For David Catts, a University of Idaho sophomore, the idea of being a savior manifests itself in many aspects of his life.
Catts, who plans on helping refugees as part of his career, said people often comment on the nobility of what he is doing.
“There’s nothing noble about it. I feel like it should be an expectation that I go out and do what I can,” he said.
He said there is a stark contrast between helping people and saving people, and people should aim for the former.
“The idea that you’re somehow a savior for doing something you should already be doing is strange for me,” Catts said.
Catts recently participated in an Alternative Service Break (ASB) trip to Nicaragua. He said he felt the trip was more of a collaboration between the students and the locals, rather than a takeover.
“These are things that they already would have been doing in the first place. We went there and helped them doing something they were already going to be doing faster,” Catts said.
Rachel Davis, ASB coordinator, said people should evaluate their reasons for wanting to volunteer.
“A lot of people volunteer because it makes them feel good, which is completely valid,” Davis said. “I think that is an approach that fixates on yourself, though.”
She said growing up, people are often fed the message that other communities need to be “saved” just because they aren’t as well off.
“However, when you go abroad, you realize that everything you’ve been fed is not necessarily true. You go out and discover that these people have a life and community and a richness of culture that you never would have known about had you not gone,” Davis said.
Davis said they work with Green Empowerment to set up the trips. Catts said Green Empowerment believes in a grass roots, ground-up approach to volunteerism.
“They employ a grass roots, or bottom-up strategy of development. Rather than coming into a community and saying ‘This is what we think you need,’ they collaborate with the communities and ask them what they think they need,” he said.
Davis said this mirrors the approach and the goals of UI’s Alternative Service Breaks.
“That’s very much what ASB believes in, you’re just working alongside the community. You’re not going in and saving anyone,” Davis said.
Davis said one of the biggest aspects that lends itself to sustainable volunteering is incorporating the community in the effort.
In Nicaragua, Catts helped install solar panels. He said several community leaders helped install the panels, which in turn educated the community on the maintenance and upkeep of the technology.
“I think it is a responsible method of development, because it creates long-term effects,” Catts said.
Davis said she had a similar experience when she volunteered in the Philippines.
“When I was in the Philippines, a lot of the experts on the water technology were people from that community and live there. That made all the difference because Green Empowerment and the ASB team are not going to be there forever, and they’re certainly not as qualified as they are,” she said.
Davis said this is important because when the volunteers leave, there are still educated, invested people in the community.
Volunteering is one way to combat the savior complex, Davis said. Another, simpler way is just focusing on education. She said before a student goes on a volunteer trip, they should educate themselves on the culture of the people they’re going to see and about healthy volunteerism practices.
“Realizing that you’re just one person going to support a cause, going into that trip with that mindset helps,” Davis said.
Carly Scott can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Idaho_Scotty