So You Want to Change the World

Good. No matter how you define justice, there’s a great deal of injustice in our world today – 30,000 children dying daily due to largely preventable causes, 1.1 billion people living in extreme poverty. And working to somehow stand against injustice rather than just sit comfortably by is step #1. I’m writing this entry for the many people who regularly contact Amizade with questions somehow related to: “There’s a great deal of injustice in the world, what can I do about it?”

Most of the time, when people contact us, they’re asking about global issues. Of course, there are a great deal of social challenges and community needs in the United States. We actually have partnerships in the Navajo Nation and Washington DC  too. If you’re interested in service in the US, you should definitely check out the Corporation for National and Community Service (which has opportunities for people of all ages), if you’re a college student, see if there’s a service-learning office at your university, and if you’re at our partner institution West Virginia University, connect with the Center for Civic Engagement.

But if it’s social concerns outside the US that are calling you to serve, read on. First, of course, there is Amizade. We were founded and continue to serve as a dual-mission organization: we do community-driven development around the world, while also connecting people across cultures through service. Part of that second part of our mission – connecting people across cultures – ensures that we work hard to provide well-supported, deliberate, entry-level service opportunities for people who are new to working outside of their home countries. I once wrote an article for Transitions Abroad about three different ways for university students to approach international service, so I won’t elaborate further here. But suffice it to say that young people have many opportunities to either (1) go it alone internationally and take on all the risk, (2) go with a new student initiative and mediate some of the risk, or (3) go with an established program like Amizade, with a clear and strong safe programming record, and many years of experience working sustainably in the same communities. What Amizade frequently provides students is an entry point into what becomes a lifelong commitment to community development and social change.

Yet Amizade is not for everyone, or perhaps you’ve already completed an Amizade program and are now considering next steps. I recommend taking some time to sit with and sift through the many jobs listed on Idealist, which is a massive clearninghouse of service-related opportunities. Don’t get discouraged immediately – you won’t have the qualifications that most of the organizations are looking for. Nonetheless, it's a great place to consider the kinds of jobs you may want in the future, look at what they look for, and figure out how to get there.

If you decide international development interests you, or even more local sustainable development, Appropedia is a wiki dedicated to sustainable development and appropriate technology. But if it's definitely international development you’re after, and you’re looking through graduate school options, the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) is comprised of member schools where it's possible to get a master's in something relating to development. APSIA’s website is pretty lackluster, but it gives you the relatively short list of schools in the US that are serious about development studies (Europeans tend to have many more options within the field of development).

Clark University is not an APSIA member, but it offers great programs relating to International Development, Community, and Environment. Moving away from broad development schools to more specific training, opportunities exist both within social work and public health. Social Work, to be completely forthright, is challenged to figure out its approach to the international realm. At least among social workers in the US, there has been a very strong attempt to standardize and clarify the profession, which has led to rather precise rules for what can count for a social work internship or field placement. Typically field placements must be supervised by another Social Worker, and there aren’t that many licensed social workers in the most poverty-stricken parts of the world. Nonetheless, there are a few innovate programs that are finding ways to engage in international social work. Boston College is one of the few programs to offer a real emphasis on international opportunities, along with Monmouth University in New Jersey. 

Public Health programs are also great entry points for working with international development concerns, and the Association of Schools of Public Health allows you to search by degree and focus area, so it's possible to create a list of master's level programs with an international focus. Some of the most interesting approaches to learning about community perspectives or engaging in community-driven research are coming out of Public Health. Though my Ph.D. focused on development (at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs), I regularly find myself reading and drawing from public health approaches.

Finally, the Rotary Peace Fellowship program allows opportunities to earn fully-funded Master's Degrees in Peace Studies or Peace and Conflict Studies. I have a friend who did it and for him it was an incredible springboard into a breadth of good work. He's now had stints with the UN, Save the Children, and is currently working with a mid-size British NGO involved with development work in Afghanistan. 

This offers a bit of a start. There are also many good books relating to development, but I’ll try to address some of them over the coming months. The crucial lesson, from any text or whatever approach to development that one chooses to take, is to remember that many people have attempted development with far too much arrogance. When working across cultures around the world, it’s important to stop, listen, be patient, find ways to work together, wait, be patient again, remind yourself to be humble, and hopefully through this slow but important process, move forward together.