as someone who has no idea either, i think it’s probably unique to the context (people and place). sometimes it takes seeing the machine from the inside to understand its role. of course that’s not guaranteed to reveal anything either, if they aren’t looking, but if they go to a place with open eyes and try to listen to and help people they are likely to meet people trying to do the same with alternative methods built on critical perspectives.

i haven’t read all of this, but it has been making its way around the circuit: https://cdn.bookey.app/files/pdf/book/en/the-revolution-will-not-be-funded.pdf

personally, i can’t even imagine trying to do something 100% federally funded and administered over the next 2 years. this administration whiplashes the shit out of everything, and i’d rather not be overseas and find out whatever situation i get dumped into has rug pulled funding to the local community for the third time in a year. at least in the states, one speaks the language and can probably make their way to a bus station to get back to wherever if the whole thing goes teats up.

if finding a mutual aid org seems insurmountable, you could steer them into americorps because i legit think americorps service has more radicalizing potential since it’s just in the US and not beholden to the embassy to be your lifeline in case of a crisis. and, for sure, the geography of uneven development americorp exposes can be a total mind job for americans who think america hasn’t been insanely hollowed out.

i spent some years working in deep interior places where americorps has standing missions. designated federal “promise zones” under obama. deeply radicalizing and opened my eyes to an america my family still cannot perceive no matter how much i try to articulate it.