Ditch "service" to inspire long-term cultural shifts in communities
- Stacey Kertsman
- Sep 9, 2020
- 1 min read
Updated: Sep 10, 2020
Strong community engagement fosters cultural shifts within learning and working environments.
Ditching terms like "volunteering" and "service" ensures that collaborations across communities are empowering and asset-based. "Serving" another community has much less impact for all involved than "partnering" with another community.
True, authentic partnerships are essential for strong community engagement. Principles of reciprocal learning, enhanced by an understanding that social, cultural, and economic capital are all equal assets to share in partnerships, shift the power dynamics between groups and ensure that institutional "L&D" and "DEI" goals are met. Great community engagement empowers all stakeholders and ensures sustainable culture changes for all members of the partnership.
Stanford's Center for Social Innovation has a helpful piece on the topic.
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