Hello!
We hope you enjoyed your panels today. We'd like to focus the class discussion, however, on the first fifteen minutes of class. Please respond to Ivan Illich's essay "To Hell With Good Intentions" and to the brief conversation we had in class. You might also talk about the other reading we sent out in your email yesterday or any of the Recommended Readings under the "Volunteerism" section.
We are very impressed with the degree of maturity and understanding you displayed in class today, and can't wait to continue to the discussion on the blog.
Julia and Stephanie
After reading the essay by Ivan Illich's I felt similar to the way Julia said she did after reading his essay. I was not sure whether or not I should even try to volunteer anymore, and although his essay was a little disheartening and a tad depressing, he had a lot of great points. It is true that many people feel as though when they are going to volunteer that they are going out of their way to go help a bunch of less fortunate people who are some how in need of someone else's help. A lot of people may go into it believing that they will not learn something new from those they may meet on their trip, which is what Illich's was saying one must do. When someone goes to volunteer they should not go with the idea that they are there to help but to learn, which is what I think is extremely important because the experience is not just so you can feel good about playing a role in helping someone else but is about learning from them and by learning you can grow and continue on to try to make some even greater impacts in other parts of your community and others. I would say if you have not learn anything from your experience then what was the real point in going, it is to gain a better understanding of others. This was also what many of those in the panel said today as well, they pointed out that you may have a preconceived notion about people who are homeless but many times you will be surprised about how incredible they are. like the lady said about how she helped out at a shelter and met a man who could draw some of the greatest pictures she had ever seen and a man who could make great poems. They stressed the need to get to know the people at our sites for who they are as human beings to understand how they have got to the positions they are now in and to try to listen and to just have an understanding of who they are and where they come from. I feel that this will be the hardest part for some yet the most rewarding because some people forget that they are just people, people just like ourselves who want and need the same exact things that we do. Sometimes it easy to forget this and because we have grown up differently it is hard to completely comprehend what they have gone through because we cannot relate but if we listen to them we will then be able to see that they are not different. I liked what the panelists had to say since they have all had some connection to volunteering and they all had something good to say that was really informative and gives me a better idea about the mind set I should have when going to my site.
ReplyDeleteReading Ivan Illich’s essay made me sit back and rethink volunteerism. I have always held these opinions of a large amount of Christian missionary work. Too often organizations good intentions result in blindly proselytizing members of the communities they come to “serve”. They come into the communities without any understanding of their culture or practices. At the very least, that appreciation is necessary to make any judgments on another way of life. Without this, they have no basis to judge those they come to serve as in need of help. To blindly impose their religion on ‘poor, unfortunate, lost souls’ shows a blatant disregard for the cultural practices of the people the come to serve. The ethnocentrism that causes these actions is repulsive to me. Even more than that though, how on earth could that improve their quality of life? It does nothing to end the hardships—famine, disease, fear—they suffer daily. Just as Illich discusses, this is not beneficial for anyone.
ReplyDeleteBut to stretch that view to all of volunteerism? That thought had never crossed my mind.
Illich shows that the problem does not lie only within the values radical Christianity or religion, but within the values of the American middle class. I have always considered myself a part of this group. I immediately thought, “have I committed these same errors I abhor while I have volunteered?” But more importantly, how can I possibly avoid it in the future?
It is all too easy to slip into the habits and cultural norms I have been raised in without realizing—it is all I know. But, I cannot be doomed to make these mistakes. Illich lays out exactly what needs to be done—I need to come in the mindset to learn; I need respect and gain an understanding for the environment around me.
This is exactly what all of the panelists discussed today in class. Each participant had been profoundly impacted by the culture differences they witnessed through their volunteer work. They were able to take this lesson back because they spoke and speak the universal language for children—play.
Ivan Illich’s essay, although very effective and humbling, to me is only one person’s view on volunteerism. He is an effective essayist, portraying the points with vigor and in a way that I view as almost abrasive to the senses. He is discrediting people for their actions, ignorant or not. Illich is trying to relay that by going to volunteer in any location, it is important to realize the impact of your actions, even on the smallest scale. Although I do agree with this, I also think it is hard to become an expert on anything with out having personal experience in the literal field. People may have to learn from mist takes before realizing that by their “do-gooding,” then inspire a young girl to marry a young self made man. As Julia said, perspectives on volunteerism like Illich’s take the compassion out of helping people. Illich also makes very valid points on how many volunteer organizations try to help others in ways that are not effective at all. I think the most important thing to do going into any volunteer situation is to really analyze what will help those in need the most. Emily Lamb didn’t just feed kids healthy snacks; she gave them the recipes and materials to do so, enacting a frame of mind for healthy eating. The Strong Girls Campaign doesn’t just help girls become strong, healthy and fit, it enacts a mind set that girls can do anything, and that respecting others is very important. Illich suggests the way volunteers approach situations in Mexico is wrong, however, provides no real example as a “right way,” except to no longer try to help those communities. There is always another option. However, I think it is very important to understand that it is equally as rude and invasive to impose your self, and help, up on others who frankly may not want your help. It is so important to be aware of your surroundings and the feelings of those who you are aiding at all times. I wish I could talk to a panel of Lions, Bears and Elephants and ask them what they would like most! I think for now I’ll stick with cleaning up their poop as a good start, followed up with affection.
