Changing People's Lives While Transforming Your Own: Paths to Social Justice and Global Human

262 Pages·2009·4.36 MB·English

by  Jeffrey A. Kottler, Mike Marriner

A book of hope, of resilience, and of passionate and courageous
efforts to change people’s lives far beyond the narrow scope of your
own community and immediate circle of infl uence
Changing
mbued with both a fi tting sense of urgency and a profound sense JEFFREY A. KOTTLER is
Iof hope, Changing People’s Lives While Transforming Your Own tells author of On Being a T erapist,
the stories of faculty, students, and professionals from a variety of fi elds and The Mummy at the
who reached out to others after witnessing an injustice, poverty, or need Dining Room Table (both
in the lives of the most neglected and marginalized in society—and in f rom Wiley), among many
reaching out, were transformed through the proces of helping others. People’s Lives
other books. He is Professor
Coauthored by two individuals who have devoted their careers to and Chair of the Counseling
making a diff erence in the lives of others, this stirring book is a call to Department at California
action, for both the young and young at heart, and is fi lled with inspiring State University, Fullerton. He
While Transforming Your Own
and real-life narratives from individuals from a broad range of helping also established the Madhav
professions such as social work, psychology, and counseling. Ghimire Foundation, which
is devoted to helping the most
Changing People’s Lives While Transforming Your Own introduces you to PATHS TO SOCIAL JUSTICE & GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS
neglected children of Nepal.
the basic concepts related to social justice, global human rights, service
learning, community activism, and altruism, with a look at:
M I K E M A R R I N E R is the
• T e elements that are often part of service learning, cofounder of Roadtrip Nation
social justice, and charitable work—including the joys, and coauthor of Roadtrip
satisfactions, frustrations, and crushing disappointments Nation: A Guide to Discovering
• Why people help, how they do it, and what they get out of Your Path in Life. He has
their eff orts also coproduced the annual
Roadtrip Nation television
• Suggestions for how to create the kind of experiences likely series that airs nationally on
to be the most satisfying and transformative PBS, and has been featured
• Countless opportunities for readers to stand up for the on NBC’s Today show, CNN,
rights of those who are oppressed CBS News, BBC Wor ld
News, and NPR.
In addition to an accompanying DVD featuring stories, insights, and
lessons culled from a social justice mission to Nepal, Changing People’s
Lives While Transforming Your Own encourages readers to be better
world citizens in the cause of promoting human freedom and equality.
It shows how even modest eff orts on a small scale can have profound
eff ects, off ering a vision of social justice in which professionals in a
variety of fi elds can promote change as advocates, activists, and leaders.
INCLUDES
DVD
INCLUDES
DVD Jeff rey A. Ko ler and Mike Marriner
ISBN: 978-0-470-22750-3 4-COLOR GLOSSY
Ko ler | Marriner Changing People’s Lives While Transforming Your Own GPALTOHBSA TLO H USOMCAINA LR IJGUHSTSICE &
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CHANGING
PEOPLE’S LIVES
WHILE TRANSFORMING
YOUR OWN
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CHANGING
PEOPLE’S LIVES
WHILE TRANSFORMING
YOUR OWN
Paths to Social Justice and Global Human Rights
JEFFREY A. KOTTLER
MIKE MARRINER
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright © 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Kottler, Jeffrey A.
Changing people's lives while transforming your own : paths to social justice and global human rights / by
Jeffrey A. Kottler, Mike Marriner.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-470-22750-3 (paper/dvd)
1. Social justice. 2. Social action. 3. Social service. 4. Human rights. I. Marriner, Mike. II. Title.
HM671.K67 2009
303.3'7209—dc22
2008029092
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Preface ix
PART I: BIRTH OF A MOVEMENT
CHAPTER 1
Paths to Social Justice 3
CHAPTER 2
The Dance of Hope 15
CHAPTER 3
Children Disappearing 31
CHAPTER 4
Stories of Despair and Resilience 49
PART II: STORIES OF IMPACT
CHAPTER 5
Road Trip 61
v
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER 6
Being Lost 81
CHAPTER 7
Student Transformations 99
CHAPTER 8
Making Universal Connections 117
CHAPTER 9
Lessons and Major Themes 125
PART III: TAKING ACTION
CHAPTER 10
Relationship Skills for Promoting Constructive Action 141
CHAPTER 11
Travel That Can Change Your Life 153
CHAPTER 12
International Jetsetters 175
CHAPTER 13
Local Community Activists 193
CHAPTER 14
Thinking Globally, Acting Locally 203
CHAPTER 15
Going Small 215
References and Resources 235
About the Authors 241
About the DVD 243
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A cknowledgments
Any project requires a degree of collaboration between many people in order
to succeed. This book, based on our own work over the past decade, includes
contributions from hundreds of students, faculty, and professionals who were
willing to share their experiences. Lisa Gebo, our editor and friend at Wiley,
has been instrumental in helping us make our vision a reality. Her encourage-
ment, support, and passion for helping others have inspired us to tell our story
with as much honesty and transparency as we can.
We are grateful for the assistance of Peggy Alexander, Marquita Flemming,
and Sweta Gupta for their work helping to put the book into production.
Digumber Piya and Kiran Regmi are our partners in one project in Nepal. It
was their vision that inspired us to devote such a signifi cant part of our lives to
helping neglected children.
A ll photographs in this book (except a few submitted by our interviewees)
were taken by Jeffrey during his work on various projects around the world.
The video footage on the accompanying DVD was also fi lmed by Jeffrey
during his visits to Nepal. Mike produced and edited the fi lm, as well as
interviewed students and charitable visionaries around the globe. We both
collaborated on the telling of these stories.
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