Today, Dr. Kala Stroup visited class and gave us a general introduction to the non-profit sector. Dr. Stroup gave a brief history about the sector and discussed how your volunteer experience can help you learn about and find a job in the non-profit sector.
We also discussed the article "To Hell with Good Intentions" by Ivan Illich and used the article to guide a discussion about the value and intentions of volunteering. We discussed how Alternative Breaks uses education to inform our volunteer trips.
Please reflect on Dr. Stroup's presentation or the discussion about the Illich article. We encourage you to refer to specific facts/ideas that Dr. Stroup discussed or specific quotes from the Illich.
- Stephanie, Julia, Natalie and Katie
As Dr. Stroup spoke about the different types of sectors, she spoke of how non-profits impact everyday life more than we may think. With the overcrowding in hospitals to everyday normal necessities, many things do, in fact, come from some sort of non-profit organization. Since non-profits do not collect any revenue for themselves, I think it is fantastic that such a thing exists. I think many people tend to overlook these organizations as a quality resource, since many do not need the help that they provide. It is shown though, that non-profits are absolutely crucial for the quality of life and social justice, especially from low-income individuals. With each group going to a different location, she also stressed how important it is to get to know the organization we are helping, so we could use the skills we gain to help in future internships and careers. As a future social worker, I look forward to using the skills I gain to help other young individuals that come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
ReplyDeleteFor the second half of the class, the topic was shifted onto Illich’s article “To Hell with Good Intentions.” Within my group, which is helping at the Peter Paul Development Center in Richmond, Virginia, we discussed the importance of not trying to force our lifestyles upon them, but to understand more about what they live in. Since we are only there for a week, it is practically impossible to completely change their world. We are just there to help and make connections with these kids. We also discussed that though the article may be very brutal, it was brutally true. One of the quotes that specifically caught my attention was, “If you insist on working with the poor, if this is your vocation, then at least work among the poor who can tell you to go to hell.” When I viewed this quote, I came to a realization that America does actually overlook many of the nation’s problems. Especially dealing with education, it is important that inequalities are extinguished. From this, I am excited to grow in my knowledge about my site and to continue gaining throughout the next upcoming weeks until my trip.
I think anyone would agree with me when I say I was a bit shocked by Ivan Illich’s To Hell with Good Intentions. As I was reading the article I was even a bit offended by the things he was saying. As with every article in a college setting though, you must re-read with feelings put aside and an open mind. Some of Illich’s points were valid, especially when Illich said “next to money and guns, the third largest North American export is the U.S. idealist…” this statement has been true in the past, when America tried to force it’s ways in the late 19th century during The Age of Imperialism. It can still be found today, as we think our materialistic view-point on life, is the only life, and is better then the simple life that humans from other countries choose.
ReplyDeleteOne of the next points that Illich highlighted in his speech was sacrifice. To me sacrifice means something you give up or either do that one does not want to do. Illich says “… You will be told that you are doing something valuable, that you are “sacrificing” to help others.” Valuable and sacrifice should not be in the same sentence, this is because valuable is something good, and if someone tries to do something good when they really don’t want to do it, it is not worthy of value. For myself, completing community service is not a sacrifice, it is something I love doing and I consider it a hobby.
Having Dr. Kala Stroup come speak to our class was quite a pleasure. Her speech was an eye opener to all of the non-profit organizations out there and how important they are to the world. During her speech, I did start to think about how our world would be without all of the 7 million volunteers in America. For myself, I was raised up in the organization of 4-H, and without all of the parent volunteers in 4-H I would have never had the same experiences, I would have never been a Kansas State 4-H event planner, never gone camping, and never traveled to Washington D.C. It was also very assuring to hear Dr. Stroup say that you can make a living in the non-profit world. It certainly put my fear of not being able to fit volunteering into my career, at rest.
