is one element of reaching CulturePrep’s goal to make a positive impact regarding cultural boundaries and differences in order to promote diversity-friendly environments,” said Vogel. “Whether it be in education, corporate or community arenas, CulturePrep serves to encourage individuals to preserve and respect cultural differences.”

For more information about the Grace/Uganda Sister School pilot program, call Peter Vogel at 303.567.2424. To learn more about CulturePrep Inc., visit www.cultureprep.com