Ethical International Service Learning Projects: GOSA Ecuador

GOSA Ecuador

• GOSA is an AMS student club– Initiatives: GOSA Ecuador, Aries Project, more…

• The Project (historically)– Health focus– 1 year commitment – Fundraising, planning, field work, hand off– 1-2 months in Bolivar area, Ecuador

• Project Partners– College of Health Disciplines- Center for International

Health– Minesterio de Salud Intercultural (Ecuador)

GOSA Ecuador 2009• Lack of institutional memory structure• Many questions about the project– What are the impacts of project on Ecuadorian

communities?– Are there issues of liability?– What is our role as students in the Ecuadorian

communities?

• Implications for the ethics of the project– Theory and practice: How far do you go?

Agenda

• Challenges and impacts on ethics– Project structure and oversight– Resources – Capacities Matching

• Solutions for the project

Structure: challenges faced

• For us: lack of clear project guidelines• Project documentation, institutional memory? – Past documentation insufficient to solve structural

discontinuity problems

• Development takes a large initial time and energy investment – Project 2009 focus

Structure: challenges faced

Two main issues of ethical concern: 1) Project documentation2) Project evaluation Causes:– High turn over rate of student groups– “Strong” periods: lack of long-term capacity building,

i.e., frameworks for project documentation, memory, evaluation

– Subsequent periods: lack capacity to recreate/continue project; steep learning curve

Structure: ethical implications

• Lack of project documentation inconsistent project quality– Stressful for group – no clear guidelines– Potentially stressful for partner org’s, communities– Little time/energy for evaluation, improvement

• Lack of project evaluation unknown project effects– Lack of responsibility and accountability– Difficult to make informed improvements to project– Lack of continuity with communities

Resource Challenges

Challenges in access and continuity of resources

Resources: Volunteer Time

• Project Commitment:– Volunteer run, with no paid incentive– High level of responsibility– Balance of time with other commitments– Struggle with deadlines reduces project quality

• No binding regular meeting time and space. • Imbalance of time spent fundraising and time

spent developing the project

Resources: Funding

• Fundraising time prioritized over project ethics

• Resources for writing grant applications were not readily available

• Did not receive funding from large institutions – No experience writing proposals– No formal supervisory body– Concern over final destination of funds received

• Ethical concerns of financial accountability

Resources: Academic Credibility

• Concern over academic integrity and professionalism– Validity and ethics of research– Perception of Canadian students in Ecuadorian

communities– Future publication hopes

Capacity Matching

Improving contact, communication and cultural appropriateness

Capacity Matching: Issues and Ethical Concerns

• Logistics of communication– Establishing and maintaining contact– Discovering both who and what to ask

• Cultural barriers to understanding– Assumption that GOSA was going to Ecuador

regardless of funding problems– Lost in translation– Power dynamics

Capacity Matching: Initial System of Contact and Interaction Canadian Capacities Ecuadorian Capacities

UBC U of Bolivar

Health Canada Ecuador Ministry of Intercultural Health

Canadian Communities Ecuadorian Communities

Capacity Matching: Proposed System of Contact and Interaction

Canadian Capacities Ecuadorian CapacitiesUBC U of Bolivar

Health Canada Ecuador Ministry of Intercultural Health

Canadian Communities Ecuadorian Communities

Capacity Matching: Anticipated Benefits

• Increase capacity, sustainability within Ecuador– Foster relationships and knowledge sharing between

UBC and U of Bolivar students• Mitigate the possibility of unintended harm

within the community due to cultural misunderstandings/lack of knowledge

• Reduced perception of ‘paternalism’ and dependency in relationship

• Greater cultural appropriateness of interaction and feasibility of projects

Implemented Solutions

• Mission statement, objectives– Acknowledgement of student learning

• Close affiliation with UBC CIH– Dr. Jerry Spiegel

• Project structure and guidelines• Resource Binder- institutional memory• Updated website- transparency, data

collection

Project structure and guidelines

Project stage

Phase 1Prep & Research

Phase 2-Fund-raising

Phase 3- Field Work

Phase 4-Hand-Off

PLAN

EXECUTE

REPORT

Implemented Solutions

• Mission statement, objectives– Acknowledgement of student learning

• Close affiliation with UBC CIH– Dr. Jerry Spiegel

• Project structure and guidelines• Resource Binder- institutional memory• Updated website- transparency, data

collection

Solutions in Progress

• For-credit course – Incentive, oversight, structure, continuity– Built in ethical consideration– Ideas and potential design (complete)

• Affiliation with University of Bolivar– Design new “field-work” project (needed)

• Motivated and committed students (needed)

Questions?

Contact us:• Jay Baker-French: Agroecology• Sophia Baker- French: Dietetics• Sarah Sax: Global Resource Systems• Sarah Wolfson: International Relations

gosaecuador0809@gmail.comhttp://www.chd.ubc.ca/gosa