ReplyDeleteI found Ivan Illich's essay "To Hell With Good Intentions," remarkably powerful. His arguments against the type of volunteerism I've been surrounded with for most of my life left me questioning all of the volunteering I have done. The notion that I was perhaps a perpetrator of the activity he actively criticized, brought about a substantial amount of cognitive dissonance. While Kala Stroup's lecture emphasized how important our work as volunteers is to society, Illich's essay indicated that volunteerism, specifically in Latin America, has many more negative implications than positive ones. I found myself asking, "How do I volunteer without unknowingly imposing my beliefs on someone else?" As difficult as it is to answer, I'm very happy that we are exploring this extremely important and pertinent issue. In my opinion, Illich's point that the hypocrisy of volunteering "to help" is unbeknownst to most is a key issue that we need to think about. For whatever reason, our society has led people to inherently believe that this world is divided into the “haves” and the “have nots”, and that the “have nots” want the help of Americans and people from other affluent societies. In turn, we act on this notion. As Illich declared in his speech, "It is incredibly unfair for you to impose yourselves on a village where you are so linguistically deaf and dumb that you don't even understand what you are doing, or what people think of you." Upon reflection, I see where Illich is coming from. It is unfair. However, part of me has a difficult time nullifying the work that many of the volunteers described by Illich do. If an American provides healthcare to a Latin American without the Latin American seeking it out, I can see how that is socially damaging. Still, however, the person received health care that they would not have received otherwise. It is often difficult to decide if the ends justify the means of volunteer work. Regardless, if we educate ourselves about the issues at hand, serve with a humble attitude and open mind, and demonstrate that we have a desire to learn, not just help, we can do an enormous amount of good for communities without subjecting anyone to ideologies they do not want to adopt.
ReplyDeleteIn his To Hell with Good Intentions, Monsignor Illich has some very strong things to say regarding volunteerism. It is his opinion that setting out to work with populations of lower socioeconomic or education level is morally malignant. This moral malignancy stems from the fact that the motivation behind this work is often the desire to “up-lift” the less fortunate, and spread the gospel of the American middle class. This potentially off-putting viewpoint has several important implications to bear in mind. First, we must remember that populations of lower social, economic, or education level, are not “less-than” or in need of being “up-lifted”. Along with this, we, as a group of predominantly middle class college students, must remember that we are not better, or even better off, than those who have received less formal education or who come from areas of lower economic status. We must also remember that we are certainly not capable of up-lifting or changing the lives of these same individuals by stopping in for a week to carry out a list of chores that “those in need” are more than capable of carrying out themselves. Second, we must remember that there is plenty of room for activism and service within our own community, and amongst people who share stories, circumstances, and experiences that are similar to our own. This may not be explicitly, or even implicitly, stated in Illich’s address, but there is need and hurt everywhere we look. If you wish to positively impact another’s life, you can do so without ever leaving your own home town. Rather than focusing on changing the world, or saving a life, by traveling to areas where the average income is lower than your own, Illich encourages us to reach out into our own community. This can be done without organizing a volunteer trip, or heading to a region with poorly rated high-schools. This can be done by being a friend to your lonely neighbor. This can be done by reading to children in your local elementary school, and showing them that someone besides their parents and teachers care about them, and are excited for their futures to unfold. Third, Illich reminds us that traveling to other, even foreign locales, is not, in itself, innately wicked. This wickedness, Illich claims, stems from the intention behind the trip. If we approach our trips with an attitude that we are by no means better than the individuals whom we are travelling to work with, then something good will truly come out of our trips. This good will not be the “up-lift” of the “less fortunate”, but will be the education that we receive about the lives and experiences of individuals around the nation who are just like us.