Don’t forget civic roots

Have you already forgotten us?

He asked it with a chuckle and a half-smile, but I couldn’t pretend it wasn’t true.

Last summer I interned at a community resource center in Uganda. When I met with the center’s director last month in Washington, D.C., it was the first time in nearly a year that I’d spoken to someone from the community in which I’d lived and worked for two months.

By the time the leaves turn golden in Chapel Hill and we’ve settled into the rhythm of another semester, it’s easy to forget about the communities that graciously welcomed us for the summer.

Some of us were privileged to spend the past few months working with youth in Kenya, building homes in Appalachia or interning at nonprofits in New York.

As idealistic Tar Heels seeking to exemplify the Carolina Way, we pride ourselves on our dedication to public service. We have the best of intentions.

But as I learned at GO! Global Orientation on Culture and Ethics, “Good intentions are not enough.”

Often we view summers spent in service as opportunities for personal growth. That’s certainly an important part of the experience.

Yet we also have a responsibility to create and maintain ties to the communities and organizations we think we’re serving — and to approach service from a position of humility.

It’s tempting to pat ourselves on the back for our “good deeds” at home or abroad, but we must be conscious of the ways we affect the communities that open their doors to us.

Through UNC, opportunities to engage in one-time acts of service abound, like sorting canned goods, donating to a good cause in the Pit or, in my case, spending a few weeks at a community resource center.

This work is meaningful and necessary. Small contributions to large-scale projects can have a significant impact.
UNC, which was named to the most recent Presidential Honor Roll for Community Service, is a shining example. During the 2010-2011 academic year alone, nearly 28,000 students spent an estimated 1.3 million hours volunteering.

We should be proud of these accomplishments.

But as we engage in public service — whether at the local, national or global level — we must constantly reevaluate our relationship to those we seek to serve. How can we most effectively contribute to and learn from the communities with which we’re engaging?

And most importantly: Are we inadvertently burdening communities, straining resources that are already running low?

When you’re enjoying Saturday afternoons in Kenan Stadium, crisp mornings in the Arboretum and people-watching on Polk Place this autumn, take time to reflect on your impact. Whether you spent your summer volunteering or are committed to leading public service initiatives on campus, be mindful of who’s truly benefiting from the exchange.