October 30, 2005: Headlines: Speaking Out: Development: COS - Ukraine: First Goal: USA Today: Ukraine RPCV Jon Michael Johnson says "I agree with many of Laura Vanderkam's points regarding the organization"
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October 24, 2005: Headlines: Speaking Out: Development: First Goal: USA Today: Laura Vanderkam says "Peace Corps needs makeover":
October 30, 2005: Headlines: Speaking Out: Development: COS - Ukraine: First Goal: USA Today: Ukraine RPCV Jon Michael Johnson says "I agree with many of Laura Vanderkam's points regarding the organization"
Ukraine RPCV Jon Michael Johnson says "I agree with many of Laura Vanderkam's points regarding the organization"
Many of us wonder, though, whether the Peace Corps brand should continue to exist at all or be replaced by an entity that is less of an ineffectual relic, is more clear regarding its function and open in its accountability, is less of a governmental bureaucracy, and is more adept at helping to solve today's problems that affect the world.
Ukraine RPCV Jon Michael Johnson says "I agree with many of Laura Vanderkam's points regarding the organization"
Organization's flaws
I completed my Peace Corps service in the Ukraine this past April. I agree with many of Laura Vanderkam's points regarding the organization.
She correctly points out that "cross-cultural friendships" are the practical, primary focus. The "citizen diplomats" are expected to immerse themselves in the local community, which affects the local perceptions of our country.
Many volunteers find the site assignments, development and placement to be seriously lacking. To many of us, it seems a numbers game more geared toward organizational self-preservation than a sincere attempt at development assistance. The organization is more interested in outputs than outcomes, and it doesn't necessarily care whether you succeed or not.
Rhetorically, Peace Corps has been repackaging itself as a development-assistance organization. The reality is, however, that its brand of development assistance is negligible. The number of projects that fail or close post-volunteer (or that fail during the volunteer's service) is disappointing, to say the least.
I strongly disagree, however, with Vanderkam's idea of tying performance measures to volunteers' transition allowance. She proposes taking money away from people who made the decision to serve their country for the reward of only $3,000 per year?
I am very proud of the quality of people with whom I served. I have a tremendous amount of respect for them.
Many of us wonder, though, whether the Peace Corps brand should continue to exist at all or be replaced by an entity that is less of an ineffectual relic, is more clear regarding its function and open in its accountability, is less of a governmental bureaucracy, and is more adept at helping to solve today's problems that affect the world.
Jon Michael Johnson, Dudley, Mass.
When this story was posted in November 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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| Peace Corps at highest Census in 30 years Congratulations to the Peace Corps for the highest number of volunteers in 30 years with 7,810 volunteers serving in 71 posts across the globe. Of course, the President's proposal to double the Peace Corps to 15,000 volunteers made in his State of the Union Address in 2002 is now a long forgotten dream. With deficits in federal spending stretching far off into the future, any substantive increase in the number of volunteers will have to wait for new approaches to funding and for a new administration. Choose your candidate and start working for him or her now. |
| Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject. |
| 'Celebration of Service' a major success The Peace Corps Fund's 'Celebration of Service' on September 29 in New York City was a major success raising approximately $100,000 for third goal activities. In the photo are Maureen Orth (Colombia); John Coyne (Ethiopia) Co-founder of the Peace Corps Fund; Caroline Kennedy; Barbara Anne Ferris (Morocco) Co-founder; Former Senator Harris Wofford, member of the Advisory Board. Read the story here. |
| PC apologizes for the "Kasama incident" The District Commissioner for the Kasama District in Zambia issued a statement banning Peace Corps activities for ‘grave’ social misconduct and unruly behavior for an incident that occurred on September 24 involving 13 PCVs. Peace Corps said that some of the information put out about the incident was "inflammatory and false." On October 12, Country Director Davy Morris met with community leaders and apologized for the incident. All PCVs involved have been reprimanded, three are returning home, and a ban in the district has since been lifted. |
| The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today. |
| Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community. |
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Story Source: USA Today
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Speaking Out; Development; COS - Ukraine; First Goal
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