Service work is not a selfish act, nor is it completely selfless. I believe that there is no such thing as an unselfish good deed (though to call this community work a ‘good deed’ would be remiss). It is hard to not feel good about yourself when you have done something for others. Furthermore, it is inevitable to engage in reciprocity during community work, to gain something for yourself as well. I believe before this trip I had an okay understanding of the ideas surrounding ethical volunteer service. I understood we were not to provide gifts or donations, as this would be ‘giving the man a fish.’ I understood we were combatting or preventing a systemic issue of underprivileged youth engaging in antisocial activities as an outlet. Our purpose was synonymous with ‘teaching the man to fish.’ We wanted to get these children excited about a sport or activity that they could use as an outlet for their energy for much more than a week. This was in an effort to veer the youth’s focus towards healthy and social outlets.
I would do this community work one hundred times if I could and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to become a better person through cultural immersion. Un millón de abrazos to the communities in Panama, AMIGOS, ACE participants and ACE staff. This was truly the experience of a lifetime.
Upon returning, I have gained an even better understanding and appreciation of volunteer service. To begin, my thoughts surrounding reciprocity have shifted. Reciprocity held a bad connotation in my mind before this work, as I strived to find a selfless act in my life. However, this community work showed me that reciprocity and gaining your own knowledge through service is beneficial. My Spanish improved greatly. I improved my worldview and cultural sensitivity. I will always remember my own privilege as a Duke student-athlete before complaining about the size of a dorm, travel accommodations, etc., due to recalling that I have seen a population firsthand that would be ecstatic to live the privileged life I do. However, it is not bad to be privileged either. As long as one can recognize this privilege and use it to benefit others.
As Duke student-athletes, we have a bully pulpit. Not only does the athletic community rely on us to perform, but the academic and social community relies on us to use our knowledge and privilege to help others. And that is what we did in Panama. Each of us fiercely competitive and knowledgeable in the world of sports, we passed our love of athletics down to the communities we worked with. It is beautiful to see how touched the communities were after only working with them for such a short time, and how involved and excited the children were about the volleyball game at the end of the week. This is to say, my ideas surrounding service work did not completely change after ACE, they simply shifted for the better and strengthened. It is not frowned upon that I got so much from this experience, and after talking with mentors, it is celebrated. Reciprocity is a valuable dynamic that one can use to their advantage and to benefit those around them. I would do this community work one hundred times if I could and highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to become a better person through cultural immersion. Un millón de abrazos to the communities in Panama, AMIGOS, ACE participants and ACE staff. This was truly the experience of a lifetime.