The Arc
There is a certain taboo surrounded with entering a community and offering advise in the hope to improve a situation. This often creates a double standard, putting into question the motives of those providing the “help” and whether or not the “help” is useful or consented. The University of British Columbia’s Arc Initiative aims to provide communities with tools in order to expand the global community. By initiating relationships with these communities, UBC is expanding their network and building a shared value in business. The world of business at this time is anything but local, with products and ideas constantly being shared on a global scale. By operating on a “two way street” the Arc Initiative not only shares UBC’s ideas and knowledge with the community they are partnering with, but also increases their own knowledge. Along with building a global community, Arc allows UBC students to apply the knowledge and skills they build in class and gain a new perspective in order to enrich the future of their own business ventures.
Really cool that you wrote about the Arc Initiative! For a long time I’ve struggled with the concept of ‘voluntourism.’ The main concern being people thinking that they are ‘helping the poor in developing nations’ by doing manual labour when really you’re taking jobs, setting an example of a ‘white saviour’ and creating relationships that don’t last. I have a similar problem with mission trips where people think they are being ‘good people’ but really they have a conversion agenda (I speak from the perspective of someone raised in a church environment). What I think is really great about the Arc Initiative – and which I think you’ve pinpointed in your post – is that this project aims to foster business skills in rural and developing communities. Rather than having students coming in to do manual labour (which has a net negative effect on the local economies), they get to work with local entrepreneurs to build skills and giving people the tools to create success for themselves; it’s a win win where students apply their knowledge and locals can learn from and then reapply it. “Teach a man to fish….” eh?
Great plug for the Arc Initiative! I’m a bit biased when it comes to this program, having actually traveled with the Arc Initiative to Ethiopia for my second-year internship. I absolutely agree with your views on providing “help” to developing economies. In fact, one of the first things that we were taught during our pre-travel training sessions was that we were in no way “helping” anybody, but rather a collaboration of skills and information.
One of the things that people often don’t realize is the problems that many non-profit organizations create (particularly those who are involved in foreign aid). As one of the most inefficient systems of aid one could provide, many of the resources allocated towards doing good ultimately end up in the hands of a corrupt or flawed system, leaving the communities that were meant to be “helped” worse off than before. If you are interested in possibly pursuing more in-depth discoveries involving, foreign aid, check out “Dead Aid” by Dambisa Moyo, which focuses on the flaws of non-profits in different countries in Africa.