PEACE CORPS IN THE 21 ST CENTURY: A RHETORICAL ANALYSIS

23government to provide opportunities for citizens to have input into the public policyprocess. 69Today, there is more individual initiative, in the sense that many volunteeractivities occur in the private sector and place more attention on private deliberation andcollaboration.Typically non-routine forms of engagement occur, which are harder to trackbecause they are not initiated by the state or some professional organization. A recentstudy by the Center for Information and Research in Civic Learning & Engagement(CIRCLE) revealed that “While their parents were activists in social protests and workedto make society more open and accepting, this generation’s call to action is social issuesand human rights. They are especially impressive because, unlike their parents, they arenot protesters and marchers, but participators and doers. They want to be involved oneto-one,and they want to make a difference. Their volunteerism is up close andpersonal.” 70The nature of participation in the 21 st century has changed. There may befewer people gathering to march in Washington, D.C., but there are certainly more peopleusing the internet and creating a global conversation about civic issues.Today American citizens use web logs to talk about their feelings and argue aboutsocial and even political events. As our definitions of civic action shift, we have torecognize what the positive effects of this new form of engagement entails. For example,the above-mentioned study conducted by CIRCLE found also that the service youthparticipate in often encourages them to become more active in a particular movement orpolitical issue. Individual acts of engagement and service have the potential to lead aperson toward the larger social issue or campaign. The CIRCLE study revealed,“Although their [18 to 30 year olds] preferred mode of service is one-to-one, their service