People always ask me what I want do in my life. Each time, my answer includes "making an impact." I suspect others like me exist at Dartmouth. But how does one make this impact?
I have tried to make an impact both in my communities (California, Israel and Dartmouth) and outside my communities. To be honest, sometimes I have failed. Other times I have encountered serious obstacles. Overall, I have been more successful at making a difference in my own community where I know the people and where I can help for a sustained period of time.
I am concerned that an increasing number of students substitute international service for local involvement. Five years ago, 1,200-1,300 students at the Tucker Foundation provided over 40,000 hours of local service a year. Now 950 students provide 30,000 hours of local service a year. However, increasing numbers of students are applying for Tucker international programs or fellowships, such as Project Bangladesh or the Nicaragua Cross Cultural Education and Service Program. Easier transportation, increasing international consciousness and pressure to stand out in the pre-med or corporate process have led students to go abroad. What has happened to local efforts?
First, many Dartmouth students forget they are members of the Upper Valley community. But our surroundings exist and we are part of them. We live here, eat here, walk here, rent movies here, and we interact with other members of this community almost every day, both on campus and off campus. As Jan Tarjan, the senior program officer for local service at the Tucker Foundation, would say, "the community is on the doorstep, whether you make it your door or not."
Second, even those who admit they are members of the community may not recognize its problems. Yes, New Hampshire has the lowest national rate of overall poverty and one of the lowest national rates of child poverty, but these figures hide significant problems. Rural families can barely survive on an income double the national poverty line. Some of these families live within a 30-minute drive of the Green.
Admittedly, a number of highly successful local efforts remain. Organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Outdoor Leadership Experience and America Reads have grown rapidly over the past five years. Kolleen Burbank '09, the co-chair of OLE, says that feedback from kids, parents and Mascoma schools has proved OLE's significant impact on the community. Kids have gained confidence, appreciation for learning and outdoor skills.
But these highlights do not make up for what Tarjan describes as a "decreased passion" for local service. After all, why work in White River Junction when you can go to Bolivia?
However, making a difference in Bolivia can be awfully hard. When Kevin Scully '09 went to Ghana this spring, he constantly questioned whether his efforts were valuable. Kevin believes he made a positive difference in a rural medical clinic and elementary school. But he attributes his success in part to constantly questioning his efforts.
Kevin points out flaws in the approach of international volunteers who leapt into action without questioning themselves. A group of Canadian volunteers, for example, immediately began giving lectures about AIDS before understanding local culture. But AIDS in America is a vastly different issue than AIDS in Ghana, where masculinity and religion play a crucial role.
Experiences of Kevin and others reveal the volunteers' steep learning curve during abroad experiences. Anna Krigel '09 admits that the first third of her time in Peru was necessary to feel comfortable, to gain confidence in her language skills and to become at ease with the people around her. Like Kevin, she was at first frustrated by feeling that her work was done inefficiently, and only toward the second half of the program did she feel satisfied with her efforts.
Local and international service experiences each offer their own advantages. But substituting one for the other should not occur. Why not do both? But if you can do only one, why not choose local action? By helping the surrounding community you can make a difference, improve Dartmouth's relationship with the Upper Valley and be a good community member. Tarjan would also say you could be in a position of leadership, prevent harmful isolation of the College, increase your comfort with people of different age groups, build healthy two-way relationships and challenge yourself to think of issues in your own "backyard."
I strive to balance my urge to go abroad with my duty to the local community. I encourage you to do the same.
