New Documentary: Peace Corps Response to COVID
On December 2 the agency premiered a film chronicling the work by Peace Corps Response Volunteers in 2021 to help fight COVID-19 in the United States. By NPCA Staff In 2021, for the second time in the agency’s 60-year history, Peace Corps Response Volunteers deployed in the U.S., at the request of FEMA, to support vaccination efforts. We shared stories from some of those Volunteers in the Summer 2021 edition of WorldView. On December 2, the Peace Corps premiered a documentary, “Peace Corps Response to COVID,” following Volunteers through their three-month journey as they used skills honed during their Peace Corps...
“Terrific Ambassadors”: Peace Corps Community Relationship Building in Kentucky
Peace Corps Community Relationship Building in Kentucky Photo: Andy Barr (R-KY), who paid tribute to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers’ work in his home state during hearings of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in September By Jonathan Pearson Citizen advocacy isn’t easy. It sometimes takes a sustained, committed effort to engage a lawmaker and their staff over an extended period, building a relationship based on accurate information, dialogue, and respect. But that hard work can make a very big difference. As the House Foreign Affairs Committee was considering the Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2021 in September, five-term Kentucky Congressman Andy...
Peace Corps Reauthorization Act Passes Its First Hurdle
In a time of partisan rancor, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passes the bill with ringing bipartisan approval: a vote of 44 to 4. By Jonathan Pearson It is a sweeping piece of Peace Corps legislation, addressing everything from Volunteer health, safety, and security, to enhanced support and recognition, to expanded opportunities through Peace Corps service, to prioritizing recent evacuees who wish to resume their service as Peace Corps begins redeployment. And over the next year, it is also a top priority on National Peace Corps Association’s advocacy agenda. The Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2021 (H.R. 1456),...
Peace Corps Begins Sending Invitations: Return to Service in 2022
Eight posts have met criteria for Volunteers to return. Invitations are out for five: Belize, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Zambia. And the agency is recruiting returned Volunteers for the Virtual Service Pilot. Colombia mural: one of the countries to for which Peace Corps has sent out invitations for Volunteers to return in 2022. Photo courtesy Peace Corps By NPCA Staff It’s the news that thousands of us have been waiting to hear since March 2020: The Peace Corps has begun issuing invitations for Volunteers to return to service overseas. Eight posts have met the agency’s criteria when...
David McGaffey Served with the Peace Corps in Afghanistan, Then Embarked on a Career in Diplomacy
With the Peace Corps, he and his wife helped set up the first high school for girls in the town of Farah. As a diplomat in Iran, he helped evacuate hundreds of U.S. citizens. Photo courtesy the family of David McGaffey By NPCA Staff Born on a farm in Michigan, David McGaffey was 15 years old when he enrolled at the University of Detroit. He studied theater, folklore, psychology, and math, and met his future wife, Elizabeth. They wed and applied to serve as Peace Corps Volunteers in Chile. “The Peace Corps looked at my application and said here is somebody...
Jeremy M. Black Was Committed to Nonviolence
After his life was ended far too soon, his wife has carried forward that commitment. Photo courtesy the family of Jeremy Black By NPCA Staff Promoting understanding between peoples was Jerry Black’s life’s work. He served as a Volunteer in the Comoros Islands 1992–94 before completing a degree at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, where he met his wife, Cathy Feingold. They worked together at the Ford Foundation before moving to Washington, D.C., where Jerry worked at the Aspen Institute as the director of MicroTest, a program that gave grants to microenterprise development organizations across the U.S. Black...
Hardy Frye Served as Peace Corps Country Director in Guyana and Was Deeply Engaged in Civil Rights Activism
He was a scholar, teacher, film producer, and worked with emerging Black political parties in South Africa. A lesson: Hardy Frye, in his days with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, telling how Black Americans in the South overcame fear to organize community action. Photo courtesy Civil Rights Movement Archive By NPCA Staff Tuskegee, Alabama, was where Hardy Frye grew up and learned about Black history from his teachers. After service in the Army, he moved to Los Angeles and became involved in civil rights activism. He picketed the 1960 Democratic National Convention and registered Black voters during Mississippi Freedom Summer. He was...
William Dennis Grubb: “One of the First and One of the Best”
Dennis Grubb left college at age 19 to serve in the Peace Corps in Colombia. And for many in the 1960s, he literally became the face of the Peace Corps. Students in Colombia with Dennis Grubb, who joined the first group of Peace Corps Volunteers serving communities there. Photo courtesy family of Dennis Grubb By NPCA Staff One of the youngest and first Peace Corps Volunteers, Dennis Grubb began serving in Colombia at age 19 in 1961. He was a sophomore at Penn State when President John F. Kennedy mentioned the idea of a Peace Corps; Grubb left school and became part...
Global Reentry: Live [Virtual] Career Office Hours Twice a Month
Mini-coaching dialogues on résumé critiques, mock interviews, job search strategy, and more Photo courtesy Envato By NPCA Staff Wondering how to build the career you desire or execute an effective job search? National Peace Corps Association’s Global Reentry Program has launched twice-monthly Live [Virtual] Career Office Hours to provide assistance for small groups and individuals via mini-coaching dialogues on résumé critiques, mock interviews, job search strategy, and more. Hosted by Global Reentry Career Specialist Jodi Hammer (Ecuador 1994–97), each session explores a different career topic, answers questions, and offers resources. Find upcoming sessions in January 2022 and beyond: peacecorpsconnect.org/events
Peace Corps Days of Advocacy 2022: In Person?
National Peace Corps Association hopes to host in-person meetings as part of Capitol Hill Advocacy Day on March 3, 2022. This is an opportunity to meet with members of Congress and staff. The last in-person meetings were in March 2020, just days before the Capitol shut down. Health and safety concerns mean we can’t yet confirm in-person meetings in 2022, but NPCA hopes to announce definitive plans in January. Check back with the NPCA website for updates — or head to our homepage and scroll down to sign up for the NPCA Newsletter.