DAMU at MAC
DAMU at MAC
Young faces with a passion for social progress or a curiosity about how they can make a difference gathered at Bridges, McMaster’s Vegetarian Diversity Café, for a night of music, film and discussion Wednesday January the 10th. Producer Alex Punzalan, who has won accreditation from the United Nations for his work, was there to host the screening of his documentary Why Should I Care? The Reality Behind Youth, and to lead a discussion afterwards.
The night started out with the thought-provoking music of Samolian-born poet and rapper, K’Naan. “We keep holding on, and we keep being strong” echoed across the dimly light walls. Many students from non-governmental organizations such as Engineers Without Borders, AIESEC, and Students for Education, Empowerment, and Development were present to support their beliefs that it’s important to get involved in our communities, including our global community.
The documentary took the audience into the lives of youth in the Kiberian slums in
How Should I Care?
Marka Jansen is an Engineers Without Borders volunteer who spend the summer in
Her question raises two good points. She suggests that it is difficult to determine the needs of underdeveloped communities, and that there is an opportunity cost associated with social activism that is important to consider. Activists can waste many scarce resources on social development if they lead to no marked improvement in the lives of the people they intend to improve.
Measuring improvement is a huge challenge though, and I don’t propose to have the answer. I would argue that measuring impact is something we do need to do, however, so that we are directing our resources (including our own volunteerism) towards the best possible outcomes.
This is not to say that documentaries such as Why Should I Care? are not important in the effort to reduce people’s apathy. In fact, taking into consideration that Alex has shown the film to people across the globe through AIESEC’s networks, great potential exists to encourage people to act, especially when the audience is comprised of people that have not considered the benefits of volunteering. It nevertheless remains difficult to measure the effects.
DAMU supports the screening of Why Should I Care? and has started to create networks of youth across the globe. In fact, DAMU estimates that over 10 000 people have been exposed to the film already. If all these people work together and critically address the needs of their communities, the potential impact of the documentary is high.
Film can inspire as the workshop showed. When asked what medium is best suited to leading a social revolution--music, the internet, or film—there were powerful rationales for music and film leading a social revolution. Joel Hilchey, from Engineer’s without borders said “music appeals to primal instincts…you feel it in your heart.”
Film, however, combines music and images in a powerful and persuasive combination. Why Should I Care? appeals to people’s sense of empathy and you understand that the Kiberian slums have needs, as does our own community.
The debate is far from settled after this event at McMaster. It is difficult to determine if good intentions are enough to make progress in our communities. We need to be critical of how we are using our resources to ensure that they aid the people they are intended to benefit. The event drew my attention to three quotations from Martin Luther King Junior:
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” However, we must consider, “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity,” as so many well intentioned efforts have repeatedly failed.
And finally, “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”