Here's an updated schedule showing a number of new events that looks to be a fun and interesting! For more information on the conference, go to:

http://www.rpcv.org/pages/celebrate.cfm

Tentative Conference Schedule

America Thanks the Peace Corps:
Celebrating Four Decades of Service
National Peace Corps Association's National Conference
Washington, DC September 20 - 23 2001

Thursday, September 20
9:00 a.m. Advocacy Day Orientations for RPCVs on advocacy issues are at 9 a.m. and 11 am. Teams of participants will advocate with Members and staffers on issues of concern to RPCVs. Advocacy Issues include: support and funding for the Peace Corps; support for international health programs, with a special focus on HIV/AIDS; support for environmental programs, with a special focus on global climate change.
Location: The Cannon building (Room 121) is located at Independence Ave. between New Jersey Ave. and 1st St. SE.

1:00 p.m. - 5:00 NPCA Board Meeting.
Location: Capitol Hill Rayburn Building Room 2105 located at Independence St. and South Capitol St.

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 Advocacy Everyday.
For those who participated in the morning orientation and visits to congressional offices as well as for any other conference participants interested in advocacy. Discussion on how to advocate, how to reach Washington, and how to be active in community affairs.
Location: The Voice of America auditorium is located at 330 Independence Avenue SW.

5:00 p.m. Opening Reception.
Capping off the day will be a reception where RPCV Congressmen and NPCA President Dane Smith will welcome conference participants to Washington, D.C.
Location: Capitol Hill (Room TBA)

8:00 p.m. Smithsonian Associates Night with RPCVs
Smithsonian Program. The Smithsonian Associates and the NPCA will sponsor an evening discussion with RPCVs who will talk about the impact of Peace Corps service on their lives and careers. The moderator is Chris Matthews (Swaziland), host of MSNBC's "Hardball" television talk show. Panelists are: Connecticut Congressman Christopher Shays (Fiji); George Gedda (Venezuela), Associated Press State Department correspondent; Dina Siber (Albania), service director, Exodus Communications, Inc.; and Karen De Witt (Ethiopia), Washington writer and former senior producer of ABC's Nightline. General Admission: $15; Resident Associate: $12; Resident Associate Senior Member: $10.80 and Full-time Students with I.D.: $8. To order tickets online go to http://residentassociates.org/rap/otosep/peace.asp or call (202) 357 -3030, weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. E.T.

Friday, September 21
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 Keynote Address.
Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo is expected to give the keynote address. President Toledo, an economist of Indian ancestry, was mentored in his teens by Peace Corps Volunteers. Mayor Anthony Williams will be invited to thank RPCVs for their contributions to the capital city. The Loret Miller Ruppe Award for Outstanding Community Service and the Shriver Award for Humanitarian Service will also be presented.
Location: DAR Constitution Hall is located at 1776 D Street, NW.

8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. The Global Challenge.
Seventy-five elementary students from the DC area experience "a day in the life of a Peace Corps Volunteer" through "The Global Challenge", to be held on the National Mall on Friday, September 21, 2001. Hands-on activities based on Peace Corps assignments in health, education, agriculture, environment, and economic development spur students into more critical thinking about their own impact on the world and their responsibilities to it. Their day concludes with packing boxes of donated school supplies to be shipped to schools where Peace Corps Volunteers teach.
Location: National Mall between 7th and 14th streets.

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Career Fair.
Looking for a job or looking to make a career change? This fair is for you. Meet employers and school recruiters who already know how valuable an RPCV really is at the NPCA Career Fair.
Location: The American Red Cross (Ballroom) located at 1730 E St NW.

9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. International Bazaar
Browse the wares, crafts and books for sale all day. From 5-7 p.m., enjoy happy hour drinks while you shop.
Location: The Hotel Washington (Ballroom) is located at Pennsylvania Ave at 15th Street, NW.

11:00 a.m. - Noon. Rewards and Sacrifices of Humanitarian Service.
Recipients of the Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service discuss the challenges they faced while working on their special projects. Their inspiring stories offer lessons for us all. Award recipients are listed by year
Location: DAR Constitution Hall is located at 1776 D Street, NW.

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Career Workshops.
Advancing Your Environmental Career: Graduate School Strategies and Employment Resources for RPCVs; Taking Advantage of What Peace Corps Gave You: Using Emotional Intelligence to Develop Life Strategies.
Location: The American Red Cross (Garden room) is located at 1730 E St NW.

