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Forest Interactive’s Regional Talents Talk Inclusive Communication and Language Among Communities in Partnership with Pitogo High School in the Philippines

By October 3, 2022December 8th, 2022No Comments

MANILAForest Interactive’s regional talents, Siti Mahdaria from Forest Interactive Indonesia and Arvee Gomez from Forest Interactive Philippines, joins a learning program organized by Pitogo High School’s English Club with the support of the Supreme Student Government on September 17, 2022.  

Held via Google Meet and attended by students, the program featured Forest Interactive as the invited resource speakers, with the theme focusing on understanding the language of the world.  

As the External Communication Executive of Forest Interactive Indonesia, Siti Mahdaria, or better known as Ria, emphasized the importance of being interculturally competent, talking about working and dealing with a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and communication styles. She shared her intercultural communication experiences in Bulgaria and Australia as an exchange student, offering tips and methods that can be used to improve one’s communication skills. 

“In a high-context culture, we start to build rapport by finding the common ground, and deciding what kind of communication you can use. Either direct or indirect, either formal or non-formal. So, after understanding this, always check the origin of the person you’re talking to, so you can set yourself up properly for communication and to connect well,“ said Ria. 

Arvee, Media Relations Executive from Forest Interactive Philippines, shared her knowledge on inclusive language. Citing a Deloitte study on the behavior of Generation Z in the workplace, she described why the youth of today should be aware of inclusive language, and how its continuous use is an effort to avoid and reduce bias and discrimination in various social settings. 

Arvee also shared the imperativeness of inclusive language since it recognizes the identities of all people and how Pitogo High School students in their own can educate themselves and other people on being sensitive. 

“You take a step back and ask, ‘Wait a minute, is this the right thing to say?’. Learning from this session, you can educate someone to better understand why certain actions could be taken as offensive. [However, remember that] when you educate them, you should not humiliate them,” said Arvee. 

Forest Interactive, together with Pitogo High School, aspires to play a significant part in addressing social issues and learning gaps among public school students, as well as improving learning progress for learners and communities. Acknowledging the enormity of social issues allows this partnership to strengthen, complementing Pitogo High School’s effort in assuring quality education, to increase student’s participation and to lower students’ dropout rate.  

As a United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) member, Forest Interactive is proactive in its commitment to nurture future innovators for the digital economy, facilitating programs and initiatives in schools that can help students prepare for a future where they can thrive with technology.   

About Forest Interactive

Founded in 2006, Forest Interactive develops scalable mobile platforms to connect mobile operators, content providers, and game publishers with their subscribers. With over 15 years of industry experience, Forest Interactive has expanded to include a diverse workforce of 20+ nationalities in 16 regional offices.

Delivering content subscription services, digital voucher and e-commerce platforms, and mobile apps for all ages, Forest Interactive operates in more than 30 countries, servicing 90+ mobile operators and 100+ content partners with the capacity to reach over one billion subscribers worldwide. To learn more, visit forest-interactive.com.