Peace Corps Essay
Serving People in Need Globally
Peace Corps is a well-known international service organization of the United States. Peace Corps sends American volunteers overseas to take on demanding needs of people around the world. Peace Corps volunteers work at the grassroots level toward sustainable change that lives on after their service while becoming global citizens and serving their country. When Peace Corps volunteers return home, they bring their knowledge, experiences, and a global perspective that improves the lives of those around them (Peace Corps, 2014). The Peace Corp’s Mission is to promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals: “To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women, to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served, to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans” (Peace Corps, 2014).
Stats and Facts
Some of the relevant facts and statistics about Peace Corps include Peace Corps was officially established in March 1, 1961. There are over 215,000+ volunteers and trainees that served Peace Corps to this date. Peace Corps served a total number of 139 countries and the current number of volunteers and trainees are about 7,209. The majority of Peace Corps volunteers and trainees are …show more content…
female with 63% female and 37% male. In addition, the majority of the volunteers and trainees marital status is single with 93% single and 7% married. 24% of the volunteers and trainees are minorities and the average age is 28.7 years old. Only 8% of the volunteers and trainees are over the age of 50 (Peace Corps, 2014).
Currently the number of countries being served is 65 countries; however the reason for this is not listed.
Regarding volunteers by work area placement 40% are placed in an education work area, 22% health, 12% environment, 11% community economic development, 7% youth in development, 5% agriculture, and 3% other. In regards to where volunteers serve 46% in Africa, 20% in Latin America, 13% Eastern Europe/Central Asia, 10% in Asia, 4% in the Caribbean, 4% in North Africa/Middle East, and 3% in Pacific Islands. The fiscal year 2013 budget was $356.25 million and the fiscal budget year for this year, 2014, is $379 million (Peace Corps,
2014).
Advantages
The advantages for joining the Corps and how it might affect your career development include you will gain leadership experience that you can use throughout your life. The most significant achievement will be the contribution you made to improve the lives of others. There are also tangible benefits, including certain public student loans may be eligible for deferment or for Public Service Loan Forgiveness by the lender and or Perkins loans may be eligible for partial cancellation by the lender, and several other tangible benefits (Peace Corps, 2014).
If you joining Peace Corps you will experience deep personal growth due to your accomplishments while volunteering for this organization. Helping others gives you a sense of fulfillment. I also believe that you will become more grateful for what you have being that you had the chance to experience what it is really like to struggle. You will also gain team management skills. When you join Peace Corps, you are not working alone; you are part of a team. All of the skills that you learn while serving in Peace Corps can be skills that you list on your resume such as leadership development skills, team management skills, etc., and the skills that you gained may relate to your future career.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages for joining the Corps include making a time commitment. As a volunteer you must sacrifice the time to serve in Peace Corps. Serving in Peace Corps means being away from loved ones until your assignment is over. For example, volunteers will spend at least two years training and living overseas. The disadvantage of serving in Peace Corps is being away from your friends, family and or your daily routines.
Another disadvantage to serving in Peace Corps is the safety hazards. Although safety is a priority for the Peace Corps organization, volunteers may be placed in dangerous areas. Peace Corps cannot control environmental issues such as riots or crime. Volunteers are taking the risk of being severely injured or killed due to violence or local disease.
With the Ebola outbreak, I would not sign up to volunteer for Peace Corps. Two years ago I signed up for Peace Corps, but I decided to pursue my Master’s Degree instead. Although helping people in need is my passion, I rather continue to help the people around and the people in America due to the fact that it is safer and I do not have to be away from my family. If the Ebola outbreak was not going on, I would consider serving as a volunteer for the Peace Corps organization.
Peace Corps is a well-known international service organization of the United States. Peace Corps sends American volunteers overseas to take on demanding needs of people around the world. Peace Corps volunteers work at the grassroots level toward sustainable change that lives on after their service while becoming global citizens and serving their country. When Peace Corps volunteers return home, they bring their knowledge, experiences, and a global perspective that improves the lives of those around them (Peace Corps, 2014). The Peace Corp’s Mission is to promote world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals: “To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women, to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served, to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans” (Peace Corps, 2014).
Stats and Facts
Some of the relevant facts and statistics about Peace Corps include Peace Corps was officially established in March 1, 1961. There are over 215,000+ volunteers and trainees that served Peace Corps to this date. Peace Corps served a total number of 139 countries and the current number of volunteers and trainees are about 7,209. The majority of Peace Corps volunteers and trainees are …show more content…
female with 63% female and 37% male. In addition, the majority of the volunteers and trainees marital status is single with 93% single and 7% married. 24% of the volunteers and trainees are minorities and the average age is 28.7 years old. Only 8% of the volunteers and trainees are over the age of 50 (Peace Corps, 2014).
Currently the number of countries being served is 65 countries; however the reason for this is not listed.
Regarding volunteers by work area placement 40% are placed in an education work area, 22% health, 12% environment, 11% community economic development, 7% youth in development, 5% agriculture, and 3% other. In regards to where volunteers serve 46% in Africa, 20% in Latin America, 13% Eastern Europe/Central Asia, 10% in Asia, 4% in the Caribbean, 4% in North Africa/Middle East, and 3% in Pacific Islands. The fiscal year 2013 budget was $356.25 million and the fiscal budget year for this year, 2014, is $379 million (Peace Corps,
2014).
Advantages
The advantages for joining the Corps and how it might affect your career development include you will gain leadership experience that you can use throughout your life. The most significant achievement will be the contribution you made to improve the lives of others. There are also tangible benefits, including certain public student loans may be eligible for deferment or for Public Service Loan Forgiveness by the lender and or Perkins loans may be eligible for partial cancellation by the lender, and several other tangible benefits (Peace Corps, 2014).
If you joining Peace Corps you will experience deep personal growth due to your accomplishments while volunteering for this organization. Helping others gives you a sense of fulfillment. I also believe that you will become more grateful for what you have being that you had the chance to experience what it is really like to struggle. You will also gain team management skills. When you join Peace Corps, you are not working alone; you are part of a team. All of the skills that you learn while serving in Peace Corps can be skills that you list on your resume such as leadership development skills, team management skills, etc., and the skills that you gained may relate to your future career.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages for joining the Corps include making a time commitment. As a volunteer you must sacrifice the time to serve in Peace Corps. Serving in Peace Corps means being away from loved ones until your assignment is over. For example, volunteers will spend at least two years training and living overseas. The disadvantage of serving in Peace Corps is being away from your friends, family and or your daily routines.
Another disadvantage to serving in Peace Corps is the safety hazards. Although safety is a priority for the Peace Corps organization, volunteers may be placed in dangerous areas. Peace Corps cannot control environmental issues such as riots or crime. Volunteers are taking the risk of being severely injured or killed due to violence or local disease.
With the Ebola outbreak, I would not sign up to volunteer for Peace Corps. Two years ago I signed up for Peace Corps, but I decided to pursue my Master’s Degree instead. Although helping people in need is my passion, I rather continue to help the people around and the people in America due to the fact that it is safer and I do not have to be away from my family. If the Ebola outbreak was not going on, I would consider serving as a volunteer for the Peace Corps organization.