During the duration of our time in Puerto Rico over spring break, I expect to encounter various challenges to conducting business that will ultimately lead to personal learning and growth as I expand my world view in the process of becoming a global citizen. By experiencing nonprofit consulting while abroad, I will be engrossed in the culture and exposed to the ever-pressing issues Puerto Rico encounters on a day to day basis. Considering this, it is essential our project team remembers we are outsiders in the territory, and because of this we must always be cognizant to practice the international servant leadership philosophy of reciprocity, or the “mutuality of respect, collaboration, and exchange between the ‘provider’ and the ‘recipient’ in the service learning relationship” (Henry and Breyfogle, 2006). With the guiding philosophy of reciprocity, our group will best be able to properly respond to the pressing issues and challenges of conducting business, while extracting the most out of the experience in terms of personal learning and growth.
One of the first and arguably most important challenges our group will encounter is finding a way to establish the necessary relationships with the native communities of the island in order for us to convince them that the efforts of our client, Caras Con Causa are in the best interest of the community and its people. Over the last several years, Puerto Rico has been hit with a plethora of disasters, including Hurricane Maria, the deadliest hurricane since 1900, and a barrage of earthquakes that have since prevented the island from finishing repairs. Moreover, Puerto Rico’s central government has proven itself highly ineffective, if not borderline corrupt in not only the distribution of aid, which has severely stifled the island’s recovery, but also in the management of its debt. Currently, Puerto Rico remains $129 billion in debt. Although they are in the process of formally filing for partial bankruptcy, hedge funds, sometimes better known as vulture funds, continue to aggressively seek repayment while preventing significant refinancing on their behalf. Between the significant compounding damage caused by recent natural disasters, lack of and ineffective distribution of relief aid, and Puerto Rico’s crippling debt, there is an ominous chokehold on the island’s economy and innate ability to move forward in the recovery process. While we may understand some of the broader strokes of the problems that plague Puerto Rico, we know nothing compared to the three million Puerto Ricans that endure it every day. With this mind, it will be important to build a working ethical partnership, not only within the group, but more importantly with our client and the surrounding community. Because Puerto Rico has been taken advantage of by the practice of colonialism since Columbus arrived, it is only natural they should be skeptical of our intentions. Only by working to build an ethical partnership by utilizing the values of responsibility and accountability, respect, valuing the well-being of all, integrity, and collaboration, in order to establish a strong foundation will we stand a better chance of convincing Caras and the surrounding communities of the importance and the benefit of the restoration of the native mangrove population.
Another problem we may encounter that may prove to be a challenge to conducting business is the dynamic schedule we will likely experience while in San Juan. Although we will have solidified day-to-day schedules, it is more than likely we will encounter our fair share of delays and cancellations. As we have discussed so often in class, while our Service-Learning project is important, Caras and our clients deal with a multitude of issues, and it is safe to say that our project is not at the top of their list. Specifically, the charter school they recently opened is currently not operational. Because of the recent earthquakes, the building must be surveyed for structural damage and then have any issues be fixed or approved before school can resume. Obviously, this is a huge hindrance to Caras’ mission and objectives dealing with community engagement, so this may be one of the primary issues that causes delays and cancellations. Personally, I am someone who prefers to know exactly what is on the agenda each day and then systematically plan my day around that. That being said, this will be a great chance to utilize and practice skills like effective time management and flexibility as I respond to the changing meeting times and delays in order to obtain the most out of the experience.
Finally, while we are in Puerto Rico, it is important to remember that although Puerto Ricans are U.S citizens, they possess a clear and unique cultural identity and do not identify as Americans. Despite receiving the status of U.S territory in 1917, Puerto Ricans have never fully assimilated into American culture. Whether due to feelings of disenfranchisement or pride in their cultural heritage, it is to the extent that many do not even wish to become a full fledge state and receive the many benefits that come with it. Others on the other hand see the prospect of statehood as an opportunity to receive much needed aid in not only natural disaster relief, but also the crippling national debt disaster. While these highly opinionated questions will likely garner some interesting responses containing useful information on our client’s views and future, it is important we do not offer our opinions on the matter, as who are we to say what Puerto Rico needs? Instead, we should engage in racial understanding activism, which is a process where you engage and listen to the community over a period of time to uncover what they need allowing the client/inhabitants to decide what is best for the community. Conducting ourselves in this manner will only further strengthen the ongoing relationship we have with Caras con Causa and the surrounding community of Cataño as we help to establish a relationship of reciprocity and move away from the longstanding practices of colonialism and the unequal power in relationships that come with it. By using reciprocity as our guiding principle, we will be able to “explore with our partners the complications of the relationship and continue to imagine, refine, and reconstitute how we relate in a mutually beneficial way throughout the collaboration” (Sharpe/Dear 5).
Through these various challenges I expect to encounter while abroad, in addition to the natural increase in global awareness that seems to come with an international experience, I expect to undergo significant personal learning while in Puerto Rico. This personal learning will likely come in the form of cognitive development, intercultural competence, and an increase in the sense of global citizenship. First and foremost, in terms of cognitive development, according to a study done by the University of California comparing course-based service learning and generic community service, it has been found that “service-learning has an effect on all these cognitive outcomes,” including growth in critical thinking and writing skills and college GPA, “that is independent of the effect of community service” (Astin/Vogelgesang 30). By participating in this experiential education opportunity, I will be put in the position where I will have the opportunity to apply what I have been learning in the classroom while working with a real-life client on a dynamic and challenging project. Having to take initiative and make decisions you are accountable for, combined with reflection and critical analysis component of experiential education, will not only improve my critical thinking and writing, but also potentially improve my leadership and interpersonal skills through my actions and interactions with not only the project team, but also the client. Moving on to intercultural competence, or the range of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills that lead to effective communication with people of other cultures, a study conducted by Stanford University found that “service-learning had a significant positive effect on students’ intercultural competence, particularly their intercultural strategy and action” (Leon 1). It is my belief that between the extended amount of time spent working on the project and communicating with the client, reinforced by our time on-site in Puerto Rico, intercultural competence will be fostered over time. Finally, I expect to see a growth in my sense of global citizenship, or the idea that one’s identity and rights transcend country borders as we are all a part of the broader community of humanity. I have found that each time I travel abroad, my world view expands as I realize the United States is not representative of the rest of the world. As I interact with the people of Caras and the members of the surrounding community of Cataño, I expect any preconceived notions and biases I may possess to dissipate. Overall, I expect to gain a better understanding of my privilege and upbringing as a citizen of the U.S and a sense of empathy to those who have not been lucky enough to have that same opportunity that may ultimately culminate in an increased sense of political activism.
With our departure only a week away, I am more excited than ever to get my first college study abroad trip underway. I know this experience will be one that transcends the traditional in class learning environment and because of that, I fully anticipate being positively impacted by it. By keeping an open mind and actively engaging in the experiential education principles of practice, I expect to have an amazing experience that ends in significant personal growth that will extend not only to the classroom, but eventually to the world when my time comes to join the workforce.