Peace Corp

The United States Peace Corps started in 1961 as a way of engaging you in services, spreading democracy(i.e. fighting communism) and battling the notions o “Yankee Imperialism.” Initially headed by President Kennedy’s brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver, this group of well-intentioned do-gooders set out to the (then-called) Third World to bring its inhabitants the enlightenment and development of the industrialized and democratic world.

Since then the Peace Corps has been thought of as a successful–albeit “bleeding heart”–program, and one rarely ever hears anything bad about it, nor the people involved in it. As a way of filtering out anyone without the purest of intentions, I suppose, there are very few incentives that come along with volunteering in the program other than the warm feeling of helping others. So at its worst, the Peace Corps is comprised of misdirected individuals with good intentions and at its best, individuals with vision and purpose setting out to improve the quality of life in developing countries. Read the rest of this entry »

Peace Corp is a voluntary commitment whereby you will send to a certain country to do a kind of service as ordered by the government of that country. You will be required to go for training for a period of three months and work for free service for a period of two years. Peace corp involves spending much of your life helping people in less fortunate areas around the world. The type of work you will do will involve teaching, learning and working in a foreign country. For instance, you may be requested to assist in restoring peace, helping the sick children, clean up of an urban city among many other services. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been 50 years since the idea of you was born during a speech by JFK at the University of Michigan. It’s been a wonderful life – and now is the time to see how you’re faring. Many people celebrating your birthday have focused on what you have and haven’t done. I’d like to examine why you were brought into being, and how the world has changed.

During the Cold War — when the U.S. and the Soviet Union raced to find allies — you were viewed as a way to exert soft power and build friendship with countries susceptible to communist influence. But there was more; there was a genuine interest to support communities in need around the world while engaging American youth and opening their global sensitivities. Read the rest of this entry »