When we think about the impact of the Peace Corps, we often think only of the influence volunteers have had in the developing country in which they served. By doing so, we are missing a significant piece of the relevancy of the Peace Corps - the impact that volunteers have had in their local communities upon return to the United States.
According to a recently released 1996 survey of returned Peace Corps volunteers, 59 percent of those surveyed reported that they currently volunteer in their home communities. This is a full 11 percent higher than the national norm, according to a 1993 nationwide survey.Many of those serving today on church councils, the PTA, youth scouting programs, literacy training programs, Habitat for Humanity and the like are returned Peace Corps Volunteers.
In addition, these volunteers tend to be active in cross-cultural activities, public service, local and national politics, and are involved in other significant domestic and international issues. The ripple effect, both at home and overseas, of Peace Corps service is enormous.
More than 145,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in the 36 years since President Kennedy challenged our nation to stretch beyond our own concerns and reach out to those less fortunate. Some wonder now whether the Peace Corps has outlived its usefulness, born as it was in the idealism and the youthful enthusiasm of the early days of the Kennedy presidency.
I was accepted into the Peace Corps when I was 21. I turned 22 while training in Korea. I had a bachelor's in English/journalism studies and, based on my college degree, I was trained to teach English. Today's volunteers also are highly educated and are trained to perform a specific job requested by the host country. Sixteen percent of today's volunteers possess a graduate degree.
My first year in the Peace Corps was spent as an English teacher in a Korean middle school. Some of my time was spent conducting work-shops for Korean middle and high-school English teachers in the surrounding community. My second year was spent at the Office of Rural Development in Suweon, Korea, where I taught English to agricultural researchers.
The world has changed since I was part of a cadre of eager, idealistic youth yearning to change the world, but the Peace Corps - which celebrates its 36th anniversary this month - still has much to offer. While some lament the reported decrease in youthful idealism of the early days of the Peace Corps, others rejoice in today's more mature, job-oriented volunteer.
The average age of its volunteers is now 29 years, with 8 percent of volunteers over the age of 50. Although African countries still command the highest number of volunteers, new countries served since 1990 are primarily in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Today's volunteers are often called upon to be partners in the privatization of former communist or socialist republics.
As a country, we are currently reaping a domestic dividend from Peace Corps service. Returning volunteers strengthen America's understanding of the world and its people, and in turn, serve their own local communities.