Press Release: Peace Corps 2.0: New Generation of Returned Volunteers Turns Out for Eighth Annual National Day of Action

Washington, DC — February 26th, 2012 — The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) and the Peace Corps community, will bring dozens of Volunteers to Washington for the eighth annual National Day of Action on March 1. Based on registration, this year’s event will feature more younger Volunteers than ever, part of a renewed effort by the millennial generation to engage in the Peace Corps.

“This isn’t your father’s Peace Corps,” said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association. “This new generation of Volunteers grew up with the Internet, cell phones and social networking. They are more connected to the world than ever, and they bring that high level of engagement to their Peace Corps experience.”

According to a new report released last year based on the largest ever independent survey of RPCVs, the most recent decade of former Volunteers are now working in education and the nonprofit sector (33 percent each) and health care, business, government, and international development (14 percent each). Meaning, they are well-rounded and well-versed in a variety of fields making them effective advocates on Capitol Hill to push for a bigger, better and bolder Peace Corps.

For this year’s National Day of Action, which will take place on March 1 during the official 2012 Peace Corps Week, Feb 27-March 3, more than 50 advocates will hold more than 100 meetings on Capitol Hill RPCVs and other supporters will lobby Congress to continue funding the Peace Corps at or above its present level of $375 million per year and to move ahead with final passage of legislation that would authorize a privately funded commemorative near the National Mall that would mark the lasting historical significance of the founding of the Peace Corps in 1961, and the ideals represented by Peace Corps service.

Some of the Volunteers participating in this year’s event already have accomplished resumes.

They include:

  • Whitney Swander, of Bend, Ore., a graduate student in the Shriver Peaceworker program  at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County who served in Madagascar and Ecuador from 2008 to 2011.
  • Sarah Singletary, of Tulsa, Olka., a fellow at the Partnership for Public Service and a  former intern at NPCA who served in Niger and Cameroon from 2009 to 2011.
  • Katherine de Juan, of Bloomsfield, Conn., who has worked on the Hill in the office of nRep. John Larson and served in El Salvador from 2011 to 2012.
“These Volunteers show the continued importance of the Peace Corps in today’s interconnected world,” said Quigley. “Their enthusiasm and experience are helping us make this a model of a 21st century government program.”  Learn more about the National Day of Action on March 1.

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About the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA)

Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization connecting and championing Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community. It provides service and education opportunities that build on the Peace Corps experience, and is also the longest-standing advocate for an independent and robust Peace Corps. To learn more, visit: www.peacecorpsconnect.org

Media contact:
Erica Burman
Director of Communications
Phone: 202-293-7728

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