Kala Stroup’s presentation was encouraging, informative, and engaging. I truly enjoyed listening to her experience in the non-profit sector and how our generation is volunteering even more than the previous generations. She talked about the many people who volunteer each year and how organizations like 4-H are important to our community. It is absolutely true. I believe that communities function so smoothly because of people who are passionate and willing to take their time to help others. It was definitely the pleasant aspect of the day. However, the Illich article, “To Hell with Good Intentions” was definitely a shocker for many of us. I know it was for me! My first thought was, “Did this guy really give this speech to people who volunteered?” The speech made my group question if the people we want to help really wants or asks for it. The quotes that we were asked to discuss caused me to think more about service and how I should carry myself while I’m volunteering. My favorite quote was, ‘By definition, you cannot help being ultimately vacationing salesmen for the middle-class “American Way of Life,” since that is really the only life you know.’ Many of us Americans call our vacation “volunteer work” and try to adjust their way of life to our own. All of his sentences came off brutal, but they were honest. It was a whole new perspective that I know will be useful when I go on my alternative break and even to future volunteer opportunities. Another quote that was not discussed in class that really caught my attention was, “There is no way for you to really meet with the underprivileged, since there is no common ground whatsoever for you to meet on.” I agree, it is difficult to understand another person’s way of life without “walking in their shoes”. It was once again a brutally honest statement. However, I personally believe that it is possible to help others in areas that we are less familiar with through training and preparation. So, that too will influence my decisions whenever I volunteer in Texas and even to other places I go. I sure learned a lot during my second day in class and it definitely changed my thoughts about volunteer work.
ReplyDeleteDr. Kala Stroup’s discussion about the non-profit sector was very interesting. I have never considered a career with non-profit organizations, and, even after her talk, I don’t see that changing. What she did change in me, however, was my willingness to volunteer. Although there are millions of people who work for the non-profit sector, there are millions more volunteers who make the goals of the sector possible. There are several organizations, like the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and numerous others that are constantly recruiting new volunteers. I also found her discussion of the difference between religious and non-profits organizations very interesting. Because of the separation of church and state, Dr. Stroup mentioned, no religious group is considered a federal non-profit organization, even though the Catholic Church is the world’s most generous giver to the poor. This designation between non-profits and churches makes sense, but is interesting to note in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteOur group discussion about the Ivan Illich article was very thought-provoking. While reading the article on my own, I found myself getting somewhat upset, even angry at times, because I felt that Illich was being overly harsh about the subject. I felt that he was throwing around accusations that all people who go and volunteer are tourists who are just making life harder than it needs to be for the people they are helping. After speaking with my group about the issue, it dawned upon me that this does often happen, and that Illich had a pretty good point. There are many people who go to other countries to help, and, not knowing anything about the different culture they are immersed in, create a horrible divide and generate many tense feelings from the native inhabitants. That is why it is important to learn everything you can about the culture, and, as we discussed in class, make an international volunteer effort a long-term commitment. For our Alternative Breaks, we won’t have to worry much about the issues that Illich brought up, but it is very good to keep his words in mind as we go about our volunteer work. Illich’s closing line, where he encourages people to visit foreign lands as a tourist, to see it and enjoy it on a vacation, but “do not come to help”, was very meaningful to me. It confirmed his overall point in the article, that if you’re going to come and bumble around trying to “make a difference”, then to not even bother.
A few things struck me about the Illich speech. Right off the bat, I’m wondering if his speech actually did influence anybody to rethink their volunteering aspirations. As in, did anyone, after hearing this speech say, “Geez Louise this guy is right I’m outta here,” pack up their things and go home? I’m guessing probably not, but at the very least he got many people to think about why they were doing what they were doing. And in this sense, I’d say his speech was successful.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I found it somewhat interesting that an Austrian was telling people to come” climb our mountains and enjoy our flowers, but do not come here to help (us)”, yet was not even native to that country. It seemed a little bit ironic that a person who originally had come to Latin America to “help” was now discouraging other people to come “help”. That being said, I think this contradiction is reconciled but what I feel is the main sentiment of his speech. That “helping” is a life-long commitment and that to truly “help” someone, you can’t just “hit and run” in the name of having good intentions. By ‘hit and run’, I’m referring to the idea of going to volunteer somewhere for a short period of time, then leaving afterwards and returning to a privileged lifestyle without being affected by the issues, poverty, or injustice you leave behind in the rear-view mirror. I think that Illich feels that going to “help” a people for a short period of time, actually benefits the “helper” more than the “helped”, and that good intentions are merely a guise for the selfishness of the “helpers”. To me, this notion is embodied in the quote, “…it is profoundly damaging to yourselves when you define something that you want to do as ‘good’, a ‘sacrifice’, and ‘help’”.
