January 15, 2004: Headlines: Australia: Youth Corps: International PC: The Advertiser: Australia is doubling the size of its Youth Ambassador program to about 500 volunteers over the next two years and this could be developed into a full-scale volunteer corps
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January 15, 2004: Headlines: Australia: Youth Corps: International PC: The Advertiser: Australia is doubling the size of its Youth Ambassador program to about 500 volunteers over the next two years and this could be developed into a full-scale volunteer corps
Australia is doubling the size of its Youth Ambassador program to about 500 volunteers over the next two years and this could be developed into a full-scale volunteer corps
Australia is doubling the size of its Youth Ambassador program to about 500 volunteers over the next two years and this could be developed into a full-scale volunteer corps
Crisis corps push
16jan05
Young Australians will be drafted into a youth corps of volunteers to help in humanitarian crisis zones, under a plan being considered by the Federal Government.
The Howard Government will consider a proposal by the RevTim Costello, brother of Treasurer Peter Costello, to build a corps to help at natural disaster scenes and in developing countries.
A spokesman for Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australia was already doubling the size of its Youth Ambassador program to about 500 volunteers over the next two years and this could be developed into a full-scale volunteer corps.
"Tim Costello has put forward a proposal and we will have a look at it," the spokesman said.
Fresh from his work in the tsunami-affected countries, Mr Costello said drastic action had to be taken to reduce the time taken for tsunami-affected countries to recover.
He said the United Nations expected the recovery to take up to 10 years and an Australian Youth Corps, modelled on the US Peace Corps, was an appropriate response.
"Once the headlines have stopped, these countries affected will still need our help," he said.
Mr Costello is chief executive officer of World Vision Australia, an organisation which has raised almost $70m for tsunami aid.
"The concept is of having an army of volunteers that can be drawn on in times of crisis," he said.
"Organising volunteers is like planning a military operation.
"But instead of deploying troops for war, it is a case of deploying civilians with peace in their hearts."
A precursor of a Youth Corps already exists in Australia's Youth Ambassador program, founded in 1998 by Mr Downer, which sends people aged 18 to 30 into the field for up to 12 months.
When this story was posted in January 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:
| Latest: RPCVs and Peace Corps provide aid Peace Corps made an appeal last week to all Thailand RPCV's to consider serving again through the Crisis Corps and more than 30 RPCVs have responded so far. RPCVs: Read what an RPCV-led NGO is doing about the crisis an how one RPCV is headed for Sri Lanka to help a nation he grew to love. Question: Is Crisis Corps going to send RPCVs to India, Indonesia and nine other countries that need help? |
| The World's Broken Promise to our Children Former Director Carol Bellamy, now head of Unicef, says that the appalling conditions endured today by half the world's children speak to a broken promise. Too many governments are doing worse than neglecting children -- they are making deliberate, informed choices that hurt children. Read her op-ed and Unicef's report on the State of the World's Children 2005. |
| Our debt to Bill Moyers Former Peace Corps Deputy Director Bill Moyers leaves PBS next week to begin writing his memoir of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Read what Moyers says about journalism under fire, the value of a free press, and the yearning for democracy. "We have got to nurture the spirit of independent journalism in this country," he warns, "or we'll not save capitalism from its own excesses, and we'll not save democracy from its own inertia." |
| Is Gaddi Leaving? Rumors are swirling that Peace Corps Director Vasquez may be leaving the administration. We think Director Vasquez has been doing a good job and if he decides to stay to the end of the administration, he could possibly have the same sort of impact as a Loret Ruppe Miller. If Vasquez has decided to leave, then Bob Taft, Peter McPherson, Chris Shays, or Jody Olsen would be good candidates to run the agency. Latest: For the record, Peace Corps has no comment on the rumors. |
| The Birth of the Peace Corps UMBC's Shriver Center and the Maryland Returned Volunteers hosted Scott Stossel, biographer of Sargent Shriver, who spoke on the Birth of the Peace Corps. This is the second annual Peace Corps History series - last year's speaker was Peace Corps Director Jack Vaughn. |
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Story Source: The Advertiser
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Australia; Youth Corps; International PC
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