By rgpederson on December 10, 2008
Two summer ago, three of our Engage Uganda students blogged throughout the summer about their experiences. From time to time, I will highlight some of their most poignant comments. Today, I want to step back and focus on some of the core questions that founder Nathaniel Whittemore asked in setting up Engage Uganda and that we have kept in mind in creating the Global Engagement Summer Institute:
Preparation – what are the resources provided to participants so they can prepare – culturally, personally, and professionally for a totally new context?
Local leadership – how are community hosts engaged so that we move past aid that reinforces dependency?
Utilizing existing assets – how do we effectively engage with communities to help add value to the assets and knowledge they already possess?
Reciprocity – how do we make sure that we foster ‘mutual development’ in which all parties offer one another a valuable, meaningful experience?
Sustainability – how do we maximize short term interactions for long term results?