Another part of his article that really resonated with me was the part where he was talking about, “your dogooding in a Mexican village is even less relevant than it would be in a U.S. ghetto” and “at least work among the poor who can tell you to go to hell”. These quotes remind me of an adage that I firmly believe in that goes, “why do you worry about the sawdust in your neighbor’s eye when you have a plank in your own”.
Another aspect of the discussion from class that I enjoyed was the ethical question. Is it our duty to help someone who doesn’t want help? If yes, are we violating their human rights? If no, are compromising our moral obligations?
At first the reading surprised me. It was apparent that Illich felt strongly about what he had to say, and wanted to spread his beliefs. The reading was very opinionated, but it still had lots of good information especially for a group of student preparing to leave. The first time I read over the speech I was confused, and did not want to accept his viewpoint. Once I took a second look at the article I soon noticed that there was some good information within this opinionated speech. I thought that the last paragraph summed up the article very well by saying, “I am here to entreat you to use your money, your status and your education to travel in Latin America. Come to look, come to climb our mountains, to enjoy our flowers. Come to study. But do not come to help.” I thought this was very powerful for many different reasons. First, he speaks to the idea that everyone he is speaking to is wealthy, and educated. This it not the case a lot of the time, people from all walk of life do what they can to help. Then Illich goes on to invite the volunteers to come spend a vacation in Latin America, but to “not come and help.” I agree with this to some regard, because I do think that all volunteering is good. But if there is a common goal between both groups I fully support the act of volunteering. That is were I think Alternative Breaks is different from some organizations. The AB program puts a lot of focus on learning from the people we are going to help. The goal of the group is not to change others beliefs, but it is to help in ways they want. Overall the ideas of Illich will be in the back of my head when going to help in Joplin, and that we should not pressure any of our ideas and beliefs.
ReplyDeleteDuring Dr. Stroup's presentation, I realized how important volunteers are. I volunteer because it makes me feel good, and also to do a service to others in my community. What Dr. Stroup opened my eyes to was the fact that people do it as a career. If it weren't for them, non profit organizations would not be able to keep themselves going. The volunteers work super hard to keep the non profit sector alive to provide the services that they do. I have only really focused on volunteering on a local level, and was unaware of how much of a difference volunteering can make on a national and/ or global level. The fact that struck me the most, as she said it would, was the statistic about how much money volunteers bring in and that it was more that the GDP of Australia! That is a lot of volunteering and a lot of effort being put in to this sector, with out personal compensation (in the form of money) to the majority of those who volunteer. Which shows the selflesness of the volunteer, as well as how important it is to them if they are spending all that time without monetary compensation for work.
ReplyDeleteThe Ivan Illich piece I had already read in another class last semester. Volunteering has always been an important part of my life, so to hear someone claim that people who volunteer are wrong kind of hurts. I do see the point of having to understand the person we want to help before we go to their country to assist them. We need to understand WHY we are helping and the people's view so that we can not be accused of "imposing"our way of living onto them. Volunteering should be done to help others and to spend your time in a valuable way, not to hurt others.
When Dr. Stroup gave her presentation, I found what she had to say to be very motivating. Even though we're doing community service on our breaks for just a week and we won't try to change the world, we will definitely have a positive impact on their lives. Not a lot of people, if anybody, dedicates their entire lives to trying to change the world, but anybody can contribute even a little bit to help their community. When I read the Ivan Illich article “To Hell with Good Intentions,” I disagreed with a lot of what he had to say, especially the quote, "Suppose you went to a U.S. ghetto this summer and tried to help the poor there 'help themselves.' Very soon you would be either spit upon or laughed at." By whom?
