Open Workshop: Power Dynamics in Volunteering: Rethinking “Development Cooperation” Together
Two-day workshop in Berlin for people who are involved in or interested in voluntary work or so-called ‘development cooperation’
Have you been engaged in volunteer work abroad? Are you involved in projects outside Europe? Even if you think of your work in partnerships, have you experienced power dynamics in those partnerships?
During this two-day workshop, we will critically examine how support, humanitarian and activist work, despite good intentions can unintentionally reinforce systems of oppression and inequality. Together, we’ll explore how Eurocentric thinking, White Saviourism, Racism, and paternalism show up in volunteering spaces and “development cooperation”, and how gender and dominant “helping” narratives shape relationships with partners in the so-called “Global South”.
This workshop offers an open, reflective space to connect, share experiences, and rethink how we engage in volunteering work and “development cooperation”. Through self-critical dialogue, we aim to explore ways of shifting toward more conscious, collaborative, and empowering forms of engagement.
Whether you bring lived experience or fresh curiosity, you’re warmly invited to join us!
