The Peace Corps

  Another batch of American Peace Corps volunteers arrives at Phnom Penh International Airport.  Thirty-three US Peace Corps volunteers have been sworn in to offer their services in Cambodia for two years. They have been tasked with teaching English at primary and secondary schools, as well as teacher training institutes, nationwide. The swearing-in ceremony took place last week. They arrived in Cambodia two months ago and have been spending time in the community, learning the Khmer language. “Since 1962, more than 240,000 Americans of all ages and backgrounds have served in the Peace Corps in 142 countries,” said Aleksandra P Zittle, deputy chief of mission of the US embassy in Phnom Penh. “The Peace Corps is proud to work with its Cambodian partners to assist in the teaching of English as well as to work with local communities to help build and supply materials to school libraries, computer classes, school . . .

First-ever cohort of Peace Corps volunteers in Việt Nam sworn in 30 December 2022 The Peace Corps’ English education program in Việt Nam, officially established with the signing of an implementing agreement in July 2020, is a collaborative partnership between the Peace Corps and Việt Nam’s Ministry of Education and Training. HÀ NỘI — As part of her first official tour, Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn on Friday swore in the inaugural group of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Việt Nam during a ceremony in Hà Nội. “As we approach the New Year, this swearing-in offers us the opportunity to take a moment from our busy lives to appreciate and recognise the power of human connection,” said Peace Corps Director Carol Spahn. “As the 143rd partner country of the Peace Corps, Việt Nam is a welcome addition to our global community, and I look forward to seeing how volunteers and . . .

  This is a poetic and prose praise song to Mr. Reginald E. Petty. He was from a small town in Southern Illinois called East St. Louis. It is now considered an economically deprived city, but it never stopped his drive and passion to make it better, as well as himself. The book speaks to his upbringing and what makes him a legend to not only the citizens of his hometown, but throughout the world – particularly in Africa. Mr. Petty was one of the first African American Peace Corps Country Directors. He served in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Seychelles from 1966-1983 and went on to receive presidential appointments from three additional U.S. Presidents. He was instrumental in the voter registration efforts in the American South in the late 1950’s, early 1960’s and was a friend and confidante to major civil rights icons like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., . . .

Harris Wofford always had high expectations for young people. He believed in their potential, he admired their passion, and he supported the institutions that gave them opportunities to make their mark. For that reason, I hope you will support The Wofford Awards. Youth Service America, where Harris served on the Board for two decades, is celebrating America’s Semiquincentennial in 2026 with a new campaign to double the percentage of young people volunteering, voting, leading, and participating in the public square. 2026 also happens to be Harris’ 100th birthday year. With your help, we are determined to expand the opportunities for young people to make our communities cleaner, greener, safer, smarter, healthier, and stronger. We recently did a prevalence study that shows youth participation in volunteering and voting hovers around 25%, meaning that we are leaving out three out of four young people. And they are missing the opportunity to practice the skills they . . .

This is the news from the National Peace Corps Association.  Thank you to Jonathan Pearson. “As the 117th Congress finishes its work for the year, final results for the Peace Corps are mixed.” “On Friday, the House completed work on a $1.7 trillion Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) omnibus spending package to fund the federal government through next September. The Peace Corps received a funding increase in its baseline budget. The omnibus legislation includes President Biden’s request of a $20 million, five percent increase for the agency (from $410.5 million to $430.5 million). It’s the first increase in seven years, matching the president’s request and responding as well to the House and Senate appropriations letters that 43 Senators and 146 Members of Congress sent, calling for an increased budget. This increase comes as more than 900 Volunteers and Trainees have returned to service in 45 countries. The remaining nine months of . . .