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ivan Illich has touched on some very important topics in “To Hell With Good Intentions” that we can relate to on many different levels. In the realm of volunteerism, this speech makes me step back and think a bit about my own intentions with participation. I, like certain many others, definitely don’t want to do more harm than good when I donate my time. Illich is intent on making it clear to us that it’s best for us not to try and help those to whom we cannot relate and share some level of understanding, and this makes sense on so many obvious levels but it can slip our minds easily. I think that a lot of the people with whom Illich had issue either got so caught up in the glory of being a volunteer or in the excitement of travelling that they’ve lost sight of the purpose of their trips and whether or not they’re meeting this purpose. I think this is why it’s stressed so often that we should focus on learning and not as much on “helping” because, as Illich suggests, our way isn’t always the right way or the best way. Because I love to study different cultures, I agree with a lot of what he is saying on this level. I don’t expect to travel to Mexico, for example, to “help” the Mexicans. I don’t speak a word of Spanish, I don’t know a thing about their culture, and I don’t know how much they understand about mine. How am I supposed to be helping them, in that case? I want to be able to have an impact on the world, but this speech makes me step back in a very good way and think carefully about how I achieve that. Perhaps just learning about their way of life will be help in itself, or donating my time to another cause. These are the seeds that Illich has planted in the mind of the volunteer, and hopefully they will have as positive an impact as they have had on me, because I can take this speech with me on my trip to the Appleton-Whittel Research Ranch. Although I won’t be working to help feed the impoverished, or teach underprivileged children, I sincerely believe that I will be helping the world in a small and indirect way by helping sustain the native Arizona ecosystem and working to preserve wildlife. I am not imposing my culture on another, and I am not going there just to help, but I am going to learn so much about wildlife and sustainability that I will be sure to bring something back to Kansas with me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read Ivan Illich's essay "To Hell With Good Intentions" I was really confused. I thought that he was saying that volunteering was bad and that people shouldn’t do it. It took me reading the essay a second time to get a grasp on what Illich was trying to convey. He wants us to realize that we are not heroes or saviors for volunteering. To not go into our trips assuming that we are better than the people that we are going to encounter or that we are going to change their lives forever. He wants us to go to learn not to “help.” While I don’t know that I agree with all of Ivan Illich’s points, I will concede that his comments give me a new perspective on which I can contemplate what going on this Alternative Break means to me and why I am doing it. On that note hearing the other Alternative Breakers various reactions to Illich’s essay was interesting. It always surprises me how many different ways people can interpret a text. The first girl to comment about the essay really seemed to realize the message Illich was conveying about the concept of self-righteous volunteerism. Then a guy made another comment that interpreted Illich’s message or intention in a different way. Both Alternative Breakers made good points and made me think about Illich’s essay in a way that I hadn’t before. This open flow of communication and ideas is one of the things that I love about the Alternative Breaks group of people.
ReplyDeleteThe other text that I read for the meeting was “Papi Leaves PEPY – 20 Lessons Learned” by Daniela Papi. This reading was more up my alley in terms of me being able to engage in what she was telling me. I like the fact that even though Daniela loves the group she is with and what she is doing she understands that it’s time for her to go. Daniela realizes that there are other people that could better benefit the organization. The lesson that I liked best from this text was that we have to learn before we can help. I feel this solidifies what Alternative Breaks has been trying to get us to understand through the speakers and the readings.
Ivan Illich's essay, "To Hell With Good Intentions," touched on some very important, and often forgotten aspects of volunteerism. His message was very powerful, and essentially stated that "volunteering" can often times do more harm than good. In my personal experience, I have witnessed my friends and peers going to third world countries, and even different locations within our own country, in hopes of "helping the poor people," or "helping the less fortunate." From an outside third party perspective, these varying groups probably did not need the "help" and influence that my peers were to trying to provide, and essentially force upon these "less fortunate people." It is easy to look at groups that are different than yourself, and think "hey, they need to live their life the way that I do. I need to give back!" and ultimately be unsuccessful because these groups do not want/need your "help." The idea of volunteerism is balanced on a very fine line...and Illich sees the line very clearly. It is hard to understand what can be done to help an organization or group, without fully understanding their lives, cultures, and background stories first. Instead of approaching volunteering with a "I'm here to help and give back to these poor unfortunate people" state of mind, volunteers should strive to learn about cultures other than their own, and seek out opportunities to grow and share with others around them. While on the One Colorado Alternative Break trip in January, I hope to gain more knowledge about methods of spreading LGBTQ advocacy. I feel that our trip is slightly different than some of the others because we're dealing with an organization that NEEDS supporters to thrive. My hope is that I can learn as much as possible, grow along with my group, share stories, and gain the tools necessary to continue supporting the LGBTQ community within my "homes."
