My introduction to community-based research

This past week, I learned about the importance of involving the community in any social research conducted by outsiders.

I was especially impacted by Ivan Illich’s “To Hell with Good Intentions.” This article helped me think about whether the volunteer work we do actually helps people or makes the problem worse. If we blindly going into a community without understanding their lifestyle and values, we may propose projects and solutions that end up not being used by the community. Furthermore, our very different background from that of the locals’ can create a barrier that makes it more difficult to connect with the community. However, unlike Illich, I believe that once we do overcome this cultural/language barrier, our different backgrounds become an asset–we can combine our different ideas to create a more innovative, creative one that helps the community.

The class discussion of this article also reminded me that we tend to overgeneralize and label groups of people. For example, all Americans are labelled as “rich” and all Mexicans are labelled as “poor” by Illich. When I volunteer and serve the community I become a part of, I hope to push past any prejudice I may have about the locals so that I do not just see them as poor people in need, but as people who have a different way of life and a vibrant culture. This class reminded me of a discussion when I participated in Urban Immersion program. We learned that the right attitude when serving is empathy, not sympathy. Sympathy puts the people you serve at a lower level and establishes a paternalistic relationship, while empathy allows you to connect with people and establishes an equal partnership. When we travel to volunteer in other communities, it becomes important for these communities to see themselves as independent change-makers rather than dependents on outsiders, so that they can continue to grow and be self-sufficient without anyone’s help.

This idea was proposed in Bergdall’s “Reflections on the Catalystic Role of an Outsider,” a paper that I really enjoyed reading. I especially found the idea of creating a “self-image” interesting–this is based on the idea that people live out of images, and when you gain a new self-image and self-understanding, your behavior changes. Therefore, if we change the community members’ perception of itself from victims to active agents, locals will become more motivated to take a stance and get involved with improving their community. The role of the catalyst to initiate community discussions without imposing any ideas seems to me to be very challenging but rewarding, because the community is helping itself.

Although I was aware about the importance of the community’s involvement in research, I am now more conscious about how we can connect to the community without imposing our own ideas. I’m looking forward to learning more about how the community and outsiders can work better together!