CorpsAfrica swears-in volunteers to facilitate high-impact projects in communities December 22, 2022 Swearing In Of Volunteers CorpsAfrica, a non-profit organization, has sworn-in the first cohort of volunteers in Ghana, to lead small-scale and high-impact projects identified in their host communities. At a ceremony in Accra, fifteen (15) volunteers, who have gone through five (5) weeks of Pre-Service Training (PST), took the oath of service. In her keynote address, H. E. Virginia Palmer, US Ambassador in Ghana, recalled that Ghana was the first country in 1961 to welcome Peace Corps volunteers. She said there is no question about the impact that Peace Corps volunteers have had in the country- the same spirit of volunteerism that inspired CorpsAfrica. “I have seen first-hand the transformational power of CorpsAfrica in Malawi. How exciting to know that you now have the ability to improve livelihoods in Ghana, one community at a time. CorpsAfrica is a . . .

  Charlie Peters, Washington Monthly Founder and First Peace Corps Head of Evaluation, Turns 96 by Matthew Cooper December 22, 2022 Alittle over 20 years ago, I made a short film in honor of Charlie Peters, the founding editor of the Washington Monthly. The American Society of Magazine Editors was inducting my old boss and mentor to its Hall of Fame, a kind of Cooperstown of glossies. Held at a glitzy luncheon at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel, the editors of venerable titles lavishly toasted themselves as the National Magazine Awards were handed out. (In retrospect, it had an end-of-an-era feeling, with 9/11 and the collapse of so many publications in the offing.) My short film was a precis to Charlie getting his Thalberg. It began with shots of the Time-Life Building, the Newsweek building, and the Condé Nast tower, followed by voiceover narration: “… and this is the Washington Monthly.” Cut to . . .

Between Freedom and Equality by Barbara Boyle Torrey (Tanzania 1963-65) & Myrick Green Georgetown University Press 279 pages $22.49 (Kindle); $25.50 (Hardcover) June 2021       An original history of six generations of an African American family living in Washington, DC Between Freedom and Equality begins with the life of Capt. George Pointer, an enslaved African who purchased his freedom in 1793 while working for George Washington’s Potomac Company. It follows the lives of six generations of his descendants as they lived and worked on the banks of the Potomac, in the port of Georgetown, and in a rural corner of the nation’s capital. By tracing the story of one family and their experiences, Between Freedom and Equality offers a moving and inspiring look at the challenges that free African Americans have faced in Washington, DC, since the district’s founding. The story begins with an 1829 letter from Pointer that is preserved . . .

‘I just had to live a long time:’ Beloved Old Mission memories turned into children’s coloring book by Jessie Williams Special to the Record-Eagle June 29, 2022 MAPLETON MI — As a fifth-generation Old Mission Peninsula resident, Tim Carroll (Nigeria 1963-65) has an abundance of stories about his home. “I’ve always been interested in the history of this place, and I love my roots,” Carroll said. Carroll, 83, is sharing his perspective on the Peninsula’s history in a new coloring book, Once Upon A Peninsula, which features stories from his boyhood on the Peninsula. The book, which includes coloring and other activities, features stories and pictures from the Old Mission Peninsula during Carroll’s youth. Once Upon A Peninsula was illustrated by local artist Yvette Haberlein, who previously illustrated “The Traverse City Coloring Book” project. Carroll is a regular presenter at Peninsula Community Library, hosting the monthly history-focused “Talk with Tim” . . .

For years, the Vanguard building in downtown D.C., once home for two decades, to the Peace Corps, has sat empty. On Thursday, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) celebrated the future of the 1960s-era Vanguard — and housing in downtown — at a ceremony kicking off the building’s conversion into swanky new apartments. After the coronavirus pandemic accelerated already rising vacancy rates in the city’s central business district, city leaders are looking at alternatives to fill unused office space and attract people back to downtown. Converting commercial buildings such as the Vanguard into residences is a solution leaders have looked at for years and hoped could accomplish two things: add more housing stock to combat D.C.’s affordable housing crisis and revitalize the city’s struggling downtown. Nearly 2.5 million square feet of office space in downtown D.C. is already dedicated to residential conversion projects. But with more than 20 million square feet of vacant office space across . . .