The first entry in our Global Service and Ethical Photography Contest is in – and there are three things about it that I find particularly awesome. First, the entry:

Now what struck me about it:

1. The photo is taken in the United States. I don’t find this exciting in an ethnocentric way, of course. But I am glad that the entrant paid close attention to how we use the word “global” at this website, in global service-learning research, and in the contest rules. What we’re looking for in the contest is images of mutual learning, cross-cultural cooperation, and the creation of new possibilities, across cultures, located anywhere in the world.
2. The image is intergenerational in addition to being intercultural. A young person is clearly driving a listening process.
3. Though I do not know the entrant, there’s a personal biography connection. Back in 2003, when I was working in Pittsburgh with Amizade Global Service-Learning, a colleague and I thought we should be doing more to connect our global service-learning pedagogy and partnership process locally. We ended up connecting with the then-newly arriving Somali Bantu refugee community. Over a two-year period, we worked with community members and students to co-create what has become a continuous collaboration between students and incoming residents to support English literacy and numeracy development, as well as a host of other growth opportunities.  During my own work with the Somali community in Pittsburgh, I frequently heard of the significant Somali community in Lewiston, Maine, the source of the entry below.

A reminder: this contest is open to anyone engaged in Ethical Photography and Global Service. There are 3 prizes of $100 each. Prizes will be given in the categories of mutual learning, cross-cultural cooperation, and new possibilities.

And a final reminder, I’m not on the judges panel, but the above three things did strike me.

Eric Hartman is an Assistant Professor in the Staley School of Leadership Studies at Kansas State University. He writes widely on democratic civic engagement, ethical community partnerships through Fair Trade Learning, and the development of global citizenship. At the Staley School, he continues to advance community-engaged classes through which students respond to significant global leadership challenges, such as orphanage tourism and ethical global service.