Can you imagine going to a school where your desk and the chalkboard are not in a classroom? How about waking up to a breakfast of fried spaghetti and boiled plantains?1 Would you like to learn to say "What's up?" in Swahili? Many Peace Corps volunteers experience these things every day, all across the globe.
The first lesson Americans learn when they travel to the Philippines, Mongolia, Honduras, or 68 other countries to start work as volunteers is that life is very different around the world. Today, more than 7,500 Americans are serving as Peace Corps volunteers. Some teach students your age how to read and write in English. Others teach groups of women how to use computers to sell their handmade crafts over the Internet. Still other Peace Corps volunteers show communities how to start recycling centers. The types of projects volunteers work on differ as much as the jobs your parents and friends' parents do. These projects require some training, hard work, and a lot of learning on the part of everyone - the Peace Corps volunteer and the community - to make them successful.
In 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country by living and working in developing countries.2 A few months later, John F. Kennedy became president, and he created the Peace Corps in 1961.
The Peace Corps has three main goals. First, it provides help to poor and developing countries around the world. Second, Peace Corps volunteers, through their work and friendships, help explain American culture to people in other countries, from the types of music we enjoy to the foods we eat. Third, after Americans complete their Peace Corps service, they bring back with them many memories and share what they learned about the places where they lived. This sharing helps Americans learn about and better understand people from other cultures. In all, the Peace Corps is about spreading peace and building global friendships.
Since the Peace Corps was created, more than 171,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in 137 different countries. They have been teachers and mentors to thousands of children. They have helped farmers grow crops, worked with small businesses to sell their products, and shown parents how to keep their babies healthy. Recently, they have helped schools develop computer skills and educated communities about HIV/AIDS.
What does it take to be a volunteer? Being a Peace Corps volunteer has been described as "the toughest job you'll ever love." That's because Peace Corps volunteers in developing countries face daily challenges that they never have to deal with in America. Peace Corps volunteers live with the communities they serve. Sometimes this means living in a hut without running water. In other communities, it may mean living in a dormitory4 with students. Living with people from other countries helps volunteers learn new languages, discover new cultures, and make friends in their new communities. Living in the community has proven to be the key to Peace Corps success during the past 43 years.
Peace Corps volunteers serve in their communities for two years. It sounds like a long time, but many Peace Corps volunteers will tell you they wish they had more time because they have so many projects they'd like to complete. They will also tell you that even after their two years are up, their friendships with local people in their community, school, or businesses are friendships that will last forever.
And after finishing their two years in the Peace Corps, most volunteers continue to use their skills to serve others. Many famous Americans got their start as Peace Corps volunteers. Some have even gone on to become congressmen and senators, governors, diplomats, educators, doctors, writers, journalists, and more. Just this year, a former Peace Corps volunteer became an astronaut.
Although you might still be too young to apply to become a Peace Corps volunteer, you can still help others at home and in your community by volunteering. Start now by helping your neighbors with their yards or by getting your class to clean up a park. Helping others makes us feel good and lets us learn about ourselves, too. Later, the Peace Corps and the world will be waiting for you to share your skills and talents with others. Then you can start out on a journey of a lifetime as a Peace Corps volunteer.
The first lesson Americans learn when they travel to the Philippines, Mongolia, Honduras, or 68 other countries to start work as volunteers is that life is very different around the world. Today, more than 7,500 Americans are serving as Peace Corps volunteers. Some teach students your age how to read and write in English. Others teach groups of women how to use computers to sell their handmade crafts over the Internet. Still other Peace Corps volunteers show communities how to start recycling centers. The types of projects volunteers work on differ as much as the jobs your parents and friends' parents do. These projects require some training, hard work, and a lot of learning on the part of everyone - the Peace Corps volunteer and the community - to make them successful.
In 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country by living and working in developing countries.2 A few months later, John F. Kennedy became president, and he created the Peace Corps in 1961.
The Peace Corps has three main goals. First, it provides help to poor and developing countries around the world. Second, Peace Corps volunteers, through their work and friendships, help explain American culture to people in other countries, from the types of music we enjoy to the foods we eat. Third, after Americans complete their Peace Corps service, they bring back with them many memories and share what they learned about the places where they lived. This sharing helps Americans learn about and better understand people from other cultures. In all, the Peace Corps is about spreading peace and building global friendships.
Since the Peace Corps was created, more than 171,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in 137 different countries. They have been teachers and mentors to thousands of children. They have helped farmers grow crops, worked with small businesses to sell their products, and shown parents how to keep their babies healthy. Recently, they have helped schools develop computer skills and educated communities about HIV/AIDS.
What does it take to be a volunteer? Being a Peace Corps volunteer has been described as "the toughest job you'll ever love." That's because Peace Corps volunteers in developing countries face daily challenges that they never have to deal with in America. Peace Corps volunteers live with the communities they serve. Sometimes this means living in a hut without running water. In other communities, it may mean living in a dormitory4 with students. Living with people from other countries helps volunteers learn new languages, discover new cultures, and make friends in their new communities. Living in the community has proven to be the key to Peace Corps success during the past 43 years.
Peace Corps volunteers serve in their communities for two years. It sounds like a long time, but many Peace Corps volunteers will tell you they wish they had more time because they have so many projects they'd like to complete. They will also tell you that even after their two years are up, their friendships with local people in their community, school, or businesses are friendships that will last forever.
And after finishing their two years in the Peace Corps, most volunteers continue to use their skills to serve others. Many famous Americans got their start as Peace Corps volunteers. Some have even gone on to become congressmen and senators, governors, diplomats, educators, doctors, writers, journalists, and more. Just this year, a former Peace Corps volunteer became an astronaut.
Although you might still be too young to apply to become a Peace Corps volunteer, you can still help others at home and in your community by volunteering. Start now by helping your neighbors with their yards or by getting your class to clean up a park. Helping others makes us feel good and lets us learn about ourselves, too. Later, the Peace Corps and the world will be waiting for you to share your skills and talents with others. Then you can start out on a journey of a lifetime as a Peace Corps volunteer.
