7/9/86 special plenary session - Expanding the role of the Peace Corps: community to community exchange, 5 pm

EXPANDING THE ROLE

OF PEACE CORPS:

. COMMUNITY . TO

COMMUNITY

PEACE CORPS

"A New Vision for the Next Generation"

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NOTA BEN!

The ideas contained in this paper were developed out of a series of conversations we had with numerous people long affiliated with the Peace Corps. Particular gratitude is extended to Bill Reese of Partners of the Americas, and Jim Eckstrom of Sister Cities, for their excellent ideas,

NOW WE ARE 25--0NE COMPLETE GENERATION--100,000 STRONG. We have cared, served, contributed much and gained more. The Peace Corps has come of age and is considering its next quarter of a century. And a group of us has gathered ·here

in the clean, clear air of the Colorado skies to share our thoughts and to think mightily about what we, America, the Peace Corps and the host countries have learned these last 25 years. Hoping to glean from the tapestry of our mutual experience, the threads and maybe the pattern for the next generation. A future that John and I, hopefully all of you and many others will want to be a FUTURE WRIT LARGE!!!!

Before considering the future, let us look briefly at what we have learned from these past 25 years, which by the way, in terms of this world's history of war and peace, is a mere speck of time.

The first 25 years of the Peace Corps has proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that American citizens of both sexes and many ages, skills, races and creeds, are willing to:

care about the poorer countries;

learn about the people of other countries;

live and work under conditions of hardship; and share their knowledge, skills, and ingenuity with others.

But more importantly, Peace Corps Volunteers everywhere have proven that common, ordinary citizens, who are willing to care, willing to share, and willing to learn, can in fact do very substantial work that significantly improves the lives of people in the developing world.

Witness:

tens of thousands of wells and water supply systems constructed;

millions of acres of hybrid high-producing crops raised;

thousands of health clinics staffed, nurses taught, technicians trained;

millions of students taught in thousands of schools; thousands of small businesses started;

thousands of farmers assisted;

national social security systems revised and computerized;

miles and miles of roads designed, planned and built;

the list goes on and on!

All of this and much, much more with only a few

thousand Americans (a mere handful of 220 million) serving in the Peace Corps at any one time.

billion to 7.67 million! And it is likely to grow smaller in the years to come. An ill wind indeed.

More important than all of the above however, is a gnawing sense that despite all that we in Peace Corps have achieved, shared, tasted and revelled in; despite all our

tangible and intangible accomplishments in our host

countries; despite all of our personal growth, etc., that somehow w~, and the Peace Corps as a whole, are in great

danger of having, to use incongruously a military phrase, won many skirmishes and indeed maybe some major battles, yet lost the war.

In John Kennedy's inaugural speech, he spoke of the long twilight struggle for peace--and I believe the struggle for peace is not only long and dimly lit, it is

never-ending--and it is that never-ending struggle in which we are engaged. For you will recall that the mission of the Peace Corps is:

not; to "have served well and nobly"; not; to have made friends;

not; to have met the needs for skilled manpower; not; to have educated Americans;

not; to have built bridges, dug wells, grown crops nor taught health;

though all of these were done and are good. The mission is to "bring about world peace and friendship."

The Peace Corps is about to lose this long twilight

struggle~ Last. year the United Nations reported there were

47 armed military struggles taking place in the various corners of the world, with 2 million casualties. The Peace Corps is in danger of losing this long twilight struggle not because our program was wrong, or our methods faulty, or our people not capable. We are in danger of losing this

struggle because we are too few, too badly outnumbered and virtually without power.

Hare than HH3, 000 of us have served in this m1ss1on of peace and caring and sharing. And maybe 300,000 others know

that and remember and care. But these few hundred

thousands, in this vast nation of 220 million, are a mere handful. We have not mobilized our homes, communities, clubs, churches and country in the struggle for peace. And if we continue for the next 25 years at the present pace, what we have been doing so well these first 25 years, then

in the year 2011, our children (and some of us) can gather here in beautiful Fort Collins, and say, "By gory, nearly

200,000 Americans have served nobly and well in the Peace Corps, in nearly every two-bit island in the "free world."

·'-1. Universities: Faculty with backgrounds in

languages, countries or regions, and/or technical areas being requested could volunteer for a year as backup for volunteers already there, or giv~ special

training and education in the host country's own educational system.

