Intercultural Encounters is a non profit dedicated to bringing individuals from all walks of life together in an intentional manner. Intercultural Encounters ultimately asks the question, What's Your Stake? What's your stake in ending violence against women? Making the world a more equitable place for men and women? Challenging sexism, racism, xenophobia and classism? Intercultural Encounters provides three different outlets to get involved, Intercultural Encounters book projects, Common Ground and life lessons from around the world.

One of the ways in which you can pay it forward starting now is by applying and blogging about this month's lessons.

Lesson 23. Be willing to change. Rather than expecting life to adapt to you, adapt to life.

Lesson 78.  Break unhealthy cycles and habits. Heal and create new, healthy cycles that are based on respect.

Lesson 46.  Challenge racism, sexism and all forms of oppression whenever you have a chance. Confront ignorance and hate with love and unity.

The Journey of Life: 100 Lessons from Around the World is a tapestry of universally applicable lessons collected by Sharon K. Sobbotta as she traveled the world as a non-tourist and journalist, while interviewing and collecting stories from people of every walk of life. This award-winning book (named the top multicultural non-fiction title of 2008) beckons people to get beyond superficial differences toward a place of commonality.

The Women's Resource Center has created an online resource that is directed towards the community at Saint Mary's College. Common Ground is a tool to keep students and faculty informed and updated on happenings around campus as well as gain more knowledge on topics such as relationships, health issues, cultural diversity and gender.

At the beginning of 2009 Intercultural Encounters launched 'Project Putting the Lessons to Practice.' This involved applying one lesson a day to life, acting on it and then blogging about it. As a result, Intercultural Encounters will post a different lesson every day online with the goal in mind to get people to put the lessons to practice and to live their lives in a more meaningful manner.