Journal 1: Reflecting on week 1 and week 2 classes and readings, please articulate your own arguments (for and/or against) international development work. What are your recommendations for conducting service in a manner which is respectful to the host community?
I have had mixed feelings about international development and volunteering in general for the past few years. On the one hand, I have had great experiences volunteering where I felt like I was useful and actually made a difference and I have also had experiences where I felt useless and in the way. This is something I worry about when I think about international service as well. There seem to be a lot of cases where volunteers or international development workers from developed countries go to a developing nation, but don’t actually achieve anything and even negatively affect the community. As Ivan Illich articulated in “To Hell with Good Intentions,” just having good intentions really isn’t enough. I think this is a huge issue and something to be extremely mindful of in international development work, but I also think that if people go about international development in the right way, it can be very successful.
The first two classes this semester have helped me to reflect on my feelings about international development and service. I’ve come to the conclusion that I support international development work but I think it needs to be conducted in a certain way. For starters, volunteers and international development workers should not go into their service thinking that they are there to help. I think saying that you are “helping” creates a sense of superiority and condescension, and also focuses your development work on the negative aspects of the community you are working with. As described by asset-based community development theory, if development workers focus too much on the needs or deficiencies of a community, that community may start to view itself negatively and be less motivated to work towards social change. I think that when asset-based community development is applicable, it is the best way to go about development. By focusing on the resources and capabilities of the community itself, the community will be more inspired to work towards change and progress. I also agree with the Amigos community-based initiative approach. Nobody knows a community better than those who are living in it; the community members are the people that know what changes they want to see in their community. An outsider has no place to go to a different place and tell them how to change. Long-lasting, sustainable changes must come from the community itself.
I think it’s important for volunteers and international service workers to see themselves as facilitators of change, not bringers of change. They must also be culturally sensitive and open-minded, as different cultures and societies operate in different ways. International development workers must be flexible because what works in one country may or may not work in another. A volunteer or international development worker has the important ability to empower community members to make changes and should focus on the assets and strengths of the community to create sustainable, positive changes.