“Everyone is welcome to join us at the Third Goal Expos,” said Anne Baker, vice president of the National Peace Corps Association, who will be attending the event in Nashville. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re a formal member of the Peace Corps community or just an interested citizen, we’ll have something for you. And we’ve put a lot of attention into things that will help educators as well.”

The Third Goal Expos are designed to promote the third part of the Peace Corps’ mission: bringing the world back home. They include information and exhibits about countries where Peace Corps volunteers have served as well as discussions about the experiences and projects of individual volunteers.

The Nashville expo will be held on Saturday, June 23, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Nashville Public Library on 615 Church Street. Becca Stevens of Thistle Farms will serve as the keynote speaker. Other notable guests include Deputy Director of the Peace Corps Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Vice President of the National Peace Corps Association Anne Baker and President of the Tennessee Returned Peace Corps Volunteers David Keiser.

The expo will feature the Peace Corps’ Speakers Match, Correspondence Match and Coverdell World Wise Schools programs and will showcase ways that educators and Returned Peace Corps Volunteers can share the Peace Corps experience in the classroom and in the community.

“If there’s one thing every Peace Corps volunteer brings back with them, it’s the stories,” added Baker. “No matter where they served, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have a lot of interesting things to tell about their time overseas. For teachers, especially, they can be a great resource.”

Learn more about and register for the Nashville expo

“No matter where you served, Peace Corps Volunteers have certain experiences in common,” said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association. “This get-together will allow all of us to share those experiences and discuss what we can do next to bring the world back home. It’s also an excellent opportunity for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers who are looking for the next step in their career to network with people who appreciate their talents and value their experience.”

Attendees at the event will meet in small groups for break-out sessions on such topics as starting a nonprofit, getting ahead in business and recent changes in international development. In addition, smaller member groups will hold meetings at the event, and board members who were elected by the association’s members will be available to meet with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. The exhibit hall at the convention center will highlight Peace Corps entrepreneurs
and their businesses, and include job recruiting agencies, member group tables and more.

“The Peace Corps can be a solitary experience,” added Quigley. “But we’ve found over the years that when former Volunteers get together, they almost always“click.” This gathering will help those who served to build relationships and get even more out of their Peace Corps experience.”

Sign up to attend Peace Corps Connect: Minneapolis 2012

Learn more about how you or your organization can sponsor the event

“This is one of the few job sites that’s exclusively aimed at the Peace Corps community,” said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association. “Unlike other jobs boards, the Next Step Job Finder is tailored specifically to Volunteers who’ve returned home and are looking for a job, whether it’s an internship, volunteer opportunity, or paid position.”

The Next Step Job Finder is one of many resources the National Peace Corps Association offers to former Volunteers to help them acclimate back home and take the next step in their career, which is often working in a field where they can utilize the skills and knowledge they gained while serving in the Peace Corps.

Quigley said that the site is also a great resource for employers looking to hire those who served in the Peace Corps. Volunteers have learned to be self-sufficient and innovate with few resources so they are a great asset to any team. By necessity, they are entrepreneurial because they often work independently or in small groups where there are limited resources and weak government services, forcing them to be creative and self-motivated in devising innovative solutions to problems.

Job-seekers can upload their resume to be viewed by potential employers who can sign up for a resume subscription to browse posted resumes.

“In a tough economy, resources like the Next Step Job Finder can be an invaluable tool to former Volunteers looking for the perfect ‘next step’ in their career, whatever field it may be,” Quigley added. “Too many job sites try to take the one-size-fits-all approach and we feel a job site aimed at this group would help both job-seekers and employers looking to hire from the Peace Corps community.”

Visit the National Peace Corps Association’s Next Step Job Finder at http://jobs.peacecorpsconnect.org/

“We are particularly excited for this contest because we know there are a lot of ideas out there on ways to help youths in sub-Saharan Africa through agriculture and farming, but there aren’t a lot of ways to share them collaboratively. Africa Rural Connect provides the perfect platform for this kind of online competition,” says Molly Mattessich, manager of online initiatives for the National Peace Corps Association and head of the Africa Rural Connect website. “The Generation Y in Africa are key to leading the way to a more prosperous and sustainable livelihood in decades to come so when we talk about agriculture and farming in Africa they need to be part of the discussion too.”

Ideas submitted to the Young Farmers Idea Contest can run the gamut from improving youth agricultural education and training, to increasing youths’ access to finances and land, to supporting youth farming organization. Users will be allowed to designate their idea under standard Africa Rural Connect themes such as water resources, agribusiness, post-harvest losses/storage, transportation and infrastructure, and communication methods.

