"Charity" vs. "Change"
The words we choose to use when we talk about community engagement influence how we approach our work in the community, how effective we can be and how others may view us.
Consider the difference in mindset going into an experience when, instead of saying "we have to," we say "we get to." How might that slight tweak in language influence our family's attitudes? How might it affect the perceptions of those with whom we are working?
Describing a community as "underprivileged" minimizes and can even discount the different kinds of privilege and unique assets that a particular community may be blessed with. While access to material resources is certainly a privilege, what about the privileges inherent in communities where things like adaptability, diversity, humility, interdependence, patience, and resiliency are assets?
For more on the significance of language when talking about service, see the brief article below by strategic communications consultant, Anat Shenker-Osorio.
The words we choose to use when we talk about community engagement influence how we approach our work in the community, how effective we can be and how others may view us.
Consider the difference in mindset going into an experience when, instead of saying "we have to," we say "we get to." How might that slight tweak in language influence our family's attitudes? How might it affect the perceptions of those with whom we are working?
Describing a community as "underprivileged" minimizes and can even discount the different kinds of privilege and unique assets that a particular community may be blessed with. While access to material resources is certainly a privilege, what about the privileges inherent in communities where things like adaptability, diversity, humility, interdependence, patience, and resiliency are assets?
For more on the significance of language when talking about service, see the brief article below by strategic communications consultant, Anat Shenker-Osorio.