'What makes CCF unique?' - Our 3 Pillars

Cross Cultural Friction is a magazine focused on STEM. Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, but that’s not what makes it unique. Instead, it's our ideology and the way we go about producing content. At CCF, we have three pillars:

By students, for students.

Passion over perfection.

Connection beyond borders.

This post discusses what each of these means and how they make CCF a unique platform for both readers and members.

For students, By students

CCF was founded by two high school students, and at the time of writing, all of our members are in high school. First of all, that helps us understand our member’s situations to an extent. We know how difficult it can be to tackle different responsibilities at the same time and are therefore flexible. More importantly, though, this means that we understand that the issues which our generation deems important can often be seen as secondary by the previous generations who currently have much more influence and a greater platform. Of course, we don't claim to have a platform of the same size as they do, but it’s a start, and the aim is to give students a voice because we are the future.

Passion over perfection

This ties in to our vision as a student-centred platform. It means that we acknowledge we don’t have the same resources, experience, or access as a lot of other platforms out there, but we also don’t allow that to limit us. We’re not looking to make a perfect magazine with a polished style and no errors. Instead, we’re looking to make a place where students are free to express their passions and views. For example, while a lot of periodicals have one editor who ensures all writing fits the magazines desired tone and style, we have multiple. This is firstly because it creates more opportunities for people to pursue their interests, but also because our editors are responsible for checking accuracy, clarity, and for any small errors. They’re not meant to change the tone of the piece because our goal with them is to just make sure every member reaches their potential, while at the same time maintaining their individual voice.

Connecting beyond borders

The name Cross Cultural Friction stems from our desire to create a multinational platform. From two students who have spent their whole lives in international schools across different countries, CCF was founded from an understanding of the identities that both unite students beyond just where they come from, but also help to approach the same world from different perspectives. Our site is dependent on effective collaboration and communication across multiple schools, countries and timezones. We aim to connect people regardless of geographical or cultural barriers through shared interests and a shared desire to learn.