President Barack Obama declared March 1st, 2011 to be the official 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps. Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, the Peace Corps sends Americans abroad in order to promote friendship, peace, and understanding through service. According to the Peace Corps website, since the institution’s inception, over 200,000 volunteers have served in 139 different countries. Peace Corps volunteers work in a variety of fields including HIV/AIDS, business development , education, and environmental issues.
We salute Peace Corps volunteers for not only serving, but also living alongside of those being served. This makes these volunteers more than workers or teachers—they are also global learners, experiencing diverse cultures and building friendship and understanding.
Global Washington members are organizations and businesses based in the United States that work abroad and on behalf of our members, we would like to express our appreciation for these friendships built and the understanding that is established through Peace Corps service. There are also many returned Peace Corps volunteers working at Global Washington member organizations. They exhibit a lifelong passion for global development and intercultural issues, which they bring enthusiastically to the work they are currently doing.
If your organization has a job opening, you it position in the Peace Corps’s monthly job bulletin Hotline by going to www.peacecorps.gov/hotline or post on their listserv by contacting RPCVcareercenter@peacecorps.gov. The Peace Corps is also hosting a career fair in Seattle on April 15th. If your organization is interested in participating, contact Joseph Cozza at jcozza@peacecorps.gov to be put on a waiting list.
If you are a current or returned Peace Corps volunteer, Global Washington would love to hear your story! Where did you serve? What did it shape your life and your career? What are you doing now?