Reaching Out & Applying to Other Communities
I think that the biggest general ideas I got out of my experience this summer, as well as my research and reflection this semester, have related to the role that a community and community groups/organizations can play in educational initiatives. While there are structural and political barriers that children in Ghana face when it comes to achieving their educational goals, there are others that can be tackled and conquered through community education and outreach. As AYEC proved to me over the summer, small groups of people can even work together to try and combat the larger political hindrances as well.
Below is a paper that I wrote that summarizes what I feel are general practices and attitudes that when carried out by community groups, can exact change for those they seek to help::
"It is true in many cases that if you want something to get done, you have to get it done yourself and cannot expect others to do it for you. When interviewing for the opportunity to go to Ghana last year, one of the big things that I was asked was to demonstrate how I was able to take initiative, while at the same time remaining flexible. This proved to be invaluable to me in many ways. One was that I was prepared to seek out ways to become involved during my two months in Ghana, not only within the sphere of work with AYEC, the NGO I worked with, but also within the community. I pushed myself outside of my comfort zones too many times to count, putting myself to the mercy of an army of kids as they attempted to teach me Ewe or fix what to me was dancing, but to them was just entertainment and hysterical. As equally as important, however, was the awareness having this mindset brought me when working with AYEC.
Unlike most of the other volunteer organizations present in Ghana, AYEC is extremely small, and completely run by members of the community that have volunteered their time and effort. None of the five members are paid monetarily, their gain coming from the satisfaction of helping education the children of their community. AYEC and what they have accomplished has been the accumulation of the committee’s initiative, compassion and flexibility. Every year for the past eight years or so, Notre Dame has sent two students to volunteer with AYEC for the summer; the volunteer fees paid by the University has been the main source of funding for AYEC ‘s projects. Though they only have volunteers for two months a year, AYEC has managed to grow tremendously the last few years. Having growth amid such inconsistency and short-term support is a feat that not many small organizations can boast, yet AYEC handles it with grace.
Relationships:
I think the most important thing I learned this summer was how a small group of concerned community members, and short term volunteers, can come together and make something actually happen in just two months. At the heart of this success, there are two main factors that are the most important in my opinion, and build off of each other. The first is perfectly highlighted in Caroline Conzelman’s essay about her research experience. The base of Conzelman’ss essay is the idea of reciprocity. On page 125, Conzelman says, “Over time this back and forth builds long-term relationships of mutual aid and trust. Compared to this, then, the standard development practice of a wealthy entity donating ‘aid’ money or technical assistance puts unfair pressure on the poorer receiver to reciprocate and is a bastardization of appropriate social conduct.” The members of AYEC took the time to get to know me and my site partner and they came and taught us things about their language, culture, politics, farming, or whatever else we may want to know about. Though we were able to help them with and teach them about certain things, we all made sure that everyone was learning and getting something out of the relationship. I truly believe that it is because Andrew and I also learned from AYEC that we were able to accomplish what we did.
By building this relationship, AYEC was able to accomplish the other factor that I think has been critical to their success. Solansky et al. talk about successful NGO management in relation to leadership strategy in their article “On the Same Page: The Value of Paid and Volunteer Leaders Sharing Mental Models in Churches." The biggest part that I got out of it, and that which is most pertinent to AYEC, was the following quote on page 205: “Given the important role leadership plays in organizational success, it seems even more important that leaders, not just organizational members, have a shared understanding of tasks, processes and goals.” Through their obvious passion and commitment, it was easy for Andrew and I to understand AYEC’s priorities, and though we were only present for two months, we made our priority furthering AYEC’s goals.
Advice to Volunteers:
My biggest advice for the volunteers going to work with AYEC next summer will definitely be to try and focus on this idea of reciprocity that Conzelman talks about. Though we’re only there for two months, the relationships I built with AYEC and other members of the village were not only the best part of the trip, but also made the work that I carried out (teaching as well as advising with AYEC) possible. There were times where I definitely sympathized with Conzelman, where “everything seems pertinent and important to investigate now because everyone else here is intertwined with all aspects of their society, religion, economy, environment and more. It is easy to lose track of one’s ultimate goals or get bogged down with information, and this requires a constant reorientation toward the final product. (Pg. 123)” With such a different and unique experience, and with so little time, there were times where I was so flustered and overwhelmed with everything I wanted to learn about. Only by interacting and giving and taking with community members and AYEC did I truly get something deep and meaningful out of my summer. In whatever adventures I find myself on in the future, I know that I will make this a focus and priority during my stay."
