Synopsis:
This photo captures a moment during my time spent volunteering. The majority of my experiences with volunteering and activism have been abroad, with this photo being taken in Mexico during my work with a humanitarian group called Live Different. During the summers of 2012 and 2013, I went on 10 day humanitarian trips to a small community in Mexico to build houses, and in the summer of 2014 I lived in that same community while leading house builds and other initiatives such as community dinners, garbage cleanups, and programs in the local school. In this photo, you can see one of the children in the community helping us paint the walls of his new home.
Rationale:
This photo is representative of the important work and effective allyship that Live Different continues to accomplish around the world. Having reflected upon my experiences with Live Different I am extremely pleased with how they handle their humanitarian work. The house builds and other activities were incredibly inclusive, allowing for everyone in the community to participate and contribute their ideas, or simply their hands to hammer in nails or paint. The builds were collaborative and lead as if there was no single ‘leader’; this fact aided in avoiding any of us privileged allies from accidentally taking over and silencing those in the community. The goal of Live Different, and a personal goal of mine throughout my experiences in Mexico, was not to come into the community from our privileged lives in Canada and build a home for these people; rather, the goal was to utilize our privilege to acquire the necessary resources to build a home with these people, and with the community as a whole. My hope is that more humanitarian organizations will adopt such practices and become better allies as a result.
Keywords: Community, Volunteering, Humanitarian, Privilege
Author: Austin
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