We’re getting ready to dive into our local initiatives, namely, cultivating our connections with the Hill District in Pittsburgh by collaborating with community partners on projects that will work towards the revitalization of the Hill. Before we do that however, it’s essential that the volunteers in Global Brigades are familiar with a few key concepts that will start to pop up the more we get involved in volunteer work. Sunday night, we did exactly that-- discussed some of our favorite terms like voluntourism, savior complex, privilege, sustainability, and more.
Those who are interested in reading more about these concepts and terms can refer to links provided below, gathered from a variety of voices and sources: Privilege: 1, 2 Holistic development: 1 Voluntourism and the white savior complex: 1, 2, 3 Why is it so important that we educate ourselves on these issues? Because volunteers who work on community-based projects-- whether they be local and global-- aren’t isolated to themselves. Our decisions, our actions, our attitudes-- they all have consequences on our surroundings and the people and places we come in contact with. This holds true when Pitt students go out and volunteer for the annual Pitt Make a Difference Day, it holds true as we pursue our more focused projects in the Pittsburgh neighborhoods, and it holds true when we bring our presence abroad each year. Think about your own individual volunteering efforts in the context of sustainability and privilege and savior complexes. How ethical is your impact?
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