ReplyDeleteEven though I couldn't understand what Ivan Illich was talking about, I have to ask, what is the actual reward for volunteering? When I wanted to get accepted into the National Honor Society, I had to do a few hours of community service at the Lawrence Humane Society (even though I don't like being around cats and dogs.)Since then, I have yet to any volunteer work. This makes me think that a lot of people in this country only volunteer because they will get accepted into some group and then quit doing volunteer work, especially if the work they did to get in wasn't interesting. This time around, for me, it's different. I chose to do the Autism Study in Colorado because I have Asperger's Syndrome and therefore, I know a lot about what autistic kids go through.
Dr. Stroup’s presentation was an inspiring first class period. She knocked me out from the beginning with her resume, and then kept me engaged throughout the entire presentation with her facts and knowledge. I found her strong commitment to college volunteers motivating and it helped me to see why I was participating in an Alternative Break on a larger scale.
DeleteOne of the first topics that Dr. Stroup discussed was how our generation of college students has the highest volunteer rate since the social reform movements of the 60s. I had never really thought of my volunteering to be included on that large of a scale. Volunteering was simply volunteering and I never thought about my efforts and how they reflected my age group. Knowing how my generation is helping out in the community is important. As discussed in our classes and discussions, college students are more likely to volunteer later in life if they volunteer in college. Hopefully our generation will make volunteering a regular part of their lives and this mindset will carry over for following generations.
Dr. Stroup went on in her presentation to talk about volunteers in different age groups, not just college volunteers. According to Dr. Stroup, 10% of the workforce is in the nonprofit sector. This figure astonished me. I knew it was possible to have a career working with nonprofit organizations, but I would have never guessed that one in ten working Americans had a job within a nonprofit organization. Dr. Stroup shared many important and inspiring facts with us. I wish that more students could hear her presentation.
To someone such as myself who greatly values the importance of volunteering and Dr. Stroup’s message on the importance of nonprofit organizations in serving communities and societies, Illich’s message is not one of discouragement of volunteering all together, but skepticism on modern American motives for service. Yes, the article is rather pessimistic and discouraging to those wanting to serve a community through volunteering; however I, being incredibly stubborn, see this as a tactic to weed out everyone who may be volunteering with a true understanding of their commitment. Illich does want to discourage those who may be volunteering for the wrong reasons, or who may be misdirecting their efforts to the wrong place or service. He wants volunteers to be well informed and feels that it is difficult for us today to volunteer without also imposing our ideals on others. The purpose of volunteering is not to make others see the world the way you, the volunteer does; in fact, you as the volunteer should be using any volunteering experience to learn more about how those who you are serving live, their culture, ideals, attitudes, hopes, and values. So when he says snarkily that “the third largest North American Export is the U.S. idealist” Illich is condemning those who volunteer to blindly “make the world a better place” by assuming that their own world is that ideal “better place,” when in fact they may have a lot to learn from those who they are serving as well. Illich’s ultimate message in this essay is in fact one of general discouragement and skepticism, but that won’t convince me to write off volunteerism and service to others, just to question my motives and make sure I’m approaching such situations from the right angles and perspectives. After all, as Dr. Stroup informed us, nonprofit organizations make the world go round and determine the quality of life of a great many people.
ReplyDeleteDr. Stroup’s presentation about the non-profit sector was very informative and intensified my thoughts on my career. I gave a speech in my Coms 130 class about the SNAP Program and hunger throughout the U.S. and after completing that speech; I had realized how passionate I was about fighting hunger and that that passion could lead into a career. Throughout high school, I worked on Empty Bowls, which is a yearlong service-learning project that my entire school district works on to raise money for Second Harvest of Southern Wisconsin. In order to have a good head on your shoulders, I think that it is important to realize no matter where you are from, there is always someone who is less fortunate than you are and that just a little time and effort may be able to improve someone’s day or even life.