ReplyDeleteMy initial reaction to Ivan Illich’s “To Hell With Good Intentions" was to rationalize Alternative Breaks so as to dismiss his arguments. First, he claims that good intentions don’t help anybody. Second, he states that travelling do-gooders ignore worse poverty at home. And finally, he challenges volunteers to “recognize your inability, your powerlessness and your incapacity to do the ‘good’ which you intended to do.” Although I was on the defensive when reading the article, I do think that Alternative Breaks has a solid rebuttal to each of his points. I do believe that our program moves past just volun-tourism and is able to be effective.
ReplyDelete“To hell with good intentions. This is a theological statement. You will not help anybody by your good intentions,” Illich states. I agree that many good intentions can be misguided and actually harmful when not accompanied by well-thought out plans. However, I think that someone with good intentions is exponentially better equipped to make a positive change in the world than someone who consciously does not care. With Alternative Breaks, at least everyone is at this essential “good intentions” step. The problem, as Illich points out, arises when good intentions are also the final step in the process of volunteerism. This is where learning is critical. As a service learning organization, we take the time to train volunteers, to educate them about the issues, and to foster reflection.
Another of Illich’s arguments is that travelling volunteers ignore worse issues in their own communities. Again, Alternative Breaks does not do this. With both the mini-break before the trip and the emphasis on continued volunteerism in the Lawrence area after the trip, we realize that needs in our community also must be met.
Finally, we must not be “pretentiously imposing” ourselves on those that we serve. And I think we do a good job of realizing that our one week of service is quite inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. The service learning emphasis recognizes that the educational experience will prompt lifelong changes in the individual attitudes and behaviors of the volunteers, and that is the important part.
Although Illich has a good argument against volun-tourism, I think that Alternative Breaks does a great job of emphasizing the learning aspect. This keeps us from becoming a detestable organization like those that Illich references.
I found Ivan Illich’s essay “To Hell With Good Intentions” a little too pessimistic. He makes some good points but I think he goes too far. Nonetheless after reading his essay, I definitely changed my view on volunteerism. Before, I thought that volunteerism was just people with good intentions trying to help others out, but it actually goes much deeper than that. The essay made it seem like volunteerism outside of one’s community is futile. I would have to disagree with this idea. Yes, volunteerism in other parts of the world can be shallow or cause more harm than good, but with a deep understanding of that area’s culture and society it can be beneficial. Ivan Illich makes a good point that when you volunteer in your own community you are more able to relate and can get direct feedback. He goes on to say that when someone from the U.S. volunteers in Latin America, he, intentionally or not, imposes his cultural ideals onto them and is not able to relate to them very well. I believe that being aware of this and going out of your way to understand their culture before you volunteer will help alleviate these problems. Alternative Breaks does a very good job with this with the panels of speakers we had in class last Thursday. The two panels of speakers were associated with certain alternative break sites. This was beneficial for the volunteers to get a better understanding of what to expect and how to make the best impact on their trip. I went to the panel that talked about poverty and the speakers talked about how important it is for volunteers to be able to relate to the people they help and treat them like equals. They are humans just like any of us with the same types of desires and dreams. It is crucial to build a trusting relationship with them as you would with anyone else. Keeping Dr. Stroup’s talk from last week about how huge the non-profit sector is and how important volunteerism is, I believe that volunteerism outside of the country is not just possible but just as important as volunteerism in one’s own community.
ReplyDeleteWhile Illich's essay, is very pessimistic, I can't say he's wrong. In the 60s, there was what I would call the age of volunteerism, where Kennedy talked about the peace core and the civil rights movement. From our view this was a great time when we started to give back to the world. But is that how really everyone else viewed it. Most people of the world probably had Illich's view point that the peace core was just some way of spreading the american view and trying to get other countries to like us, and I can't say that not true, because it probably is. However, politicians may think like that, people don't. Every time anyone volunteers they learn more about themselves rather than the reason they are there. Many of the people who were in the start of the peace core started non-profits to help out. I can understand why he may be pessimistic but the essay makes me wonder if he has ever volunteered himself. I do not volunteer to be a hero or try to spread the "good will" of the USA. I volunteer so I can learn more about the world I live in and only by doing that will I be able to try to move a step forward in trying to help make our world a better place.
ReplyDeleteReading Ivan Illich’s “To Hell With Good Intentions” definitely made me step back and rethink my reasoning behind volunteering and all of the work I had done. The first time I read it, as Julia said in class, I was definitely taken aback and was partially offended; he had some very aggressive opinions on the matter of volunteerism—or ‘voluntoursim’ in our society. Even though I do not completely agree with Illich’s view on volunteering, he definitely has some good points. Volunteering in our society is centered on helping others to make yourself feel good. Although I have never though about it before, ‘feeling good’ should not be the only reason for helping others. It should help you learn more about an issue so that you can implement that into your life and better yourself and the people around you by improving on that issue. Volunteering should be about implementing the knowledge we know about social issues to better the people around us who are in need. Although it was a shock the first time I read through the article, after talking about it in class I realized how right Illich was about ‘voluntourism’ in our society. However, I do think that helping others to ‘feel good’ about yourself is a bad thing. I think people will still be appreciative of the help we give them, even if we are not necessarily trying to increase our knowledge on the issue. I think my main purposes behind volunteering will still be to help others and to strive for that ‘feel good’ feeling I get what I know that I am truly helping people. However, he has slightly changed my outlook on volunteerism. I am now going to try and get involved in issues that really affect and interest me; compared to random volunteering assignments I was thrown into before. I do not think those assignments were bad to get involved in, as long as I am willing to learn more about the issues involved with the people I am helping.
ReplyDeleteThis may sound very unrealistic, but as soon as I read this I knew exactly where it was coming from, but my understanding was still pretty superficial. I loved that the rest of the class was able to discuss it further and deepen my understanding of the passage and give me different perspectives. Growing up I did honestly an insane amount of volunteering. Anything that I was asked to do or whenever I saw someone in need, I would jump right in and help. There were many times that I should have said no but I just could not. I loved volunteering at first because it helped me to get out of the house. What teenager wouldn’t do anything for some time away from their parents? As I got older I realized I loved the social aspect and networking. I found it impossible to go anywhere without seeing someone I knew. I then started to do more volunteer opportunities through my church and my relationships became very deep and in tune with my beliefs, which began to strengthen my characteristics and morals as a person. At this point I began to realize that many of the things I was doing I felt like I was getting more out it than I was putting in. Although I would put in 110% and it would wear me super thin emotionally as well as physically, I still felt like I wasn’t doing enough. I then started to try to do things without being noticed. I transitioned to a more humble and “silent” way of helping others; more behind the scenes work instead of being in the limelight. This to me made my experiences so much more fulfilling than I could have ever imagined. So basically, this passage from Ivan Illich hit home hard and I felt like I was just sitting there nodding my head in agreement with what everyone was discussing.
ReplyDeleteThe most important point that Illich brings up (and from our discussion in class) is the need to enter this type of situation with as much humility as possible. We must remember that we are there to learn from these people, not to serve them. We are certainly different from the people we will work with in many ways, but we must always remember that we are most certainly NOT better than they are. We do not know what they need better than they do, and we probably will never truly understand how it feels to be them. No one wants to be preached to, no one wants to hear that their lifestyle is wrong, and no one wants to feel that they are pitied or looked down upon. In addition to approaching these situations with a sense of humility, it is important that we become as educated as possible before attending our breaks. Each site has its own set of issues surrounding it, as well as certain behavioral guidelines that must be observed. The more educated we are about our particular site; the less likely we are to do or say something offensive or inappropriate. The last thing any of us wants to do is cause more harm than good, so it is important that we take Illich’s essay to heart and make a conscious effort to think about his arguments throughout our breaks. Our purpose should be to foster relationships, learn, and grow.
ReplyDeleteIllich’s reading was a little hard to grasp at first, but after reading through it a second time the message became much clearer. What I took from the reading was that Illich was upset that people were volunteering for the wrong reasons and making those they intended to help feel inferior. Illich suggests immersing yourself in the culture and environment of the place you are volunteering in. By doing this, you understand the people and the issues they are facing. I think our Alternative Breaks does a good job of avoiding what Illich is lecturing against through our Service Learning courses. Through these courses, we are learning about the sites we will be volunteering at and the different issues surrounding these sites.
ReplyDeleteThe other article we read with the twenty lessons learned was very interesting to read. My favorite lesson was when the author said that we vote with our money. This is something that I think that everyone should keep in mind, although I realize it is very challenging to do this. Last year, I saw a video about the water industry and how it is controlled. In this video, my eyes were opened to some of the business practices of Coke and other industries that I disagree with. Since then, these ideas have kind of taken a back seat in my mind. Recently, these things have been brought back to my attention. I have learned that one of the groups that Coke donates money to is a group whose mission goes against my morals. Because of this, I have tried to no longer buy Coke products so that I am not indirectly supporting these groups that I disagree with. This can be very hard especially since Coke is the beverage provider on campus and in many restaurants. However, the article reminds me that every time I buy a Coke product, I support that group, and whenever I consider buying a Coke product, I remember this article.