2007.06.25: June 25, 2007: Headlines:... Log Out | Topics | Search
Moderators | Register | Edit Profile

Peace Corps Online » Discussion » Bulletin Board Posts » 2007.06.25: June 25, 2007: Headlines: Fiftieth: Writing: Announcements: Peace Corps at 50: Call for stories to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps « Previous Next »

  Thread Last Poster Posts Pages Last Post
2006.12.14: December 14, 2006: Headlines: Editors: Publishing: Writ...Admin17-10-07  8:37 am
  Start New Thread        

Author Message
Admin1 (admin) (ppp-70-245-27-137.dsl.okcyok.swbell.net - 70.245.27.137)
Posted on Monday, June 25, 2007 - 11:54 am:   

Call for stories to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps

Call for stories to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps

The series will include four volumes, each with its own editor: Africa and the Middle East (Dennis Cordell); Asia and the Pacific (Jane Albritton); South America, Central America and the Caribbean (Pat Alter); and After the Cold War: Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Jay Chen). “We are all aware that the Peace Corps experience was not always rosy or uplifting,” Albritton said. “Sometimes volunteers can’t avoid scary, ethically murky situations. We are prepared to include well-told stories that recount those parts of the Peace Corps experience along with the more familiar memories of just what do you do when presented with a plate of freshly fried crickets by a smiling girl from Chad?”

Call for stories to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps

The Editors of Peace Corps At 50 call for stories to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps.

Call for Stories

The Peace Corps will turn 50 in 2011. To celebrate the occasion, the editors of Peace Corps at 50 invite all volunteers, in-country staff and trainers to submit their best stories to a four-volume anniversary collection. The site www.PeaceCorpsAt50.org marks the spot with information on the project, the editors, and writers’ guidelines.

“Everyone who has served in the Peace Corps has a story,” said series editor Jane Albritton. “We tell them when we get together; our families know them by heart (our kids sometimes roll their eyes). We include at least some of them in job interviews and when we meet new friends.”

However, the editors agreed that even good stories can get lost in time, and with them vanishes a piece of vital knowledge about an organization that has to date sent roughly 187, 000 volunteers into 139 different countries. These four books and the stories in them will document that we in this country can engage fully with other cultures, have our preconceptions smashed to smithereens, and live to tell the tale.

The First Equal Opportunity Adventure

“Most people may not remember, or ever have known, that before Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, there were three African American volunteers in Pakistan,” Albritton said. “Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 made it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of race and sex, Pauline Birky-Kruetzer had completed her appointment as in-country director for Pakistan 1. Peace Corps was way ahead of the curve.”

In those days it might not have been entirely wise to give a woman a leadership role in a Muslim country, but director Sargent Shriver was adamant. Birky-Kruetzer prevailed, winning the respect of even the rugged Pathans. Birky-Kruetzer, now 91, has vivid memories of those times.

“Willie Douglas, who was very dark, taught agriculture up in Pathan territory where farmers worked the fields with guns on their shoulders,” she recalled. “They loved him and wanted another volunteer just like him.”

Four for the 50th

The series will include four volumes, each with its own editor: Africa and the Middle East (Dennis Cordell); Asia and the Pacific (Jane Albritton); South America, Central America and the Caribbean (Pat Alter); and After the Cold War: Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Jay Chen). (Please see the site for biographical information.)

“We are all aware that the Peace Corps experience was not always rosy or uplifting,” Albritton said. “Sometimes volunteers can’t avoid scary, ethically murky situations. We are prepared to include well-told stories that recount those parts of the Peace Corps experience along with the more familiar memories of just what do you do when presented with a plate of freshly fried crickets by a smiling girl from Chad?”

For further information on this project please visit the website or contact any of the editors at the following addresses:

jane.albritton@peacecorpsat50.org (Asia and the Pacific)

pat.alter@peacecorpsat50.org (South America, Central America, Caribbean)

jay.chen@peacecorpsat50.org (Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia)

dennis.cordell@peacecorpsat50.org (Africa and the Middle East)

Quick Facts

Project Title: Peace Corps At 50 ( www.peacecorpsat50.org)

Purpose: To create four books of stories to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps and to maintain a website with additional stories until 2011 and beyond.

Scope: Nonfiction stories that reflect the full range of experience in the Peace Corps, from the hilarious to the grim. Each book will be divided into sections that focus loosely on Expectations, Peace Corps Tasks, Unexpected Shadows, and the Context of History. If the Peace Corps were a person, these stories would be her memoir.

Contributors: RPCVs, Peace Corps staff and trainers from 1961 to the present

Time frame: First deadline for story submissions, January 2008

Site Contact: admin@peacecorpsat50.org




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: June, 2007; Writing; Announcements; Peace Corps Bibliography; Peace Corps Directory; Peace Corps History; Bulletin Board; Peace Corps Headlines





When this story was posted in June 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Contact PCOLBulletin BoardRegisterSearch PCOLWhat's New?

Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
Public diplomacy rests on sound public policy Date: June 10 2007 No: 1153 Public diplomacy rests on sound public policy
When President Kennedy spoke of "a long twilight struggle," and challenged the country to "ask not," he signaled that the Cold War was the challenge and framework defining US foreign policy. The current challenge is not a struggle against a totalitarian foe. It is not a battle against an enemy called "Islamofascism." From these false assumptions flow false choices, including the false choice between law enforcement and war. Instead, law enforcement and military force both must be essential instruments, along with diplomacy, including public diplomacy. But public diplomacy rests on policy, and to begin with, the policy must be sound. Read more.

Peace Corps News Peace Corps Library Peace corps History RPCV Directory Sign Up

Ambassador revokes clearance for PC Director Date: June 14 2007 No: 1159 Ambassador revokes clearance for PC Director
A post made on PCOL from volunteers in Tanzania alleges that Ambassador Retzer has acted improperly in revoking the country clearance of Country Director Christine Djondo. A statement from Peace Corps' Press Office says that the Peace Corps strongly disagrees with the ambassador’s decision and that her removal will have an adverse effect on the program in Tanzania. In an apparently unrelated story, the White House has announced that Retzer is being replaced as Ambassador.

June 1, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Date: June 1 2007 No: 1141 June 1, 2007: This Month's Top Stories
Returned Volunteers and Staff honor Warren Wiggins 15 May
Tom Seligman curates "Art of Being Tuareg" 26 May
PCV Marilyn Foss dies in China 25 May
Poet Susan Rich writes: The Women of Kismayo 22 May
Christopher Hill considers visit to North Korea 18 May
Peter Hessler talks about time in Fuling as PCV 18 May
Murder charges filed in death of PCV Julia Campbell 17 May
David Pitts claims JFK offered PC to Lem Billings 16 May
Niki Tsongas announces candidacy for Congress 16 May
James Rupert writes: Pakistanis talk of Musharraf's departure 16 May
Chris Matthews writes: Jerry Falwell's Political Legacy 15 May
Ron Tschetter visits volunteers in Botswana 14 May
Which assignment to take? Africa, Europe, or Central Asia 14 May
Willy Volk writes: New way to keep mosquitoes at bay 14 May
Jim Walsh takes special interest in Nepal 13 May
NPCA offers podcasts of social entrepreneurs 10 May
Gaddi Vasquez showcases food aid work in Central America 10 May
Donna Tabor dreamed up Cafe Chavalos 8 May
Tom Bissell writing book about Jesus' 13 Apostles 8 May
Jody Olsen praises PCV blogging 7 May
PC responds to missing volunteers in 2001 and 2007 2 May


Peace Corps Funnies Date: May 25 2007 No: 1135 Peace Corps Funnies
A PCV writing home? Our editor hard at work? Take a look at our Peace Corps Funnies and Peace Corps Cartoons and see why Peace Corps Volunteers say that sometimes a touch of levity can be one of the best ways of dealing with frustrations in the field. Read what RPCVs say about the lighter side of life in the Peace Corps and see why irreverent observations can often contain more than a grain of truth. We'll supply the photos. You supply the captions.

PCOL serves half million Date: May 1 2007 No: 1120 PCOL serves half million
PCOL's readership for April exceeded 525,000 visitors - a 50% increase over last year. This year also saw the advent of a new web site: Peace Corps News that together with the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps serve 17,000 RPCVs, Staff, and Friends of the Peace Corps every day. Thanks for making PCOL your source of news for the Peace Corps community. Read more.

May 2, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Date: May 3 2007 No: 1128 May 2, 2007: This Month's Top Stories
Tschetter flew to Manila to support search for missing PCV 15 Apr
Michael O'Hanlon writes: A ruthless foe 24 Apr
Dodd calls for 'surge of diplomacy' on Iraq 13 Apr
Tony Hall works with Opportunity International 22 Apr
Mark Gearan Calls for Service, engaged constituency 20 Apr
Timothy Obert sentenced in molestation case 20 Apr
Moyers indicts news media on Iraq reporting 19 Apr
Chris Matthews to moderate May 3 GOP debates 18 Apr
Garamendi votes to kill LNG terminal 10 Apr
Scheper-Hughes receives William Sloan Coffin Award 7 Apr
Petri outraged at Student Loan Corruption 6 Apr
Dodd wants to expand Peace Corps to 100,000 4 Apr
John Sherman's opera "Biafra" now on web 2 Apr
Peter Navarro writes "The Coming China Wars" 30 Mar
Carl Pope writes: 2% solution for global warming 28 Mar
Philippe Newlin lectures on wine 28 Mar
DRI launches program to improve Healthcare in Ghana 26 Mar
Gabriela Lena Frank's Compadrazgo debuts in Columbus 26 Mar
Reed Hastings appointed to Microsoft Board of Directors 26 Mar
Shays supports National Public Service Academy 23 Mar
Margaret Krome writes: Peace vigil appropriate response 21 Mar
Al Kamen writes: Clinton fired Prosecutors too 21 Mar