Graduate students, already knowledgeable in the language or the technical area would provide

specific skills working side-by-side a host country official or another more experienced Peace Corps Volunteer for a six-month period.

2. Computer/math/engineering experts: This type of expertise is often the most difficult to recruit for and to integrate into country plans. Building in a rotating six-month to one-year program where an expert could leave his or her firm, provide technical service, and ~hen return to the firm,

bringing that new international knowledge to the firm. This type of short-term expertise could also be offered to countries we are not now in.

3. Medical experts: Medical experts could leave a medical practice for six-months to one-year assignments.

4. Teachers: Teachers, particularly of subjects that are hard to recruit for now (math and physics, for example) could take one-year sabbaticals to serve as volunteers and then return to their own schools. 5. Business experts: Business people are anxious to

share basic business, management, administrative knowledge acquired from several years of work

experience and training, but can take only a short time off from their own business.

6. Sports people: Sports experts can develop community sports programs, regional or national teams on a short-term sabbatical.

7. Older persons: Although the numbers are increasing in Peace Corps, many more older persons have

expressed an interest in serving if the length of service is less. Some talk of an alternative Peace Corps-type program if this cannot be done.

PREPARATION FOR SERVICE--PARTNERSHIP WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS One of the strong arguments for a two-year volunteer commitment is that it allows time for adjustment. Often, countries say the volunteer is most effective the second

year. Many volunteers themselves can verify that

Professional organizations would fund the training and development education for the association and provide

equipment for volunteers. Universities could provide leaves of absence, training and scholarships and credit for

students.

The funding, like the programs themselves, are

partnerships with the participating organizations. Support can include education, training, transportation and even living allowances.

HOST COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES IN THE U.S.

For Peace Corps to enter into a partnership with other countries and to open opportunities in new countries, it must make it possible for host country nationals to come to the United States for training, experience, professional upgrading, and working side-by-side our own community workers.

Health workers from Africa could work for a year in a city clinic and live with an American family.

Teachers from Asia could co-teach with American teachers.

Construction workers, engineers, heal~h experts,

agriculture specialists, city managers all have skills to give us.

Many Third World professionals have graduate education, have extensive experience, and are leaders in their fields. They have much ·to offer us.

Corning to the

u.s.

education opportunities that prepare future volunteers for their countries. We say to these countries, we all have expertise to share, and that which you have is as valuable to us as ours is to you.

NEW TYPES AND TIMES OF SERVICE

NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH UNIVERSITIES, COMMUNITIES, PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

NEW FUNDING SOURCES TO SHARE IN THIS PARTNERSHIP NEW COUNTRIES AS TRUE PARTNERS IN THIS EXCHANGE OF CARING

It is upon these ideas, and hopefully many more

generated by the participants of this conference that can be envisioned.

The Peace Corps with its belief in caring and sharing, with its enormous human impact, with its enormous potential

,

our deliberations so they may set about working out the steps needed to make some of this conference's ideas the initiatives for the next generation of Peace Corps ·

Volunteers.

THINK MIGHTILY we must, for without some powerful, fresh ideas, without some dramatically increased numbers

-- _of people -- of countries -- of partnerships,

the Peace Corps shall never fulfill its mission of "bringing about world peace and friendship."

You know as well as I the vast forces mobilizing against world peace. Armies, weapons, armed struggles, bitter recriminations, terrorism, revival of religious

antagonisms, unjust repression of peoples seem to gather on the horizons of the world in ever-increasing numbers, sizes and potentialities for horror. Like huge apocalyptic

clouds, these forces gather while a mere handful, 5,000 Peace Corps Volunteers and their friends, their host

families and colleagues in related fields, struggle on for the peace and friendship in this world. Without which, surely some day soon the powers of anger, hate and hubris will explode into a conflagration that will destroy us all--and our children--and maybe our children's children.

The struggle for peace may indeed be a long twilight struggle with little glory and not much hope, but it surely would have more of each if the Peace Corps could share its best ideas and ideals with many, many more. At least then those who engage in the long struggle for peace will not be so alone.

Therefore, John and I and our friends whose ideas are included in this presentation, ask you to join us in

reasoning together to help map the way. The Peace Corps mission, idea and ideals are too important, the need is too great and the stakes too high for us to allow the Peace Corps to fade away or even remain as small as it is.

We must send a clear clarion message to all those in need and in despair of peace, that we care, there remains much hope and the dream of peace shall never die.

Thank you enormously for your kind and courteous attention.