A Call to Peace - Civic Enterprises

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easier transitions home when they do volunteer.We propose to utilize the international experienceand leadership skills of veterans to contributeto international development through volunteerservice. Service initiatives such as the Peace Corps,Volunteers for Prosperity, and Global ServiceFellowships should include a number of availablevolunteer positions for recent veterans of war.Partner with the Private Sector: Programsshould draw on the expertise of employees inmultinational companies and businesses that haveinternational and regional volunteering initiatives.International corporate volunteering hubs shouldprovide logistical, program management, publicsector coordination and evaluation support forthose engaging in international volunteering.A shared services model across companies wouldlower costs and reduce risks, while making it easierto identify opportunities, increase sensitivity to localcustoms, and support volunteers on assignment.The increase in corporate engagement will targetnot only current employees, but also retired workersto use their skills and expertise in a service role.Volunteers from companies can gain credentials andacknowledgements for volunteering achievements.Corporations that provide matching funds, enabletime-off for service, deploy their work forces toassist non-profits with capacity-building andstrategic planning, and engage in other innovativepractices that strengthen international volunteerservice should be recognized and best practicesshould be shared.Promote Use of New Technologies toStrengthen Service: Programs should usenew technologies to strengthen internationalvolunteer service. Globally, nearly 27 percent ofthe population uses the Internet and more than60 percent have mobile phones, with the fastestgrowth in the developing world. New models thatuse technology to enhance service are emerging,such as virtual volunteering, collaborative onlinevolunteering, SMS texting to speed healthinformation reporting, geo-location targeting ofneeds with volunteers, and more.Provide Presidential Recognition: Americanvolunteers serving abroad should be able to qualifyfor the President’s Volunteer Service Award. ThisPeace Corps Volunteer in Gambia, 2008. ©Peace Corps.award, which today is given predominantly toAmerican volunteers who serve in the United States,should be expanded to provide recognition at thehighest levels for their commitment to serving theircountry through serving in communities around theworld. As a way to promote excellence in this field,Presidential awards should also be given annuallyto non-government organizations, universities,and corporations with the most outstandinginternational volunteer service programs.Measure the Outcomes of ExpandedInternational Service Opportunities: Weshould ensure accountability for results as we bringinternational volunteer service to a much largerscale. We propose research in three key areas:1) the scope and type of international volunteerservice performed by Americans; 2) the activitiesand outputs generated by international volunteerservice; and 3) information on the impacts ofinternational volunteer service on volunteersthemselves, host organizations and communities.Regular reports should be published and sharedwith policymakers, practitioners, opinion leadersand the public so we can continue to develop U.S.policies that support and improve internationalvolunteer service.| 32A CALL TO PEACE SEPTEMBER 2011
CONCLUSIONThe Peace Corps was a bold experiment, fraught withrisk. It represented an extraordinary leap forward inU.S. policy and embodies a longstanding tradition inAmerican history—one of service to others.The Peace Corps’ mission was and remains to advancepeace. Sargent Shriver in closing his Class Day Remarksat Yale in 1994 said, “I hope you remember to believein things ‘til you die. I hope you remember to be guidedby beliefs powerful enough to change the world. Ihope you remember the example of the Peace CorpsVolunteer, the Head Start parent, the Special Olympicsathlete. They each in their own way are waging peace.”The voices of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers echoand reinforce that sentiment. Their perspectives showthat, through the Peace Corps, the Volunteers haveadvanced three great goals and in doing so theirservice has had a transformative effect on themselves.The Peace Corps should continue to remain a bedrockof international service. For the Peace Corps to growas its founders hoped, it will have to embrace a worldwith more opportunities for international service andenhance its efforts to show the impact the Volunteersare having in meeting its first goal—the need fortrained men and women in host countries to tackle thiscentury’s pressing challenges. On its 50th anniversary,the Peace Corps and the more than 200,000 Volunteersit has mobilized and sent throughout the world have aunique opportunity to seize the moment when idea andfate meet again in a creative hour.“I HOPE YOU REMEMBER TO BELIEVE IN THINGS ‘TIL YOU DIE. I HOPE YOUREMEMBER TO BE GUIDED BY BELIEFS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO CHANGETHE WORLD. I HOPE YOU REMEMBER THE EXAMPLE OF THE PEACE CORPSVOLUNTEER, THE HEAD START PARENT, THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETE.THEY EACH IN THEIR OWN WAY ARE WAGING PEACE. MAYBE YOU WILLEVEN REMEMBER ME AND MY FAMILY—MY CHILDREN, MY WIFE, AND MOSTIMPORTANTLY, JACKIE. REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY—OF GIVINGAND RECEIVING—OF LOVE.”—Sargent Shriver, Yale Class Day Speech: May 22, 1994Peace Corps Volunteer in Micronesia and Palau, 2007. ©Peace Corps.A CALL TO PEACE SEPTEMBER 201133|
Page 1 and 2: A Call to PeacePerspectives of Volu
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction . . .
Page 5: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYTHE PEACE CORPS EX
Page 9 and 10: WAYS FORWARDIn anticipation of the
Page 11 and 12: A CALL TO PEACEThis report is not a
Page 13 and 14: KEY MOMENTS: PEACE CORPS FOUNDINGOC
Page 15 and 16: Those serving in predominantly Musl
Page 17 and 18: Peace Corps to set the goals of the
Page 19 and 20: TODAY, 22 PERCENT OF ALL PEACE CORP
Page 21 and 22: A TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCEThe over
Page 23 and 24: Figure 15: Regions by Decade of Ser
Page 25 and 26: Confidential. Embargoed until Septe
Page 27 and 28: women who reported feeling unsafe a
Page 29 and 30: While RPCVs recognized the need for
Page 31 and 32: Below are core principles and propo
Page 33: The Peace Corps, Volunteers for Pro
Page 37 and 38: country and how to apply their over
Page 39 and 40: Schwarz, K. (1991). What You Can Do

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