ReplyDeleteI have realized that I’d like to work by doing something, anything that will help others. Dr. Stroup’s presentation validated that passion and made me even more motivated to research more on the non-profit sector. I was proud to hear that our generation volunteers the most, besides the 1960’s generation. I also found Dr. Stroup’s point quite interesting that out of the 65-70 million U.S. volunteers, only a fraction of them actually work in the non-profit sector. This insured me that a whole lot of people can volunteer in their own way or in Dr. Stroup’s words through, “time, expertise, and dollars.” I didn’t realize that programs like 4-H or the Red Cross wouldn’t even exist without the non-profit sector and was also shocked to hear that non-profits had over $1.6 trillion in revenue last year!
Illich’s article was… interesting. Some points were discouraging but made me more motivated to continue doing what I’m doing because I know that I enjoy volunteering and don’t just do it “because it looks good” or for a vacation. Our group mainly discussed about how we should act when we are at our sites. One of our site leaders said to be sure not to refer to the people at the center or anyone who we are helping as “them” or “they.” “They” puts a negative connotation on the people who live in the environment that we are all coming into.
I was very impressed by Dr. Stroup's presentation, both in her outlook and her accomplishments. One thing I took in the most was her encouragement to give to the community in various ways as an adult and a professional. I have always feared I will not have time as I get older, but her personal commitment to volunteerism and her stressing of its importance made me realize that there will always be enough time to lend a hand.
ReplyDeleteIllich's speech did not come off as a complete shock to me. I believe this is because I have often felt similar myself, although nowhere near as strongly. I do believe that many people volunteer for the wrong reasons and do so in an uneducated manner. Too many people feel like they should help those "less fortunate." Rather than being humbled by those in ill circumstances, they still retain an air of significance. Believing they are important and good people because they have helped people, no matter the true outcome of their help. Too many people volunteer ignorantly, believing that to help people achieve a better way of life is to convert them to the volunteer's way of life. Instead of looking at the negative aspects of Illich's message, I chose to look at it as a challenge to redirect the way people think of volunteerism. If everyone were to take on this challenge, who knows what kind of change the world would see.
I used Illich's speech, my own personal beliefs, and Dr. Sroup's presentation to conclude that volunteering is not a lost cause, one simply must be educated and humbled by the experience. Someone brought up during discussion that the main purpose of our Alternative Break is not to be a savior to the organization we'll be working with. We will be helping, but mostly we will be learning. We are not there to shove our ideas on anyone, we are there to gain experience and insight.
Dr. Stroup's presentation was pretty informative, and I enjoyed her enthusiasm for helping people. As a pre-med student, I could only hope that as a potential future physician, I would be able to have that kind of passion towards the community.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that the non-profit was able to garner so much support from people. The amount of people and money dedicated towards that sector was shocking. I was always under the impression that it was a very small part of our economy, so it was nice getting to know that.
Illich's article was definitely something everybody needed to read. It's a great way to start off the class because it gives a different perspective that people need to at least be aware about. When most people think about volunteering, they think about really positive impacts and sometimes naively think that everything they're doing is making a big difference. With my experiences volunteering at the hospital and the lower 9th Ward in New Orleans, I never had any problems with the people I was helping but it's important for us to realize that there will be people that just don't want us to help them. Our group came to the conclusion that it's really important for us to not come off as snobby or imposing on the people we're helping. It's crucial that we communicate and show people that we're there to help out in any way. We're not necessarily trying to change their way of life or criticize their actions.
I found Dr. Stroup’s presentation to be very educational and instructive. Her speech was very lively and she made great points about the importance of volunteerism. I learned quite a bit about the non-profit sectors, and some of the facts she mentioned about them were shocking, I had not realized how many actually existed. I found all the information she spoke about very useful, and it really opened my eyes to how dedicated people can actually be towards volunteering. The passion she puts towards volunteering herself, and the emphasis she puts on the importance of others volunteering was inspiring and uplifting. Other things I learned from her speech were the amount of volunteering organizations that are non-profit and also the volunteering separation of church and state in regards to non-profit sectors. Overall Stroup’s presentation was inspiring and uplifting and left me feeling great about being a volunteer.
ReplyDeleteIn the second half of class we analyzed Ivan Illich’s writing “To Hell with Good Intentions.” First reading this, I was a tad puzzled on what Illich was actually trying to say, but once we split off into groups, I got more clarity on what the writing consisted of. Talking about it opened my eyes as to how in one week we really cannot “change the world,” but at the same time we were doing what we could in helping someone out. Volunteering is more for experiencing and learning, and the places we will all soon visit will be teaching us lessons we will carry for a very long time. Though the article was a bit of a downer, it really brought out a lot in how members of groups felt about volunteering and its importance, which I feel was a positive thing. I hope to bring good to those who I serve while I volunteer this break and live up to the potential to help as much as I possibly can.
I have to admit I was a little thrown off by Dr. Stroup’s presentation when she began last class period, not because the information she was providing was foreign to me but because we read Ivan Illich’s article for that class period. We were being presented with two very opposing ideas on volunteering that struck me. Dr. Stroup kept telling us how proud she was of our generation for being willing to volunteer and in the back of my mind I kept thinking of Illich who basically said volunteers were naïve and in a way selfish. Also, Illich’s speech was given to a group of students getting ready to set out on a volunteer trip much like we are but instead of getting reinforcement like we did with Stroup they received criticism. The contrast of these two speakers was the first thing I noticed during last class period.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I learned from Dr. Stroup was that volunteerism and the nonprofit sector was something being taught in schools. I knew people made careers out of nonprofit work, I met a lot of people doing this while I was in Americrops, but I didn’t know that it was something you could study and use for a major or even your PhD. I’ve really considered making a career out of nonprofit work so her speech provided me with encouragement that if I wanted to search for ways to go into the field there are resources available for me.
Illich article went a bit overboard for me. He seemed to look so far at the negative aspects of volunteering that he just gave up on its benefits which I feel is detrimental to our ability to grown and learn from each other. When I read the title and first skimmed the reading I found that I agree with the idea that there are no self-less acts. I love to volunteer and help others but I am also aware that I gain a lot from all of those experiences. They are not just about helping other people but about learning things myself and gaining a feeling of purpose. When I volunteer I feel that I am a part of something greater than myself which in turn makes me feel good. Therefore, I really don’t think any good dead comes without some sort of self-gain. However, while reading Illich’s speech I began to find that I do strongly disagree with a large part of what he is saying. I think that we have an opportunity to learn from each other through volunteering which Illich seems to disregard. It seemed to me that he thought since there were such striking differences between those who volunteer and those who are getting the volunteer’s service that all we can do is offend. However, if no one ever volunteers out of fear of offending each other, then how will anything ever get accomplished, how will we learn from each other?
In Ivan Illich’s speech “To Hell with Good Intentions,” he discourages the volunteer work of Americans whom have no clue about the culture in which they are attempting to help out. He takes his time to summarize that people should “at least work among the poor who can tell [us] to go to hell.” Mainly, he is warning us of our naivety with the situations that are surrounding their culture. I think that this is a very pessimistic point of view, but he has a variety of valid points that are not very simple to argue with and contest. I personally wanted to call up Alternative Breaks, and say something along the lines of “Are you sure you want my help?” But Illich’s ideas in general are greats lessons to learn from and give me the chance to attempt to exhibit on my respective Alternative Break.
ReplyDeleteFrom his lessons, I can take into account the environment in which I am going to be this Spring break: Memphis, Tennessee. I must be conscious of the role I am placing upon, not only the Mid-South Center for Peace and Justice, but the community in which it is located. I have no personal experience with their area; and therefore, I should be very respectful of how I go about doing my volunteer work, taking into account even the people who are letting us help them. Our work is mainly an extension that builds upon philanthropy with the non-profit sector, but it would be foolish of me to run my hand over their work and take charge. I am merely a guest within their perimeters.
