“What motivates us to travel short or long distances, to spend a day, a week, many months, or even a spare 15 minutes, in service to a community we may know very little about? This poverty action we’re seeking to undertake—why are we compelled to do it? More importantly, who is it all for, really?”

– Thus begins a compelling and challenging video narrated by Clare Talwalker, Vice Chair of the Global Poverty & Practice Minor at UC-Berkeley and author of “What Kind of Global Citizen is the Student Volunteer?” in the Journal of Global Citizenship & Equity Education. It aims to be a provocative and educative conversation starter, and indeed it is:

Though Dr. Talwalker is clearly critical of unreflective international volunteerism taken up in the tradition of charity, she is interested in the development of exchange, reciprocation, and expressions of interdependence. Enjoy the video and please keep up with our efforts to share similar resources by liking our new Facebook page. Thank you!