December 28, 2001 - The Peace Corps Museum
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December 28, 2001 - The Peace Corps Museum
The Peace Corps Museum
Read and comment on the Columbia River Peace Corps Association's Peace Corps Museum at:
The Peace Corps Museum*
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
Our Long-Term Goal
As Peace Corps enters its fifth decade, there's a wealth of stories that should be shared with a wider audience. This proposed museum will fulfill Peace Corps' third goal in a big way—bringing many unknown or misunderstood cultures home to Americans and broadening childrens' geographic education. There will be sections of art, artifacts, and photographs reflecting lifestyles from various countries around the world; these exhibits will rotate periodically. In addition, the museum will mount traveling exhibits, working with returned volunteer groups to bring Peace Corps stories into many communities around the country.
Peace Corps Volunteers' rich understanding of world cultures will be harnessed to mount engaging exhibits on a number of subjects. Examples from around the world will be brought into discussions of...
farming, cooking, and dining customs formal and informal education systems economic challenges and opportunities interpersonal interaction and community decisionmaking the roles of women and children in society
The museum will also take on a major documentary role: telling the unadulterated stories of what it has been like to be a Peace Corps Volunteer in various times and places. The museum will address the following issues...
Peace Corps' instutional history U.S./world political and social history reflected in Peace Corps stories of volunteer life descriptions of current Peace Corps projects
There will be lots to see for people of all ages, including video and audio clips, diary and book excerpts by RPCVs, photographs, art, and artifacts. There will also be a library and meeting rooms which would serve as resources for researchers, RPCVs, and prospective recruits.
A permanent museum should be able to attract donated materials from RPCVs around the country. Funding will come from private foundations, some government grants, and fundraising on a national level by RPCV groups. The museum will be free or at least very cheap, so as not to pose a barrier to target groups such as families, students and retirees. All could benefit from a first-class geographical museum, and many are potential future Peace Corps recruits.
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Congratulations on achieving 40+ years of work abroad.
I had the pleasure of working as a VSA Aid worker in Tonga in 1968 alongside a number of excellent PCV's - a memory that I recall with considerable warmth.
Keep up the fine work
Helen Lawrence
Christchruch New Zealand
(VSA Ha'apai, Tonga, 1968)