The Peace Corps sends volunteers to developing countries to provide various services to communities. Founded in 1961, it was inspired by a speech by John F. Kennedy. The organization has grown and developed, with participants ranging from recent college graduates to older individuals and more experienced singles and couples. Service is physically and emotionally demanding, but former volunteers often become part of the organization’s permanent staff.
The Peace Corps is a United States federal government agency that sends volunteers around the world to help developing countries. These volunteers teach in schools, build homes, help with sex education programs, and participate in many other services to communities around the world. The Peace Corps is internationally recognized as a service organization. More than 210,000 people volunteered in nations around the world through 2011, the 50th anniversary of the organization’s founding.
Founded in 1961, Peace Corps was inspired by a speech by John F. Kennedy in 1960 during his successful presidential campaign. He challenged students at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, to find a meaningful way to contribute to their world. The famous speech galvanized the students, and shortly after taking office, President Kennedy signed an executive order to form the organization. Volunteers were eager to sign up for assignments in Ghana, Tanzania, the Philippines, Chile and St. Lucia. Approximately 5,000 people arrived to take the first qualifying exam offered.
In 1964, the Peace Corps Partnership Project was founded to allow individuals at home to support the organization if they are unable to serve abroad. The program became very popular and enrollment continued to increase. In the early 1970s, the Peace Corps began to attract volunteers with professional skills, such as doctors, engineers, lawyers, and botanists. These volunteers made up 1/5 of the total volunteer population, and their services have proven invaluable in the farthest corners of the world, across five continents.
The Peace Corps continues to grow and develop, with participants ranging from recent college graduates to older individuals and more experienced singles and couples. By 2011, the group was working in 75 countries, with over 9,000 volunteers who came from all walks of life. It does not discriminate on the basis of age, race or cultural background. The average age of a volunteer is 28, but 7% are over 50, and the organization prefers volunteers with experience and skills. Many graduates choose to spend several years in the Peace Corps before pursuing a career, and there are student loan deferment and payment programs offered as an incentive to recent graduates.
Service in the Peace Corps is not for everyone. The work is often physically and emotionally demanding, and some people may not suit a two-year term of service. For others, volunteering is a wonderful way to learn new languages and see the world. Many former volunteers are also part of the organization’s permanent staff, encouraging others to explore this type of service.
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