Contestants can enter to win the Young Farmers Idea Contest between April 15-May 31, 2012 by posting their idea to the Africa Rural Connect website. The top 10 ideas from endorsements will go to the “leaderboard” and will be sent to a panel of judges who will evaluate the top ideas identifying those they feel are the most original, creative, practical, scalable and likely to be successfully implemented.

Qualified contestants will be eligible to win first, second and third place. The first place winner receives a cash prize of $5,000 and if the winner is based in the U.S. prize they will also win roundtrip airfare and lodging to the National Peace Corps Association annual gathering in Minneapolis June 29 – July 1, 2012; the second place winner receives a cash prize of $2,500; and the third place winner receives a cash prize of $1,000.

“The focus of the contest is deliberately open-ended to spawn as many new ideas as possible,” added Mattessich. “This gives contestants the opportunity to think outside of the box and innovate.”

To enter the Young Farmers Idea Contest or learn more, visit: www.AfricaRuralConnect.org

Africa Rural Connect (ARC), a program by the National Peace Corps Association, the nation’s leading nonprofit supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community, is getting a major boost from a new partnership with the nonprofit agricultural organization IFDC. Under the partnership, volunteers with NPCA and IFDC will share information about agricultural markets on ARC to help farmers find new business while moderating online discussions about new techniques in farming and other agricultural practices.

“Historically, information has traveled slowly in rural Africa, whether it’s about farming practices or just pricing at the local markets. The Internet has sped that up dramatically, allowing farmers to grow food more efficiently and compete more effectively,” said Molly Mattessich, manager of online initiatives for NPCA who manages the Africa Rural Connect website. “This new project will help them do both with the assistance of a corps of skilled volunteers on the ground.”

Volunteers will be drawn from the ranks of NPCA’s Encore Service Corps International, a group which often includes former Peace Corps Volunteers. Encore volunteers will use the ARC website to share tips on farming, post ideas and questions for the community and spread news about their offline activities in the field for at least one year during their service.

Funded with seed money from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ARC is an online project launched by NPCA in 2009 to encourage the sharing of ideas to spur collaboration and develop new ways to help solve rural Africa’s greatest challenges. Powered by an innovative software program called Wegora, the site allows users to read and remix each other’s ideas at a press of a button.

“Volunteers with the project will be pretty far apart, geographically,” Mattessich said. “The ARC website will be a central meeting place where they can share information and engage with farmers and others around the world interested in improving agriculture in Africa.”

To submit your volunteering application, please visit the Encore Service Corps website for job descriptions.

Add your thoughts by remixing any of the ideas posted on the Africa Rural Connect website.

“This is a great opportunity for former Peace Corps Volunteers who are looking for ways to expand their service,” said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association. “Because Volunteers already know the area they’re working in, they are well-placed to take the extra step and begin helping farmers as well.”

Under the partnership, NPCA and IFDC will help farmers identify market opportunities and develop business relationships to sell their products. Returned Peace Corps Volunteers will be among those helping the farmers and others in the community.

Project participants will be selected by NPCA’s Encore Service Corps International, a group of volunteers which often includes former Peace Corps Volunteers. Progress on the efforts will be tracked on Africa Rural Connect (ARC), an NPCA website focusing on the needs of African farmers. Further supporting the agribusiness component, IFDC will draw upon the skill base of Encore volunteers who will contribute additional expertise through ARC. Encore volunteers will communicate their progress on the ARC website and post ideas and questions to share with others in the community. ARC is a free online resource available not only for volunteers in the field, but for agricultural entrepreneurs as well.

“Peace Corps Volunteers are a great addition to any project, but especially this one,” added Quigley. “They have the problem-solving skills, the technical know-how and the personal commitment to get the job done. In this case, they’ll also have extensive experience working in East Africa on similar projects.”

To apply to serve as a volunteer as part of this joint project, please submit your application here.

“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.

12 reasons to date a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer:

1. We can woo you in multiple languages.
   Who else is going to whisper sweet nothings to you in everything from Albanian to Hausa to Quechua to Xhosa? That’s right. Only a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer.
2. We’re pretty good dancers.
   Yeah, we don’t like to brag, but after 27 months in Latin America or Africa we know how to move it.
3. We’ll eat anything. Seriously.
   No matter how bad you cook, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers have had worse and will eat it with nary a blink. Sheep’s eyeball? Water buffalo gall bladder? Grasshoppers? Bush rat? Bring it.
   
