Hey, There’s A Peace Corps!
In September 22, 2019, A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Directed by filmmaker Alana DeJoseph (Mali 1992–94) the documentary focuses on Peace Corps history along with its past and current struggles. Nearly four years after the film’s premiere, NPCA communications intern Megan Dial interviewed DeJoseph just before the documentary aired nationwide on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in September. Megan Dial: This edition of WorldView magazine focuses on the meaning of service. In a previous article (Summer 2015), you said Peace Corps acts as a prism for some of the nation’s hardest questions, such as the notion of service. What does service mean to...
The Stream: Streaming Video
WorldView Editor Picks: Five must-watch shows and documentaries Welcome to the The Stream, where WorldView highlights podcasts, videos and music from across the Peace Corps universe and on related issues and topics. In this edition, we take a look at new streaming videos selected by our editors. (more…)
The Stream: Podcasts
WorldView Picks: Five must-listen podcasts focused on national service, women's leadership, and national security Welcome to the The Stream, where WorldView highlights podcasts, videos, and music from across the Peace Corps universe and on related issues and topics. In this edition, we take a look at podcasts focused on national service, women’s leadership, and national security. Extra-Ordinary Women Latanya Mapp Frett, President and CEO of Global Fund for Women In the first podcast of Extra-Ordinary Women, Women of Peace Corps Legacy interviews Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Latanya Mapp Frett, President and CEO of Global Fund for Women. Latanya, who got her...
Reel vs. Real: Peace Corps, Pop Culture, and Public Perception
In the ever-evolving landscape of pop culture, the Peace Corps has not only made its mark as an international force for world peace but has also found its way into the hearts and minds of creative storytellers across the decades. From the early sixties to the digital age of today, Peace Corps has left an indelible imprint on the silver and small screens, offering the community a unique thrill — spotting those unmistakable Peace Corps references that hit close to home. The experience of volunteering abroad is a tapestry of triumphs, trials, and transformation. Peace Corps’ complex tapestry has been...
Keeping it Real: Narrative Integrity and Ethical Storytelling
This year’s Peace Corps Connect conference offered a 360-degree view on all things Peace Corps. For advocates, Congressman John Garamendi, the only RPCV currently serving in Congress, gave his views on Peace Corps funding and its role in U.S. foreign policy. For observers of the agency, Director Carol Spahn shared her vision for the future of Peace Corps, including greater efforts to combat climate change, expand youth development, and address gender equity at new posts being added regularly since the decline of the COVID-19 pandemic. For champions of the work RPCVs do at home, awards were announced, and a new platform for the continuation of...
A Bipartisan No-Brainer
The existence and efforts of the National Service Caucus are indicative of the power and potential of national service in the United States, something that should be continuously celebrated and cultivated. The National Service Caucus was established in 2004 by Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT), Rep. David Price (D-NC), Rep. Tom Osborne (R-NE) and Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN). The caucus became bicameral in 2008 when Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT) established a companion caucus in the Senate. “My ambition when I was in college was to be in the Peace Corps and maybe serve in some public way in government…and give that to discussions when I was growing up by Kennedy and others,”...
Pride and Prejudice
In a small village in western Kenya, a Peace Corps Volunteer who, for safety reasons, will be referred to as Michael, is engaging in meaningful discussions about sexuality, where he encourages the people he meets to pursue life as who they are and safely explore relationships with others. Michael identifies as a bisexual man but has been careful about whom he shares this with during his service. In Kenya, many regu-lations make same-sex relations unlawful, and a majority of Kenyan society holds negative views toward LGBTQ+ persons. “If you do any sexual acts with a same-sex person, you can go...
The Admiral Thanks You for Your Service
Admiral James Stavridis, the former NATO supreme allied commander and past dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy speaks with WorldView editor Robert Nolan about the role of Peace Corps in national security, how national service can be better incentivized, and career opportunities for newly returned Volunteers. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. Robert Nolan: As we were putting this issue together, it raised a question for many of us in the community about how we actually define the term “national service.” What are your thoughts on that question? James Stavridis: I’ll get to your question, but first let me say...
Call of Duty
The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the national service sector has been a tale of two extremes. On one end of the spectrum, AmeriCorps members (and the many prematurely evacuated Peace Corps Volunteers who joined the effort) were instrumental in administering COVID-19 vaccines to communities across the United States, the latest in a series of examples of service workers meeting an essential need and making a difference at the community level. On the other end of that spectrum, the persistent, if diminishing, risk of being infected with COVID has wreaked havoc on recruitment for all forms of in-person, community-level service...
Partnering, with People
Following the reintroduction of the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act in Congress last March—on Peace Corps’ birthday no less—hundreds of NPCA members rallied around our National Day of Advocacy, including visits to nearly every office in the House and Senate. The same day we visited the Hill, President Biden introduced his 2024 federal budget, including an increase of $65 million for the Peace Corps. The proven impact of these advocacy efforts affirms our commitment to helping Peace Corps be the best it can be. While Peace Corps is now back in, or will soon return to 60 countries, there are many...