Daniela Papi's Blog

How do we define "change"? Is change good? Should we pat those catalytic change agents out there on the back and tell them to keep cutting down trees to make new trails, or is change bad, and we should make sure everyone follows the worn path as we realign the pebbles which have gone astray?

Development workers warn you "Watch out, your work might change the power structure, or the community fabric, or...." and voluntour operators advertise "We are improving (aka changing) lives!"

To the development worker, I want to say "CHANGE IS NOT ALWAYS BAD! You came here to change, you want to 'change people's dietary habits to ensure the children get enough vitamines' or 'improve education to help ensure a brighter future for the next generation.' so you can't condem change!"

To the voluntour operator, I want to say "But are you sure the change is GOOD? Have you followed up? Does the program last once you drive away? Have you promoted positive change or have you fed negative outcomes? Change CAN be bad!"

I think defining our impact as having CHANGED something is not enough. We need to reflect and ensure that our changes are good and ideally sustainable. We also can't assume changing something is bad, as change is inevitable, and keeping something as we found it can sometimes mean inhibiting its natural growth. Just some thoughts...