Below is a paper that I wrote that summarizes what I feel are general practices and attitudes that when carried out by community groups, can exact change for those they seek to help::
"It is true in many cases that if you want something to get done, you have to get it done yourself and cannot expect others to do it for you. When interviewing for the opportunity to go to Ghana last year, one of the big things that I was asked was to demonstrate how I was able to take initiative, while at the same time remaining flexible. This proved to be invaluable to me in many ways. One was that I was prepared to seek out ways to become involved during my two months in Ghana, not only within the sphere of work with AYEC, the NGO I worked with, but also within the community. I pushed myself outside of my comfort zones too many times to count, putting myself to the mercy of an army of kids as they attempted to teach me Ewe or fix what to me was dancing, but to them was just entertainment and hysterical. As equally as important, however, was the awareness having this mindset brought me when working with AYEC.
Unlike most of the other volunteer organizations present in Ghana, AYEC is extremely small, and completely run by members of the community that have volunteered their time and effort. None of the five members are paid monetarily, their gain coming from the satisfaction of helping education the children of their community. AYEC and what they have accomplished has been the accumulation of the committee’s initiative, compassion and flexibility. Every year for the past eight years or so, Notre Dame has sent two students to volunteer with AYEC for the summer; the volunteer fees paid by the University has been the main source of funding for AYEC ‘s projects. Though they only have volunteers for two months a year, AYEC has managed to grow tremendously the last few years. Having growth amid such inconsistency and short-term support is a feat that not many small organizations can boast, yet AYEC handles it with grace.
Relationships:
I think the most important thing I learned this summer was how a small group of concerned community members, and short term volunteers, can come together and make something actually happen in just two months. At the heart of this success, there are two main factors that are the most important in my opinion, and build off of each other. The first is perfectly highlighted in Caroline Conzelman’s essay about her research experience. The base of Conzelman’ss essay is the idea of reciprocity. On page 125, Conzelman says, “Over time this back and forth builds long-term relationships of mutual aid and trust. Compared to this, then, the standard development practice of a wealthy entity donating ‘aid’ money or technical assistance puts unfair pressure on the poorer receiver to reciprocate and is a bastardization of appropriate social conduct.” The members of AYEC took the time to get to know me and my site partner and they came and taught us things about their language, culture, politics, farming, or whatever else we may want to know about. Though we were able to help them with and teach them about certain things, we all made sure that everyone was learning and getting something out of the relationship. I truly believe that it is because Andrew and I also learned from AYEC that we were able to accomplish what we did.
By building this relationship, AYEC was able to accomplish the other factor that I think has been critical to their success. Solansky et al. talk about successful NGO management in relation to leadership strategy in their article “On the Same Page: The Value of Paid and Volunteer Leaders Sharing Mental Models in Churches." The biggest part that I got out of it, and that which is most pertinent to AYEC, was the following quote on page 205: “Given the important role leadership plays in organizational success, it seems even more important that leaders, not just organizational members, have a shared understanding of tasks, processes and goals.” Through their obvious passion and commitment, it was easy for Andrew and I to understand AYEC’s priorities, and though we were only present for two months, we made our priority furthering AYEC’s goals.
Advice to Volunteers:
My biggest advice for the volunteers going to work with AYEC next summer will definitely be to try and focus on this idea of reciprocity that Conzelman talks about. Though we’re only there for two months, the relationships I built with AYEC and other members of the village were not only the best part of the trip, but also made the work that I carried out (teaching as well as advising with AYEC) possible. There were times where I definitely sympathized with Conzelman, where “everything seems pertinent and important to investigate now because everyone else here is intertwined with all aspects of their society, religion, economy, environment and more. It is easy to lose track of one’s ultimate goals or get bogged down with information, and this requires a constant reorientation toward the final product. (Pg. 123)” With such a different and unique experience, and with so little time, there were times where I was so flustered and overwhelmed with everything I wanted to learn about. Only by interacting and giving and taking with community members and AYEC did I truly get something deep and meaningful out of my summer. In whatever adventures I find myself on in the future, I know that I will make this a focus and priority during my stay."