The Experience of a Lifetime

In so many ways, participating in a Dialogue of Civilizations was starkly different than typical classroom learning. There is great value in reading and studying to understand information, but there is something more lasting in looking up and seeing information right in front of you. My perspective concerning my field of study, Human Services, has been enhanced by an increased awareness of the positive and negative effects of people who engage in international development work. I have a greater appreciation for NGO’s who strive to be socially responsible third parties, and work proactively to ensure the implications of their well-intentioned work are not destructive.
Because of this dialogue, social responsibility has become a goal of my professional career. It was so necessary for me to discover that a desire to help was not enough, but rather that my help must be appropriate, responsible, sustainable, and positive in actuality. There are many social enterprises and NGO’s who have done more harm than good in the developing world, and although I do not wish to work internationally, it got me thinking about how my role changes when dealing with marginalized communities or populations of different demographics. Intervention is messy and complex, and must be analyzed through many lenses. It must not breed dependency or undercut local markets or stress profitability toward the intervening nation as a goal. There have been so many examples which I have been exposed to in which these factors have been disregarded, and, because of this Dialogue, I feel more prepared to take on a helping profession that I know will be socially responsible.
I was surprised when I realized that my assumptions about philanthropy were largely untrue. I had never spent time considering how a well-intentioned action could be harmful to a community. Furthermore it surprised me that there is so much evidence on this topic, and yet so few people know about it. The average person does not consider negative implications when donating food or clothing. Americans think we do more than our fair share in aiding the developing world, but no one seems to know that our aid has consistently been disastrous and made things worse. I certainly did not know. This Dialogue helped me gain an important perspective on international development work, service missions, charity, and NGO’s that I will now go on to give to other people.
The single greatest academic benefit from studying abroad was having a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience first-hand things I have been learning in the classroom. Becoming immersed in a culture so heavily affected by NGO’s gave me an understanding that could have not been gained otherwise. Commonly, the opinions of the intended beneficiaries of aid are not considered, so it was enlightening to me to talk to local people about the effects of NGO’s on their lives.
My favorite aspect of this Dialogue was our partnership with the University of Zambia Gender Studies Program. Having the opportunity to engage personally and professionally with people my age from a different culture who were largely working toward many of the same goals as me was incredible. This Dialogue was so impactful because we were so immersed in Zambian culture. We had discussions with Zambian students, worked in Zambian-run NGO’s, and shopped for food at local markets. We as a group felt personally connected to the people we met, instead of feeling like the outsiders we were in actuality. Northeastern professors in the Human Services department are brilliant at teaching about international development work, but no one is so qualified to speak on it as the people who have experienced it directly. Having an international perspective was a vital supplement to classroom learning.
The biggest piece of advice I would give to future Dialogue of Civilizations participants would be to not hold back. You should wholeheartedly and fully immerse yourself in your new city, taking every possible opportunity to hear from local people, explore the more non-touristy areas, and open your mind to surprising new perspectives. The beauty of a Dialogue is the immersion, and students definitely have a say in how much they are going to commit to immersion. Being in a new, unfamiliar place can be daunting, but I encourage future participants to swallow that fear and say “yes” to experiences that might challenge their worldview. You might encounter things that will shake your foundation, but it is in the interest of building a firmer one.
I would love to participate in another Dialogue of Civilizations. The Zambia program was extremely unique, and I know I would have a totally different learning experience in another new city. As Northeastern stresses, classroom learning can only take you so far. True knowledge and understanding comes from experience, and there is no better way to learn than going outside your comfort zone and learning from people with a wholly different perspective than you.