Poverty

[close] “If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” - Lilla Watson Peace Corps and International Development is problematic, and as a returned volunteer, I have been wanting for some time to critically re-examine my overseas experience, to think through its explicit and implicit power dynamics. How do issues of race, class, gender, colonialism, and geopolitics inform the "do-gooder" mentality of volunteer and paid international development work, and what does that mean for its impact on volunteers, host communities, and others? Change begins with learning, and that is why I wanted to start this group where we could read, discuss, and share centered on thought-provoking books that bring a more critical perspective to Peace Corps and ID organizations. One goal is to create a syllabus to be shared with future or returned Peace Corps Volunteers as well as others, something akin to Ibram X. Kendi's anti-racist syllabus for Ralph Northam. What would we imagine for Peace Corps and ID organizations if we incorporated a true grappling with our place in the world, this work, its dynamics, and discourses of improvement?

[close] garden oaks/oak forest house church book club for reading and discussing culturally relevant books, even if we don't agree with them

[close] Welcome to the B.C. Human Rights Commissioner’s Book Club. Stories can be transformative. They can provide windows into someone else’s life or to explore our own experiences, and provide ways to foster empathy and inspire discussions on the big issue of our time. Each month, Commissioner Kasari Govender will select one book for adults and one book for preschool-aged children that can ignite conversations around human rights issues. Whether you’re new to human rights or a seasoned advocate, joining the book club will connect you to others who are also curious and hopeful for a better world—and will continue your lifelong learning about human rights. Each month, the Commissioner’s book selections will be posted on in this bookclub.

[close] Study and discussion of the important questions and answers regarding poverty eradication.