Noon - 5:00 p.m. Writing Workshops.
Panels include: The Peace Corps Novel as Literature; Writing Your Peace Corps Story (Fiction or Non-Fiction) and Write! Edit! Publish! among others.
Location: The Woodrow Wilson Center (Flom Auditorium) is located at One Woodrow Wilson Plaza, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

Noon - 1:00. Lunch on the National Mall.
Enjoy the box lunch you purchased during conference registration. If you forgot to buy your lunch when you registered, you may order a box lunch at the conference registration desk in the ballroom of the Hotel Washington the day before you want it.
Location: The Sylvan Stage near the Washington Monument located off Raoul Wallenberg Place and Jefferson Drive.

Noon - 5:00 p.m. RPCV Author Readings
RPCV Authors will read excerpts from their works.
Location: North End of the lobby of Hotel Washington at Pennsylvania Ave at 15th Street, NW.


Noon - 5:00 p.m. Activities on the Mall.
See an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, then hear about NPCA and its' affiliate groups' projects such as: Waging Peace in Africa; Building Bridges of Peace and Friendship; Removing the Effects of Racism; The Society for International Development and Pamoja: Sharing the Experience of Intercultural Living. Listen to Peace Corps programs such as Fellows/USA: Education, Career Opportunities for RPCVs and Services for Returned Volunteers. Wander over to the Sylvan Stage to listen to some talented ethnic musicians.
Location: National Mall between 7th and 14th streets.

Noon - 5:00 p.m. Live Chat with Peace Corps Volunteers.
Visit the computers on the Mall and talk to a serving Peace Corps Volunteers and hear about their volunteer projects and what life is like in their country of service.
Location: National Mall between 7th and 14th streets

Also at noon...Film Festival.
Conservationist Dr. J. Michael Fay (Tunisia 78-80, Central African Republic 80-85) will talk following a showing of the recently aired 53-minute National Geographic Society film, Africa Extreme, which documents Fay's 1,200-milke trek and the flora and fauna he encountered in the forests and swamps of equatorial Africa. Robin Freeman (Cameroon 92-94), a member of the society's film production team, will introduce the film.
Location: The National Museum of Natural History (Baird Auditorium) is located at Constitution and 12th St. NW.

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 Host Country National Recognition Ceremony.
Come join us for a first time recognition of host country nationals whose lives have crossed paths with the Peace Corps and who continue to make contributions to their country. There will be international music before and after the ceremony.
Location: The Sylvan Stage near the Washington Monument located off Raoul Wallenberg Place and Jefferson Drive.

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 RPCV Panels.
A series of panels will feature the impact of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Panels include: RPCVs in State and Local Government; To Infinity and Beyond, From Peace Corps to Philanthropy; "Minorities" In Peace Corps; Bridging the Digital Divide, and "Tikun Olam"-Jewish Imperative to Perfect the World, as Expressed in Peace Corps.
Locations: The auditoriums of the Commerce, Labor and Agriculture Departments, as well as Voice of America and B'nai Brith.

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 Experiencia Latina: PCVs and Their Latino Experiences.
This event is aimed at celebrating the experiences of volunteers who served in Latin America. A panel of RPCVs, including Smithsonian host Refugio Rochin, will reflect and comment on their experiences, relate their experiences to subsequent endeavors. The main focus will be to promote dialogue and share ideas for supporting Latino projects.
Location: Ripley Center

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 Career Workshops.
Point to Your Future Career: Identify Your Motivating Skills and Interests; Job Search Strategies and Guidelines for Submitting Resumes via E-Mail.
Location: The American Red Cross located at 1730 E St NW.

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 Free Tour: National Museum of African Art.
Africa RPCVs: Reconnect with a visit to the National Museum of African Art. Exhibits include: Images of Power and Identity; Art of the Personal Object; and Beautiful Bodies: Form and Decoration of African Pottery. Another exhibit, Encounters with the Contemporary, highlights the rich history and vitality of modernist artistic practice in Africa. Take the blue/orange line metro to Smithsonian Station, mall exit. Tour is approx. 1 hour.


2:30 p.m. Film Festival. The Language We Cry In. (1998, 52 min., in English and Mende with English subtitles.). This film tells a remarkable scholarly detective story that reaches from 18th-century Sierra Leone to the Gullah people of modern-day Georgia and South Carolina. It recounts how African Americans retained links with their African past despite the horrors of slavery. Introduced by anthropologist Joe Opala (Peace Corps, Sierra Leone, 1974-78), upon whose research the film is based.
Location: The National Museum of Natural History (Baird Auditorium) is located at Constitution and 12th St. NW.

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 RPCV Panels.
A series of panels will feature the impact of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers. Make sure to attend the programs such as Peace Corps and Global Warming: The 2lst Century Challenge; Information Technology: The Impact on Local Communities; Microenterprise Fund: How to Become Socially Responsible Investors; Building Civil Society from the Grassroots, and Dealing with Lost Lives, Afghanistan to Zaire.
Locations: The auditoriums of the Commerce, Labor and Agriculture Departments, as well the Voice of America and the Holocaust Museum.

