3. Service trips can create an imbalance of power between the community and the delegation, as well as within the host community.

The Brazilian educational theorist Paulo Freire has written that, “there is an oppressive character in all non-reciprocal relationships.” This is a powerful statement, and one that is hard to reconcile with the good intentions that most service-trip groups have for their interactions with the members of their host community and country. But the fact of the matter is that when a “delegation” of North Americans arrives in a Central American community to perform service, they often have their own way of doing things, and this can leave community members disempowered, feeling like they have little to contribute to their own community. Part of the problem is that service commitments are often, by definition, short term. Groups want to accomplish something and solve problems quickly. Consider the image this presents, however. Will this leave the community feeling that their own accomplishments have less value? Jo Ann Van Engen, an experienced leader of short-term mission trips, has pondered how to ensure that these trips do not do more harm than good. She writes, “I suggest we stop thinking about short-term missions as a service to perform and start thinking of them as a responsibility to learn…Show respect for people by knowing something about their lives before you arrive [and] find out how the actions of rich countries affect those in the third world.”

So ask yourself: Who is defining the trip’s goals and parameters, the visitors or the target community? Does my group bring its own experts or draw upon the expertise of local authorities? Do we really know the landscape and the needs of the community that we intend to serve? And finally, am I (and my group) really serious about learning and building long-term relationships with the community and/or country I’m visiting?

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