Recent thoughts--
-Before I dive into youth empowerment and inspiration through community development, I realized that I first need to better understand "development" and what that term means to different people around the globe.
-Most community development is implemented by NGOs, and recently, I've been learning about the continuum of effects that "development" by NGOs can have on communities.
-I'm interested in understanding the positive an negative effects of NGOs on both a local and international level in their attempts to "develop" certain people and areas. During my time overseas, both this past semester and during previous experiences, I have found more negative reactions and opinions on NGOs than positive ones...and despite this, I have come across very little research that looks at the perspective of the "developed" on the "developers." Hence, since I am interested in pursuing youth and community development as part of my future career (and maybe doing a summer project with a community development organization), I figure I better understand the effects of NGOs doing development work today, especially from the perspective of the communities undergoing "development." And the more conversations I have with people about their experiences with NGOs' involvement and development in their comnunities, the more I feel like I could (and maybe need to) spend next summer researching the effects of this kind of work/ which organizations are actually having positive impacts on communities nationally and internationally... Not from the opinion of the NGO workers, and not based on the "success rate" of their projects and programs, but in the eyes of the communities, how beneficial is the development to them? Which organizations actually do community-DRIVEN development, not just community development? Is our generation--the next generation of NGO founders and leaders--aware of and listening to what community-dwellers want themselves, especially when we are implementing programs from continents and oceans away?
Articles:
1. Kristof, C. (2008). "When aid harms." New York Times. http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/when-aid-harms/
This article is based around a message from Edna Adan, the founder of a maternity hospital in Somaliland, where she expresses her frustration with NGOs "snatching" newly trained midwives that graduate from her school. The NGOs in Somaliland claim to be unable to help fund any of the training programs, but as soon as the women graduate, the organizations swarm the students and offer them higher salaries--making it nearly impossible for Edna to retain any of the midwives she trained for her own hospital.
2. Engineers Without Borders-USA. (2011). "Principles for development." http://www.ewb-usa.org/projects/ewb-usa-community-programs
EWB-USA has a strategic plan for community development that is guided by a framework of community-driven and people-centered approaches to development initiatives. Their principles Are a model for other international NGOs for establishing relationships with communities and implementing sustainable changes through partnerships and a humble yet committed approach.
3. Shahana et al. (2006). "Are NGOs tools for empowering the poor or social agents for the state?" Development Planning Unit, University College London. http://shahana.awardspace.com/presentations%20pdf/Shahana%20Dastidar%20-%20NGOs%20and%20empowerment%20of%20the%20Poor%20-%20Presentation.pdf
By presenting "positive and negative aspects of NGOs," Shahana reveals the implications of NGOs, both the potential to be beneficial and/ or detrimental to communities. She also questions the relationship of NGOs to the state, revealing the importance of understanding NGOs' intentions in community development, causing us to ask who the real benefactors are of community programs.
(a few other interesting articles I've found on the topic!
Dotterweich, J. (2006). "Building effective community partnerships for youth development: Lessons learned from ACT for youth." http://www.health.state.ny.us/community/youth/development/docs/jphmp_s051-s059.PDF
Review of "Help versus harm: The impact of NGO interventions." http://www.politicalreviewnet.com/polrev/reviews/MISR/R_1521_9488_283_1007909.asp
Magadla, N. (2008). "CBOs and development at grassroots level: Fact and fiction." Afesis Corplan: Promoting democracy and community-driven development. http://www.afesis.org.za/Local-Governance-Articles/cbos-and-development-at-grassroots-level-fact-and-fiction)
Friday, September 23, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
Post 1
What Do I want to get out of this experience/ What are my skills?
During my next summer project, I want to serve to inspire. I want to use my time, energy, and resources to motivate young people to identify their own passions and aspirations, and then empower them to pursue their dreams. I hope that through my project, I can empower other youth to believe in their own agency and potential to change their communities and the lives of people around them, to inspire them to participate as an active citizen in the environments which they live. I hope to catalyze inspiration and motivation in a community through pouring into and working with youth in some development capacity.
This quote by Steven Burkey, an expert on human (personal) development has led to me to think a lot:
“Development in any meaningful sense must begin with, and within, the individual. Unless motivation comes from within, efforts to promote change will not be sustainable by that individual. The individual will remain under the power of others."
Through helping youth develop respect for themselves subsequently respect for others, I hope to use conversation as a catalyst for cultivating a spirit of service in a group(s) of young people, listening to and learning from what individuals want to see happen in their own lives and in their communities. Through one-on-one interactions, I hope to uncover and discover the dreams that young people have for themselves and for our world.
Skills: During my last semester at Vanderbilt and during one of my classes here in Cape Town, I've been studying a lot about community development, and I feel like the knowledge I have in this area is one I want to cultivate and use in my summer project.. I am realizing that one of passions is empowering others...especially youth. When I reflect on the times when I have felt like I was serving "naturally" and organically, times where I have "fit" into relationships and experiences, all of them have to do with imparting a sense of self worth and value in another individual. My passion is to plant hope and to cultivate inspiration in the hearts and minds of other people, so that THEY can realize their potential and ability to serve others in their communities...I want to be a catalyst....I catalyst of individual change that leads to community transformation.
During my next summer project, I want to serve to inspire. I want to use my time, energy, and resources to motivate young people to identify their own passions and aspirations, and then empower them to pursue their dreams. I hope that through my project, I can empower other youth to believe in their own agency and potential to change their communities and the lives of people around them, to inspire them to participate as an active citizen in the environments which they live. I hope to catalyze inspiration and motivation in a community through pouring into and working with youth in some development capacity.
This quote by Steven Burkey, an expert on human (personal) development has led to me to think a lot:
“Development in any meaningful sense must begin with, and within, the individual. Unless motivation comes from within, efforts to promote change will not be sustainable by that individual. The individual will remain under the power of others."
Through helping youth develop respect for themselves subsequently respect for others, I hope to use conversation as a catalyst for cultivating a spirit of service in a group(s) of young people, listening to and learning from what individuals want to see happen in their own lives and in their communities. Through one-on-one interactions, I hope to uncover and discover the dreams that young people have for themselves and for our world.
Skills: During my last semester at Vanderbilt and during one of my classes here in Cape Town, I've been studying a lot about community development, and I feel like the knowledge I have in this area is one I want to cultivate and use in my summer project.. I am realizing that one of passions is empowering others...especially youth. When I reflect on the times when I have felt like I was serving "naturally" and organically, times where I have "fit" into relationships and experiences, all of them have to do with imparting a sense of self worth and value in another individual. My passion is to plant hope and to cultivate inspiration in the hearts and minds of other people, so that THEY can realize their potential and ability to serve others in their communities...I want to be a catalyst....I catalyst of individual change that leads to community transformation.
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