ISL/GSL & PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT
Nora Pillard Reynolds Nora.reynolds@temple.edu
IARSLCE | New Orleans, Louisiana | October 1, 2014
PROBLEM ¡ ISL often engages students in development work (Crabtree, 2008) ¡ Criticisms of traditional models of development – by outside expert (Easterly, 2013; Escobar, 1995) ¡ Emergence of alternative models that are more participatory & community-based such as Asset-based community development (ABCD) ¡ “Catalytic role of the outsider” (Bergdall, 2003)
BERGDALL (2003) ¡ The purpose of the catalyst is to stimulate change ¡ Catalysts play the role of facilitator, not implementer ¡ Catalysts embody a “presence” that helps build trust § Accountable to community – do what they say they are going to do § Shared austerity – standing genuinely present in the current situation
¡ Catalysts have an agenda (transparency) ¡ Leveraging external resources
METHODS ¡ C ase study – GSL partnership between a College of Engineering & Waslala, Nicaragua ¡ P articipants: university (18) & community (26) § U niversity: Admin, faculty, & students § C ommunity: Organization reps & residents
¡ I nterviews, participant observation, & document review à participatory analysis
FINDINGS
Ways in which the ISL/ GSL projects & partnership served as a “catalyst”: 1. Connect to other local actors 2. Increase commitment & responsibility 3. Capacity-building
FINDINGS
1. Connect to other local actors “Just kind of having that outside actor come in that’s kind of able to motivate different parties and bring them together. It’s definitely a good thing….I mean, [we] didn’t really work with the [municipal government], but I think that the Villanova relationship….kind of built that relationship up more.”
FINDINGS
2. Increase commitment & responsibility “So it helps and it is a benefit for the community because in addition to being the ones who donate, they also come to put a grain of sand in the work.�
FINDINGS 2. Capacity-building “It helps me a lot related to gender and how here the attitude of the Nicaraguan [men] is that they never serve their own food…it is important because it helps us to teach the farmers that they can serve their own food… Dona X said to me, “how beautiful to see them serving their own food and washing their own plates”.
UNIVERSIT Y
Being a catalyst for that as a group, as an external group so that our in-country implementing partner can say to the community, ‘There’s a group coming on this date. This, this, and this has to be done because they’re going to be doing a project inspection of sorts.” Whatever the role is that we need to fit, whatever hat we need to wear during that process, we’re willing to put it on.” – Director of Engineering Service
THANK YOU
Nora Pillard Reynolds Nora.reynolds@temple.edu
www.waterforwaslala.org http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/engineering/service/ learning.html