[[Peace Corps? Tell me about it?]]?

Question

i'm 14 years old, and i desperately want to help those in need. i am seriously thinking about vounteering for the Peace Corps shortly after i graduate from college, and i was wondering what you could tell me about it.

if you have volunteered, could you please tell me about your experience? can anyone tell me if it costs anything? what is the main goal, or rather, what is its main purpose? what are the pros and cons? how long is it for? what do you do?

answers are greatly appreciated!

XOXO<33

p.s. plese don't tell me to go to a search engine or something like that... ive already done that and need a bit more of a clear answer. =] thanks.

Answer 1

I wrote much more about what it was like than I want to paste here on my personal site,

http://www.tedpack.org/pchead.html

It doesn&#039;t cost anything; they pay you a modest living allowance and pay for your medical and dental care.

The main goal is to provide developing countries with volunteers who have the skills those countries have asked for. That&#039;s the part many people who post questions about the Peace Cops don&#039;t get; all the good intentions in the world won&#039;t get you in if you don&#039;t have a skill a country has asked for.

The pros are adventure, travel, personal growth, education, the chance to make a difference and a more tolerant view of humanity. The cons are it pays LOTS less than a job for a college graduate in the USA.

The standard term is 3 months of training and two years of service; 27 months.

Many PCV&#039;s teach secondary school. Others advise farmers or small business owners. They do a lot of AIDS awareness education, and general health education.

Answer 2

ask silky

Answer 3

Here is a web site that can help you learn more about the skills and experience desired by long-term placement organizations like the PeaceCorps, and how you can gain that experience locally, wherever you are right *now*, no matter your age. http://www.coyotecommunications.com/volu...

Answer 4

I was a PCV in Brazil.  You do not pay to be a PCV, but you are not paid much either.  I gather that you have no problem with low pay, provided you have what is necessary to live and have access to good medical care.  You will be provided the necessities of living.

PCVs can be assigned to whatever need the host country requests: nursing, teaching, rural engineering, sanitation, community development, etc.

The purpose of the Peace Corps articulated by President Kennedy was (1) to provide free labor and assistance to countries lacking the human resources to provide their own trained labor, (2) to acquaint everyday people in the host countries with Americans, and (3) to build up a body of American citizens with intimate knowledge of living abroad and with perspectives one can gain only by living in the host country as do so many of its people: at the subsistence level level.

Your motivation, as you describe it, is an excellent sign that you are looking in the right direction.

I know of no cons.  Its slogan is the most accurate slogan I know: &quot;Its the toughest job you&#039;ll ever love.&quot;

After about three months training, you will spend two years in the host country.  If you are like most PCVs, the time will fly by and you will not want to come back!

Answer 5

What you do: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shel...

Counseling teenagers in Belize. Launching an Armenian computer center. Promoting HIV/AIDS awareness in Malawi. Teaching chemistry in a Ghanaian high school. Peace Corps Volunteers work in a wide variety of areas —and no two days are ever the same.

Goals i think: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shel...

The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to 1960, when then Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries. From that inspiration grew an agency of the federal government devoted to world peace and friendship.

Since that time, more than 190,000 Peace Corps Volunteers have been invited by 139 host countries to work on issues ranging from AIDS education to information technology and environmental preservation.

Today&#039;s Peace Corps is more vital than ever, working in emerging and essential areas such as information technology and business development, and committing more than 1,000 new Volunteers as a part of the President&#039;s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Peace Corps Volunteers continue to help countless individuals who want to build a better life for themselves, their children, and their communities.

There&#039;s quite a bit to learn about the Peace Corps—explore the following sections to get to know its mission, history, and current endeavors in depth:

  



Think of the Peace Corps and you might imagine teaching in a one-room schoolhouse or farming in a remote area of the world. But while education and agriculture are still an important part of what the Peace Corps does, today&#039;s Volunteers are just as likely to be working on HIV/AIDS awareness, helping to establish computer learning centers, or working on small-business development.

Peace Corps Volunteers work in the following areas: education, youth outreach, and community development; business development; agriculture and environment; health and HIV/AIDS; and information technology. Within these areas, the specific duties and responsibilities of each Volunteer can vary widely. Ask any Peace Corps Volunteer and he or she will tell you that everybody has a unique experience.