July 20, 2002 - NPCA Web Site: The NPCA comments on some problematic aspects of the "Peace Corps Charter for the 21st Century" bill

Peace Corps Online: Peace Corps News: Headlines: Peace Corps Headlines - 2002: 07 July 2002 Peace Corps Headlines: July 20, 2002 - NPCA Web Site: The NPCA comments on some problematic aspects of the "Peace Corps Charter for the 21st Century" bill

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-151-196-48-41.balt.east.verizon.net - 151.196.48.41) on Monday, October 06, 2003 - 3:38 pm: Edit Post

The NPCA comments on some problematic aspects of the "Peace Corps Charter for the 21st Century" bill



The NPCA comments on some problematic aspects of the "Peace Corps Charter for the 21st Century" bill

Comment by NPCA Staff "Peace Corps Charter for the 21st Century"

In general, the NPCA finds the draft bill an important step forward. It is very constructive and generally quite consistent with the Mandate principles we have formulated. It supports the President’s plan for doubling, authorizing the necessary multi-year appropriations, while emphasizing the importance of preserving quality and assuring appropriate staff increases. It reaffirms Peace Corps autonomy. It supports a greater role for RPCVs in programming, including those who have served in countries with substantial Muslim populations. It creates a lead role for RPCVs in the revived Peace Corps Advisory Council. It establishes a funding mechanism for RPCV projects, domestic and international, in support of the goals of the Peace Corps.

The NPCA has two criticisms of the bill as it now stands:

1.The bill creates an Advisory Council made up entirely of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. As the organization representing both RPCVs and Peace Corps staff, we believe that both RPCVs and former staff should be eligible for the Council. We would not object to the inclusion of one member from outside the Peace Corps family but believe that the dominant majority should be Peace Corps alumni.

2.The bill would create a Fund with particular features, to be disbursed by the Corporation for National Service to “non-profit corporations established in the District of Columbia” with the sole purpose of being intermediaries between CNS and returned Peace Corps Volunteers proposing projects in pursuit of Peace Corps goals. The NPCA is concerned that the creation of new corporations for this purpose will dilute the movement that RPCVs themselves have been consolidating for 30 years.

The NPCA is already promoting service initiatives of the kind envisaged for the proposed Fund. It encourages these initiatives through the Shriver and Ruppe awards for individual and group service. Moreover, at its June Conference the NPCA is raising funds to support the new Continuation of Service Grants, which will provide seed money to projects undertaken domestically or internationally by our affiliate groups, starting in the second half of 2002. The NPCA staff is already well-prepared to assess grant proposals and undertake disbursements. However, in order to administer the government funds in support of RPCV projects, the current language of the bill would require the NPCA to create a separate organization incorporated solely for that purpose. The NPCA staff believes that it would be onerous and a financial burden to require any organization, including the NPCA, to create a new organization solely to compete for these funds.





Story Source: NPCA Web Site

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; NPCA; Congress; Legislation

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