So after letting Illich’s entire speech digest, I came to the conclusion that I must not be so pessimistic and aim to help out in a local area. This is where I can begin—I should let the true social work to the experts like Dr. Stroup. But maybe with a starting point like this Alternative break, I can start to work my way to wider horizons.
In Ivan Illich's "To Hell with Good Intentions", he seems to have an intense animosity against volunteers, especially those who "get off" to volunteering. I think he brings up a good idea, but doesn't expand his view very well. Volunteering, in America especially, has gotten to be such a resume booster that volunteers often have no passion for helping the cause for which they are volunteering. This lack of passion could lead to an unintentional aura of self-importance of volunteers.
ReplyDeleteOverall, however, I disagree with Illich. I believe that people going out of their way to help a cause or a group of people has positive effects no matter what. I also believe that there are many, many people out there that actually have intense for passion and volunteer because they genuinely care for what it is they are volunteering for.
How this can be translated to most Alternative Breaks is obvious, keeping a humble attitude while helping out people. Other Alternative Breaks, like the one I am taking to Utah, will not be dealing with helping people, more doing work with the natural environment. How to keep an attitude that's not focused on me while volunteering, but not with people, is going to be an interesting challenge. It will be beneficial to keep this article in mind for the trip.
In "To Hell With Good Intentions" by Ivan Illich, lots of new and valid points against volunteering were brought up. Myself personally, and nearly all kids have instilled in them that community service is a great thing to do. Colleges love students that have hours and hours of community service. Because of this, I never thought that volunteer work could ever have an negative connotations. But after reading this article, I was taken back. I never thought of any of the points he brought up. Illich says that the idea of going to Mexico and helping the poor would only create disorder. The Peace Corps spends nearly $10,000 on each member to ready them for the culture shock they will encounter when going to Mexico. But Illich brings up the point that the Peace Corps should spend that money instead to educate the Mexicans. This idea makes sense because they spend so much time worrying about the members' experience that they seem to overlook the fact that its the Mexicans who will be surprised more than anything by the Americans and our culture.
ReplyDeleteIllich's strongest point I feel was when he made the comparison of volunteering in another country to going to a poor ghetto in the U.S. and trying to help the poor. Those people would never accept any help and would only reject any efforts made to help them out. Most people in need don't enjoy the fact of having to get handouts from wealthier people. This only reminds them of the state that they're living in and only upsets and angers them. I was amazed about Illich's strong opinion on the matter, and I was amazed to see some truth in his reasoning. Instead of spending all our resources to help the poor Mexicans who have never expressed any desire for help , we should instead focus on staying in America and spend our energy enjoying our resources. Although much of what Illich said was extreme, I saw volunteering through a new set of eyes. I understand that the volunteering experience is not just for the unfortunate people. It's about us, the volunteers, and how this experience is going to teach us about life and how we can grow as people from this trip.
Dr. Stroup’s presentation was very inspiring! To hear about all the amazing things she’s already accomplished within the non profit sector made me realize that there is always so much more to do. When she compared this generation to the 60s generation with activism and volunteering, I was shocked. My generation never struck me as passionate as the 60s activists, but I hope we will change society just as much. There is still so a lot of room for strong activists.
ReplyDeleteIllich’s article, on the other hand, was very uninspiring. When I first read it, I couldn’t understand his points. How could someone say those who help others are doing “damage which…is too high a price for the belated insight that they shouldn’t have been volunteers in the first place”? However, as I began to picture the kind of volunteers and situations he was speaking about, I think I agree with him, Going to a foreign country without knowing the language or anything else really about their culture is detrimental. When ‘vacationing do gooders’ come into a place and don’t know what they’re doing, those volunteers are trying to sell American values. To do good in another community, you must find understand the problems, and instead of imposing yourself by acting superior, help others by being on the same level as them. So yes, there are problems one can face when deciding to volunteer, but that volunteerism should in no way be discouraged. Instead, the right kind of volunteering and attitudes towards the people being helped should be encouraged.
Hannah Whitten-Vile