5:30 p.m. World Music Concert.
Come to an outdoor theater near the Washington Monument, for some real world music and don't forget your rhythm.
Location: The Sylvan Stage near the Washington Monument located off Raoul Wallenberg Place and Jefferson Drive.

7:00 p.m. Peace Corps Staff Reception.
Former and current Peace Corps staff members will gather for a reunion and reception. While you are there, don't miss the silent auction, a benefit for NPCA groups' programs. Tickets are required for the reception and they are currently sold out. For more information or to be put on a waiting list for tickets, contact Ken Hill at ken.hill@erols.com
Location: Hotel Washington's rooftop terrace at Pennsylvania Ave at 15th Street,
NW Washington, DC 20004.

Also at 7 pm ...

Film Festival.
Filmmaker Amy Flannery (Senegal 86-88) provides an 80-minute intimate cross-cultural love story, Return to Belaye: A Rite of Passage, about her journey back to her husband's village in Senegal to record his tribal initiation into manhood. Discussion follows with Flannery and her husband, Papis Goudiaby.
Location: The National Museum of Natural History (Baird Auditorium) is located at Constitution and 12th St. NW.

Saturday, September 22
8:30 a.m. -Noon. Volunteer Day. Serve again on Volunteer Day. We will build a playground in partnership with Kaboom, a non-profit children's playground organizer. The park will be named the Peace Park in honor of Sargent Shriver, first Peace Corps Director.
Location: Anacostia

9:00 a.m. -10:30 Presidents' Forum.
Location: Jefferson auditorium in the Agriculture Building

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Career Workshops.
Need advice on how to make your resume look sharp and prepare for the next phase of your career? Workshops include: Emotional Intelligence in the Job Search; A New Job Search Strategy; Internet Job Search; International Jobs Through the Internet; Focusing Your Passion into a Tour Business; Job Search Strategies and Guidelines for Submitting Your Resume via E-Mail; Nonprofit Careers; Cycles of Renewal: Life's Transitions and Volunteering Again.
Location: The American Red Cross located at 1730 E St NW.

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. International Bazaar
Browse the wares, crafts and books for sale.
Location: Ballroom of the Hotel Washington at Pennsylvania Ave at 15th Street,
NW Washington, DC 20004.

9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Live Chat with Peace Corps Volunteers.
Visit the computers on the Mall and talk to a serving volunteer about how the experience has changed.
Location: National Mall between 7th and 14th streets.

10:30 a.m. - Noon Annual General Meeting of the NPCA.

Location: Jefferson Auditorium in the Agriculture Building

10:30 a.m. - Noon Career Workshops.
Point to Your Future Career: Identify Your Motivating Skills and Interests, Presenter: Sue Aiken, Certified Career Counselor, program director JFK University; Advancing Your Environmental Career: Graduate School Strategies and Employment Resources for RPCVs, Presenters: Stanton (Peter) C. Otis, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and Heidi McAllister, Peace Corps Environmental program and Training Specialist
Location: The American Red Cross located at 1730 E St NW.

11:00 a.m. - Free Tour: National Museum of African Art.
Africa RPCVs: Reconnect with a visit to the National Museum of African Art. Exhibits include: Images of Power and Identity; Art of the Personal Object; and Beautiful Bodies: Form and Decoration of African Pottery. Another exhibit, Encounters with the Contemporary, highlights the rich history and vitality of modernist artistic practice in Africa. Take the blue/orange line metro to Smithsonian Station, mall exit. Tour is approx. 1 hour.

Noon - 1:00 p.m. Lunch!
Enjoy the box lunch you purchased during conference registration. If you forgot to buy your lunch, you may purchase a box lunch at the registration desk in the ballroom of the Hotel Washington the day before you want it.
Location: The Sylvan Stage near the Washington Monument located off Raoul Wallenberg Place and Jefferson Drive.

Noon - 5:00 p.m. RPCV Author Readings.
RPCV writers will read excerpts from their works.

Location: North End Lobby of the Hotel Washington at Pennsylvania Ave at 15th Street, NW Washington, DC 20004.

Noon -3:00 p.m. RPCV Writers Workshops.
Publishing Translations; Writing On Line; Poetry From the Peace Corps Experience; Working with Words; Writing Children's Books and Writing About Environment: From Rain Forests to Global Warming
Location: Federal Room in the Hotel Washington at 15th Street, NW Washington, DC 20004.