4. We know all about safe sex.
   Thanks to our very thorough Peace Corps health training, we know all about practicing safe sex. In fact, there’s a chance that we’ve stood unblushingly in front of hundreds of villagers and demonstrated good condom technique with a large wooden phallus.
5. We’ll kill spiders for you.
   Well, actually, we’ll nonchalantly scoop them up and put them out of sight. Same goes for mice, geckos, frogs, snakes. Critters don’t faze former Volunteers.
6. We have great date ideas.
   We’ll makes suggestions like wandering through a street market, checking out a foreign film, taking in a world music concert, or even volunteering. Want a romantic getaway? Our passport is updated and our suitcase is packed. With us, life is always an adventure.
7. We like you for you, not your paycheck.
   Especially if we are freshly back from service, a local joint with character will win out over a pretentious eatery. Living in a group house? No problem. Does it have running hot water? What luxury!
8. You won’t get lost.
   Navigating local markets on four continents, we’ve honed an uncanny sense of direction. Or else we’ll ask for directions. We’re not afraid to talk to strangers.
   
9. We’ve been there, done that.
   Waiting for a late train or bus? Don’t worry, we can share lots of funny stories about the “bus ride from hell” that will make the time go quickly and put it all into perspective.
   
10. Our fashion style is low-maintenance.
    Returned Peace Corps Volunteer guys are secure in their manhood and don’t mind rocking a sarong. Women often prefer flip flops to high heels. And we don’t spend hours in front of a mirror getting ready to go out.
11. Marry us, and you won’t just get one family — you’ll get two!
    When we refer to our “brother” or “mom,” you’ll want to be certain we’re talking about our American one or our Peace Corps one. You might even get two wedding ceremonies, one in the U.S. and one back in our Peace Corps country.
    
12. We aren’t afraid to get dirty.
    Last, but not least.

The National Peace Corps Association, the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community, is seeking to track down thousands of lost Peace Corps Volunteers in 2012.

“This New Year’s Eve, many of us will again hear the song ‘Auld Lang Syne,’ asking if old acquaintances should be forgotten,” said Kevin Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association. “For Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, we think the answer is a resolute ‘no.’ Next year, we’re making a resolution to find as many as 10,000 of our old Peace Corps friends and add them to our list.”

Because key government records were lost during the Nixon era, no one has a complete list of the 200,000 Americans who volunteered for the Peace Corps since its founding in 1961. NPCA, a private nonprofit organization, has independently found roughly 100,000 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers over the years, but many remain lost.

To make the process easier, NPCA has set up a page on its website, www.peacecorpsconnect.org/findthe250k, which allows former Volunteers to submit their information. The page also has tools to spread the word via email, Facebook, or even Twitter.

NPCA added more than 3,900 Returned Peace Corps Volunteers to its listings in 2011. Its goal is to identify an additional 10,000 RPCVs in 2012 and complete the database in full by 2016. “With all the holiday cards arriving in your mailbox, the end of the year is a great time to update your address book,” added Quigley. “NPCA is just trying to do the same thing with former Peace Corps Volunteers. If you know one, help us find them.”

The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), the nation’s leading 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and the Peace Corps community, is celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the Peace Corps at The Promise of the Peace Corps Gala this Saturday, September 24, 2011.  Some 880 guests are expected to attend the event, which is sold out.

“During a week of 50th anniversary events, the Gala will truly be a night to remember,” said Kevin F. F. Quigley, president of the National Peace Corps Association. “For Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and other members of the Peace Corps community, this will be a chance to reflect on the values of the program, share memories and just have a really good time.”

Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball” and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Swaziland, will emcee the Gala.  American Idol’s Crystal Bowersox, a singer-songwriter, will be the headline performer. Crystal’s music speaks to the spirit of the Peace Corps through thought-provoking lyrics on the progress of the world and soulful, inspired rhythms.

Dr. Timothy Shriver, chief executive officer of Special Olympics and the son of the first director of the Peace Corps, Sargent Shriver, will present the 2011 Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service to a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who has made a sustained and notable contribution to humanitarian causes at home or abroad, or is an innovative social entrepreneur whose actions will bring about significant long-term change.  The winner of the Global Community Project Competition will also be announced.

The gala will be held Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Attendees are asked to wear formal evening wear or the dress of their home or host country.

All proceeds from this sold-out event are helping to fund the anniversary events that NPCA is hosting this week, which are free and open to the public. Supporters who cannot attend the Gala donated 30 tickets, allowing recently returned or serving Volunteers to attend.

“This year’s celebration will be one of the largest held to date in support of the Peace Corps,” Quigley added. “The Peace Corps community may never get a chance to attend an event as important and exciting as The Promise of the Peace Corps Gala.”

List of free events in September to celebrate the Peace Corps’ 50th anniversary

Access NPCA’s 50th anniversary press kit