"The Red Island, Resiliency and Development in Madagascar," a Zube Lecture Presented by Luc-Danel Metivier

About the Talk

This lecture explores what a planner is and how they contribute to development, which changes in the context of each place. As Peace Corps Volunteers enter a new community, there is the expectation of development both from the organization and from the peers with whom a volunteer is partnered. What this looks like is unique to each volunteer and their experience. However, some experiences are universal: entering as an outsider into a community, re-learning to better work hand-in-hand, and exchanging ideas across professions, perceptions of power, class lines, languages, and cultures. A planner can be anyone, from anywhere, and it is important to understand when it is appropriate to step in. Luc-Danel Metivier will talk about these points from the context of his experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malagasy communities, and how each of these points applied to him as an individual during service. 

About the Speaker

Luc-Danel Metivier is a Return Peace Corps Volunteer who has just finished my two years of service in Madagascar. Metivier was working as an Agriculture Volunteer, first in a rural community in the North West, then in a peri-urban community in the South Central Part of the island. He is also a 2023 graduate with a landscape architecture degree and alum of UMass LARP. Before graduation, Metivier worked in the field and interned at a high-end residential design firm. This is around the time when he started to seek out other opportunities for career development post-graduation.