“I’ve learnt to be so grateful for what I have.”
“I’ve learnt that I have so much.”
“They are so poor, but they are so happy.”
We have all heard statements like these from people who are experiencing travel to a lower-income country for the first time. For many, that gratefulness is soon forgotten upon return to their everyday lives. For others, it may grow into a sense of unease or guilt that they are unable to reconcile with their daily lives.
How do we help the participants of our short-term trips dig deeper into these emotions and to process them in healthy ways? In this session, we explore where both the sense of gratefulness and guilt are coming from and what people mean when they talk about privilege. Is it a real thing, is it an “all or nothing thing” or is it just political correctness gone mad? We encourage them to identify steps they can take in their everyday lives to put some of their conclusions and reflections into practice on their return back to their home countries.
- Course Prerequisites
An important part of the learning which occurs on Rok Kern study tour occurs at the end of the program. In this course we aim to enable students to reflect on what they have learned and how they can embrace their position of privilege and move into a space of personal response. This course is facilitated by an expert who will guide the students through a process to ensure students return to their home countries empowered to amplify the voices of the poor. This course, together with our ethical communication and good development courses provide the foundation for our “Championing a cause” course.
As Christians, we believe that God himself came to earth as a human. We finish this session in the mission stream with a bible study on what Jesus models about using his power and privilege to bring healing to broken social, emotional, financial and spiritual relationships and what that means for those of us who wish to follow Jesus and live more Christ-like.
This session is available for groups that are visiting Cambodia and who wish to help their participants dig deeper in their emotional responses during their reflection and debrief time.