Noon - 5:00 p.m. Activities on the Mall.
Watch a Fijian kava ceremony; learn how to preserve your group's history with "Before It's Too Late"Preserving the History of Peace Corps" hear the announcement of NPCA's Newsletter and Website awards and applaud the RPCV Writer's award winner. Hear panels on: Travel Now, Write Later; Creating an Enabling Environment for Civil Society: A Role for RPCVs; Re-Entry: Do We Ever Really "Come Home?"; RPCVs: An Asset to Corporate America; and learn about more educational resources with RPCV Educators: Changing Classrooms and Communities by NPCA presenters and Sharing the Peace Corps Experience in American Classrooms by Peace Corps presenters. Listen to what is new at Peace Corps with programs such as: The Peace Corps Today; Sustaining Excellence-Recruiting the Next Generation and Crisis Corps: Serving Again. Learn more about NPCA's affiliate group projects such as: Malawi Children's Village, Friends of Liberia's teacher-training program and the Philippines Scholarship Fund.
Location: National Mall between 7th and 14th streets.

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 RPCV Impact Panels.
Enjoy more discussions on the impact of RPCVs on our nation and the world. Panels include: Lessons from Sustainable Harvest and Oxfam America; RPCV Roles in the HIV/AIDS Crisis; North Korea: A South Korea RPCV's Lessons and Social Entrepreneurship: The Promise and the Peril.
Locations: Auditoriums of the Department of Commerce, Red Cross Board of Governor's Room, Agriculture and Voice of America buildings.

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 Career Workshops.
Using the Internet to Search for International Jobs, Presenter: Ron Krannich.
Location: The American Red Cross located at 1730 E St NW.

2:00 p.m. - Free Tour: National Museum of African Art.
Africa RPCVs: Reconnect with a visit to the National Museum of African Art. Exhibits include: Images of Power and Identity; Art of the Personal Object; and Beautiful Bodies: Form and Decoration of African Pottery. Another exhibit, Encounters with the Contemporary, highlights the rich history and vitality of modernist artistic practice in Africa. Take the blue/orange line metro to Smithsonian Station, mall exit. Tour is approx. 1 hour.

2:00 p.m. - 5:30 Film Festival.
The Smithsonian's Natural History Museum will replay the RPCV films shown on Friday which include: Africa Extreme (2001, 53 min.), The Language We Cry In (1998, 52 min., in English and Mende with English subtitles) and Return to Belaye: A Rite of Passage (2001, 80 min.).
Location: The National Museum of Natural History (Baird Auditorium) is located at Constitution and 12th St. NW.

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 Country of Service Updates.
Many of you will be in the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture graduate school classrooms for your updates while others attend country-specific events at embassies and locations around the city. To find out what others from your country of service have planned, check out their web sites through www.rpcv.org/affiliates or contact your group leader.

5:30 p.m. -10:00 Night Out with your COS.
Countries of service groups are planning special gatherings at some of Washington's many ethnic restaurants. Contact your group leader to find out what special event has been planned or plan one yourself with the guides included in your registration packet.

5:30 p.m. St. Matthew's Cathedral Mass and Talk.
It will be a special Commemorative Mass for the founder of Peace Corps and its longest serving director, Loret Miller Ruppe. After the mass stay for a brief talk by Tom Scanlon, who will offer his perspectives on attending President Kennedy's funeral as an official representative of Peace Corps volunteers.

5:30 p.m. Labyrinth.
Join a workshop on labyrinths, tools for building communities and focusing energy conducted by Anne Foster, PhD art therapist and labyrinth facilitator. (RPCV Uganda)
Location: St. Thomas Church garden, 18th and Church St., near Dupont Metro.

Sunday, September 23
8:00a.m. - 11:00 Procession across Memorial Bridge.
Gather in the early morning at the Lincoln Memorial under the flags of the countries in which you served and get ready to march across the bridge in a pageant of color. The procession will make its way to Arlington National Cemetery and file past President John F. Kennedy's grave to the amphitheater.
Location: Kick off at the Lincoln Memorial.

11:00 a.m. - Noon Recommitment/ Memorial Ceremony.
This is the closing ceremony for the conference. Listen to four distinguished RPCVs as they honor those who died in Volunteer service and a look ahead to new challenges and a renewal of commitment for the whole RPCV community.
Location: Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater

Noon - 1:00 p.m. Lunch!
Enjoy a box lunch on the National Park Service's ball fields at the corner of Independence Ave. Order lunch ahead of time at conference registration at the Hotel Washington.
Location: The ball fields next to the polo fields at the corner of 23rd St. and Independence NW.

1:30 p.m. -5:00 p.m. Games.
Once you have finished your lunch join in a game of softball, volleyball, or any number of other games and activities on the field. Or walk a multi-cultural labyrinth. There will be activities for the athletes and those who prefer an active game of Scrabble.
Location: The ball fields next to the polo fields at the corner of 23rd St. and Independence NW.

Keep checking back for a more updated conference schedule. For questions, email 40th Anniversary