I found this article to be incredibly eye opening in how it pointed out a totally new perspective on volunteering that I never would have thought of previously. The part that I found to be most thought provoking was the idea of the “white savior complex”. We are taught from a young age, as in my own instance of going to a Catholic school my whole life and having them preaching it to us, that going on mission trips is something that basically sets you on a higher pedestal than everyone else (not saying that service trips are an awful thing, just as pointed out in Pippa’s article, they are a bit glorified). There is one line in the article that I feel really encapsulated this idea; “I have stopped attending having finally accepting that my presence is not the godsend I was coached by non-profits, documentaries, and service programs to believe it would be”. There is this idea being taught that people in developing countries need our rescue, so to hear it put this way explaining that other ways of offering help, such as donating or hiring people that are actually trained to do the work, is a refreshing change. Service is a beautiful thing that if done correctly, can make a big difference, but I agree with Pippa that we need to know our place in that service and act accordingly.
