Category Archives: Power and Privilege

The Hole in Our Helping, part 2: Service versus Charity, Institutional Self-Interest, & Individualist Ethos

Posted on June 26, 2012 by buildingabetterworld

The second of a three-part contribution to the faith, values, and service-learning series by Richard Slimbach: 2. Charity orientation Once we’ve resolved the questions of who our neighbors are, and what our moral obligations are to them, the question we’re left with is … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Effects, Development, Faith, Global Service-Learning, International Service-Learning, Power and Privilege, Reflections from the Field, Teaching Resources, Values | 1 Comment

Voluntourism Debate, Cambodian Orphanages, & The Need for Better Standards and Data

Posted on June 6, 2012 by buildingabetterworld

Al Jazeera’s The Stream recently profiled a People and Power documentary on the so-called voluntourism industry with a new expose-style piece on Cambodian orphanages. The thirty-minute clip (below) raises several important questions and begs for tighter focus and analysis. Watching the … Continue reading →

Posted in Community Effects, Global Service-Learning, International Service-Learning, Power and Privilege, Volunteer Vacations | Leave a comment

Love Literature, Stop Censorship, Buy a Book, Build a Better World

Posted on May 24, 2012 by buildingabetterworld

Comments, emails, and tweets from Wednesday’s post on Arizona banned books have led to very specific opportunities to address this issue, right now. This is one of the easiest ways to make an important difference ever announced, so I hope you’ll … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy Campaigns, Banned Books, Power and Privilege, Representation | 1 Comment

Buy a Banned Book, Read, Build a Better World

Posted on May 22, 2012 by buildingabetterworld

The bottom line: Many mind-opening, empathy-inducing, and freedom-enhancing books are effectively banned in the US right now. Let’s buy them, read them, discuss them, and share them. Just click here to do so. As many of you have heard, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy Campaigns, Banned Books, Power and Privilege, Representation | Leave a comment

Genius, Vision, Ignorance and Expertise: Invisible Children’s Kony 2012

Posted on May 2, 2012 by buildingabetterworld

What is good global civic engagement? What are its assumptions regarding human dignity and emerging global community? How much expertise must global civil society participants exhibit, if any? How do our students’ study abroad experiences relate to their lives at … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy Campaigns, Africa, Films, Global Citizenship, Invisible Children, Power and Privilege, Representation | 2 Comments

Attempting to Understand Culture from the Domestic Classroom: Teaching Resources

Posted on April 10, 2012 by buildingabetterworld

Culture is a deeply challenging concept. Of course, it is easy enough to memorize many of the definitions assembled about it. The challenge is teaching about something so deeply embedded that it itself determines how we teach, learn, and think … Continue reading →

Posted in Intercultural Exploration & Understanding, Power and Privilege, Teaching Resources | 1 Comment

Power, Privilege, and Film

Posted on April 7, 2012 by buildingabetterworld

Development history demonstrates that many efforts to do good have led to unintended, negative, and even disastrous outcomes. Communicating just how this works - and that this is not an isolated historical issue but an ongoing, embedded development concern - … Continue reading →

Posted in Development, Films, Power and Privilege, Teaching Resources | 1 Comment