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Decolonizing Direct Service CHLOE LOVELAND
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hen done well, direct service should not be performative, or necessarily easy, or even temporary. Instead direct service should be on-going and collaborative. When serving communities especially those foreign to our own - we are asking to be welcomed into another’s world. Therefore, service should be accompanied by the acknowledgement of a community’s abilities, stories, experiences, and independence. We should view communities as inherently empowered, with or without us. Direct service is not a call to rescue, pity, convert, or reprimand. Instead, it asks those with privilege to leverage their power in ways that create equity for all. If nothing else, direct service should be showing up, listening, and supporting. Additionally, direct service is typically what comes to mind for many when they think about social impact. However, it must be clarified that this approach is only one way to improve communities. Service
- whether being utilized to mitigate the effects of social inequality, public health outcomes, climate change, or any other social ill - is just one tool in the toolbox, and it will never be the only apparatus needed to resolve a complex social problem. Effective direct service is done in combination with a variety of social change approaches. It is also executed after asking major questions needed to maintain accountability. These might include: Who am I helping? What is the historical context of this community? Why is relief needed in the first place? Who are the stakeholders in the issue being addressed? Who holds the power to make decisions and why? What are the outcomes and consequences of my actions? Although these questions may seem obvious to ask, the truth is direct service has a history of reinforcing colonial structures and white supremacy, rendering close examination imperative.
