my response

http://www.peacecorps.gov/response/

      There’s this fine line between genuine service and the pursuit of the extraordinarily cool (i.e. dude, this homie i know started a Bengali-Nepalese-Peruvian-Tajik environmental-social entrepreneurship-exchange partnership program using locally-derived plant-based mineral tie-dying culturally-based textiles with indigenous prints to generate income for homeless youth). OH, and he fundraised$400,000 to travel to 63 different countries training community-based orgs on how to develop similar programing. Oh and he started a transnational hip-hop group that perform/built a sweet space in the Cape Flats.

My natural Response:
dude, Rad. i want to be that homie. (My second Response: is he single?! ;)

Peace Corps South Africa, 2006 - Getting ready to come home to the States

       I confess, It’s hard for me not to significantly value the ‘extraordinarily cool’ and to NOT measure my experiences and pursuits against it. So how do I prepare and develop my work/volunteer experiences and pursuits to be an honest reflection of genuine service? How do I apply and/or integrate it with my personal work values and ethics?

Here is my cry for a personal and open Response:

I will observe, listen, learn, and be patient.
I will remember to identify, focus on, and celebrate community and cultural assets.
I will cultivate awareness of community development in historical, cultural, and socio-cultural contexts.
I will discern the source my intention and practice - is it based on the needs/priorities directly expressed by individuals from the community?
I will ask, whose voices are heard, unheard?
I will be flexible, humble.
gracious. grateful.

Finally, I will ask - hey Homie,
Hold me accountable?