Suspect confesses in murder of PCV Date: April 27 2007 No: 1109 Suspect confesses in murder of PCV
Search parties in the Philippines discovered the body of Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell near Barangay Batad, Banaue town on April 17. Director Tschetter expressed his sorrow at learning the news. “Julia was a proud member of the Peace Corps family, and she contributed greatly to the lives of Filipino citizens in Donsol, Sorsogon, where she served,” he said. Latest: Suspect Juan Duntugan admits to killing Campbell. Leave your thoughts and condolences .

Warren Wiggins: Architect of the Peace Corps Date: April 15 2007 No: 1095 Warren Wiggins: Architect of the Peace Corps
Warren Wiggins, who died at 84 on April 13, became one of the architects of the Peace Corps in 1961 when his paper, "A Towering Task," landed in the lap of Sargent Shriver, just as Shriver was trying to figure out how to turn the Peace Corps into a working federal department. Shriver was electrified by the treatise, which urged the agency to act boldly. Read Mr. Wiggins' obituary and biography, take an opportunity to read the original document that shaped the Peace Corps' mission, and read John Coyne's special issue commemorating "A Towering Task."

March 14, 2007: This Month's Top Stories Date: March 14 2007 No: 1074 March 14, 2007: This Month's Top Stories
Evacuated PCVs attend Festival on the Niger in Mali 23 Feb
Tom Bissell tells the story of how Vietnam came home 13 Mar
Mike Honda cites Japan's Sex Slavery 8 Mar
Donna Shalala co-chairs presidential commission 7 Mar
Sixth Anniversary of Disappearance of PCV Walter Poirier 6 Mar
Sam Farr was de-selected during Peace Corps Training 6 Mar
Elaine Jones would be good fit for NAACP President 6 Mar
Pat Waak re-elected chairwoman of Colorado Dems 5 Mar
Astronaut Mae Jemison was PC Medical Officer 4 Mar
Guy Consolmagno blends faith and science 3 Mar
Doyle Turns Down Federal Abstinence Money 3 Mar
Owen Cylke writes: Taxi in the Rain 2 Mar
Jody Olsen receives "Founder’s Day" Award 2 Mar
Chris Dodd introduces PCV Empowerment Act 1 Mar
Michael O'Hanlon writes: Iraq Deserves One More Chance 1 Mar
An Excerpt from Jan Worth's Night Blind 28 Feb
David Harde sentenced for Medical Marijuana 28 Feb
Oscar winner Helen Mirren congratulated by RPCV husband 26 Feb
RPCVs distribute mosquito nets 25 Feb
Peter McPherson new Chairman of Dow Jones 21 Feb
Arabic speakers under-utilized in Homeland Security 9 Feb
Dr. J. Michael Taylor co- founded Konbit Sante 4 Feb

The Peace Corps Library Date: July 11 2006 No: 923 The Peace Corps Library
The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Date: September 23 2006 No: 996 Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps
Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

He served with honor Date: September 12 2006 No: 983 He served with honor
One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

Meet Ron Tschetter - Our Next Director Date: September 6 2006 No: 978 Meet Ron Tschetter - Our Next Director
Read our story about Ron Tschetter's confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was carried on C-Span. It was very different from the Vasquez hearings in 2001, very cut and dried with low attendance by the public. Among the highlights, Tschetter intends to make recruitment of baby boomers a priority, there are 20 countries under consideration for future programs, Senator Dodd intends to re-introduce his third goal Peace Corps legislation this session, Tschetter is a great admirer of Senator Coleman's quest for accountability, Dodd thinks management at PC may not put volunteers first, Dodd wants Tschetter to look into problems in medical selection, and Tschetter is not a blogger and knows little about the internet or guidelines for volunteer blogs. Read our recap of the hearings as well as Senator Coleman's statement and Tschetter's statement.

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance Date: August 19 2006 No: 964 Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance
The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

History of the Peace Corps Date: March 18 2006 No: 834 History of the Peace Corps
PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.


Read the stories and leave your comments.






Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: Peace Corps at 50

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Fiftieth; Writing; Announcements

PCOL37937
04

Add Your Message Here
Post:
Username: Posting Information:
This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Password:
E-mail:
Options: Enable HTML code in message
Action: