From Difference to Connection
9 MINUTE READ The BBC UNBOXD Report came out earlier this month, surveying the attitudes and lifestyles of Gen Z (16-24 year olds) in the UK. The results will inform their programming for the younger generation going forward. The findings of the Report around attitudes to friendship and disagreements seem to reinforce a progression towards... Continue Reading →
7 MINUTE READ “There’s an engaging energy in giving a talk live and in-person to deep-thinking folk,” says cross-cultural author Yang-May Ooi. She shares here notes on the talk she gave to the GX Philosophy Group a few weeks ago on the theme of Belonging as well as some of the meaty discussion that emerged... Continue Reading →
10 MINUTE READ In Part 1 of Coalminer's Grand-daughter - A UK Migration Story from Norfolk to Yorkshire, we heard about one English family through Rachel's story. Her family migrated from Norfolk to Yorkshire, and then from Yorkshire to America and Southern England. Comparing Rachel’s family to her own, author Yang-May Ooi found that the... Continue Reading →
14 MINUTE READ Not all migration is across international borders or across the seas. The history of the British Isles is full of personal stories of individuals and families travelling across the landscape in search of a better life. In the days before modern travel, moving from one part of the country to another would... Continue Reading →
11 MIN READ As a companion piece to her story about the Christian tradition of preparing food for Christmas, cross-cultural author Yang-May Ooi was going to write a light piece about Jewish traditional food during Hanukkah, which is also celebrated during December. Then the Bondi Beach shooting happened, an attack on unarmed and peaceful Jewish... Continue Reading →
Bod Griffiths, founder of Vale House Kitchen, joins cross-cultural advocate and author Yang-May Ooi to talk about leaving his big city job to teach traditional ways of preparing and cooking food. Going fishing as a boy with his grandfather gave him a respect for the old ways of seeking out and tracking the food we... Continue Reading →
8 MINUTE READ We might feel safe and comfortable surrounded only by people like us. But, says Matthew Syed in his book Rebel Ideas, that can put us at a disadvantage, make our companies less competitive and might even kill us. Cross-cultural advocate and author Yang-May Ooi shares her review of this thought-provoking book that... Continue Reading →
For this first episode of the brand new Belonging Across Cultures podcast, Malaysian book publisher and film producer Amir Muhammed joins cross-cultural advocate and author Yang-May Ooi to talk about belonging, disconnection and connection in modern Malaysia. The Contradictions of Belonging - Amir Muhammed I’m delighted to share with you my wide-ranging conversation with Amir... Continue Reading →
6 MINUTE READ Continuing the occasional series on British Culture I Love, author Yang-May Ooi reflects on the difference in walking cultures in the hot tropical landscape of Malaysia and cold winterland of the UK - plus the courtesy with which the Brits greet strangers while walking in the countryside, dispelling the idea of English... Continue Reading →
"There can be no lasting peace unless we address the long term psychological impact of war and conflict". ECHOES OF HOPE is a moving and powerful short video about the work of Beyond Conflict, the mental health charity for conflict zones. They are NON-PARTISAN and support local mental health organisations on the ground in conflict... Continue Reading →
7 MINUTE READ Cross-cultural author, Yang-May Ooi, celebrates the things that perhaps most British people take for granted in this new occasional series on Belonging Across Cultures. When we are born into and live in a particular culture, what we see, say and do every day is unremarkable to us. But when we have come... Continue Reading →
How early should we start our Christmas preparations? In this story, we look at the British tradition of getting things ready for the festive winter season - especially making the Christmas pudding. What does all this hard work and preparation tell us about what the British value? Cross-cultural advocate and author, Yang-May Ooi, finds out. ... Continue Reading →