{"id":5691,"date":"2018-12-15T01:51:30","date_gmt":"2018-12-15T06:51:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/?p=5691"},"modified":"2018-12-15T01:53:57","modified_gmt":"2018-12-15T06:53:57","slug":"the-core-of-community-service-selfless-or-selfish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/2018\/12\/15\/the-core-of-community-service-selfless-or-selfish\/","title":{"rendered":"The Core of Community Service: Selfless or Selfish?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Community service always seems to be the answer. How can elite students benefit those around them? Community service. What can elites do to give back to society? Community service. The majority of people don\u2019t tend to push back upon this notion, rather they typically look at it on the surface. On the surface, it seems like a great idea. However, at the core of community service, there can be many moral and social problems.<\/p>\n

In class, we recently discussed some of the issues that surround elites engaging in community service. The biggest issue is the motivation behind the act. Are elites truly selfless, or do they care more about making themselves look good? I firmly believe that completing these charity acts is one of the many practices elites use to retain their power. Sure, it is hard to say that community service doesn\u2019t benefit the public; however, that\u2019s not the point. The point is that elites are able to gain more social capital and power by appealing to their community.<\/p>\n

\"\"
https:\/\/athenspoly.wordpress.com\/2015\/06\/23\/notes-power-privilege-navigating-power-dynamic-in-polyamorous-relationships\/https:\/\/athenspoly.wordpress.com\/2015\/06\/23\/notes-power-privilege-navigating-power-dynamic-in-polyamorous-relationships\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u2019m curious how this concept of community service fits into the discussion of global citizenship we\u2019ve been having throughout this semester. We\u2019ve used global citizenship as an umbrella term for people who are socially and politically conscious on a global scale. Global citizenship is seen as a positive concept; however, is it not another practice for elites to retain their power? The reason I question this is that community service is supposed to be a large factor in global citizenship. Using post-colonial theory, one could argue that elite students confuse global citizenship with abusing their power and imposing values upon minorities. Around the world, international schools are attempting to create global citizens who can become future leaders. By using community service efforts, these students are able to gain \u201cknowledge and experience\u201d working within the world, which can also be known as gaining \u201cpower.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another issue with community service that I\u2019d like to address are the various power dynamics involved. For example, an elite student working with kids at a local school may seem simple. On the surface, it seems easy, caring, and generous. This may be true, although there\u2019s another side to this story. An elite student that\u2019s helping a child from a weaker social class, for example, may be giving that child a false perception of what they can become in their life. By sharing values and mentoring a child with their own elite culture, the elite student may not be benefitting the community as much as they might think. In an article titled, “From conscientization to imagining redistributive strategies: social justice collaborations in elite schools” by Adam Howard and Claire Maxwell, the authors mention that most elite students only grow up within elite contexts. Therefore, they may not understand the scope of inequality in their society and may not know how to engage in community service work properly.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important for me to note that I understand this may seem like an extremely pessimistic view of the world. I\u2019m not trying to convey pessimism; instead, I\u2019m attempting to provide a realistic perspective, one that nudges a complex of humanistic and moral values. In other words, I hope to question some of the \u201crighteous\u201d efforts of the elite, in order to ensure that the overall impact on the lower social class is net positive. I do believe in the benefits of certain civic engagement efforts. For example, I support the mentorship and types of connections that elite students can make with kids at local schools. I\u2019m optimistic about the concept of micro-successes, such as small acts of generosity, which can eventually add up and make a large impact. This blog post is not trying to take away from those positive effects; rather, it\u2019s asking elite students to be critically aware of their bias and imposition. I\u2019d suggest that elites make sure to question their motives when participating in community service. So selfless or selfish? There may not be a definitive answer, although as an elite student myself, I think it\u2019s essential to always question your motives and ensure that you\u2019re aware of the impact you have on others.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

References:<\/p>\n

Adam Howard & Claire Maxwell (2018): From conscientization to imagining redistributive strategies: social justice collaborations in elite schools, Globalisation, Societies and Education<\/p>\n\n

\n <\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Community service always seems to be the answer. How can elite students benefit those around them? Community service. What can elites do to give back to society? Community service. The majority of people don\u2019t tend to push back upon this notion, rather they typically look at it on the surface. On the surface, it seems […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8097,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5691"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8097"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5691"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5698,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5691\/revisions\/5698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/global-elites\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}