I received this PDF of a paper published by Cathleen (Cathy) M. Fitzgerald 12 years ago in in the Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education. It's now available (open access) at the Wiley Online Library, where you can find the article with embedded URLs
PDF: Download Student_Volunteer_Opportunities_in_Hydro
Online version:
Student Volunteer Opportunities in Hydrophilanthropy: The Steps to Organizing a Successful Project
Abstract
University students who travel internationally become de facto ambassadors not only of their country but also of their universities and colleges. Therefore, it is important that all hydrophilantropy projects include awareness of cross-cultural differences and include community participation and involvement during the early planning stages. Schedules should not be so ambitious that the project cannot be completed in the allotted time period and multiple trips to the same community are essential to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of completed projects. Low-tech water supply technologies that are affordable, easily replicable, and require minimal or no outside monetary assistance are the keys to completion of a successful project.Introduction
Recently, the United States has seen resurgence in volunteers, particularly among college students, including the first group of what some people call the “9/11 Generation” transitioning into college – young people more likely to volunteer in a sense of civic responsibility since the September 11 terrorist attacks (Corporation for National and Community Service 2006). Many colleges and universities now promote volunteering and community service among their students to instill an ethic of civic and global responsibility with respect to water related issues. For example, many universities offer academic courses that focus on global efforts to address water shortages, conflicts, and solutions in developing countries. These include Massachusetts Institute of Technology's wheelchair design for developing countries, University of Oklahoma's course in water technologies for emerging regions, Oregon State University's Institute for Water and Watersheds certificate program in water conflict management and transformation, and the University of Nevada Reno's course in international issues for water development. Student-led water-related non-profit organizations have sprung up on campuses: Engineers Without Borders, Engineers for a Sustainable World, Hydrogeologists Without Borders, Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Design That Matters, and University of Nevada Reno's Student Association for International Water Issues.This article will focus on efforts by Student Association for International Water Issues to both promote the development of water resources in developing nations and provide students with overseas experience in working with local communities. Tapping into the enthusiasm and passion of college and university students for hydrophilanthropy can result in a lifetime of volunteering.
The article might be a bit dated. I do know that the SAIWI organization is still operative at
UNR. But Cathy's insight is not dated.
Cathy is a remarkable individual. Been lots of places, done many things. I have not seen her for almost a decade. We were at SFO, both headed out of the country.
Stay tuned - AWRA's Water Resources IMPACT issue on Hydrophilanthropy will be out soon!
Enjoy!
"Depending upon where we go from here, human intelligence might just be the stupidest thing that ever happened." - biologist Justin Gregg, quoted in the Wall Street Journal
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