Peace+Corps+Youth+Development



=﻿ Peace Corps; Youth Development= By: Brittany Salers

[|Making a difference; the Peace Corps way.]

To completely understand the youth development program within the Peace Corps, knowledge of the history is a must:




 * 1) 1. The Peace Corps was established in 1960 under John F. Kennedy.
 * 2) 2. It became a federal agency because of inspiring college kids at the University of Michigan.
 * 3) 3. Since it's been established, over 200,000 Americans have served.
 * 4) 4. There are volunteers in 139 countries all over the world.

For someone who wants to join the Youth Development program within the Peace Corps, there is a lot to consider. To begin, what exactly are the responsibilities of someone in this field?

A volunteer in the youth development field help communities, schools, agencies, and families build support programs for the youth in the area. Working at orphanages, schools, or local youth centers, a volunteer would exercise vocational training, self-esteem building activities, teach youth to portray leadership, and help life-skills development.

Volunteers may be health educators, teaching the youth of the communities about HIV/AIDS information and awareness, community organizers which develop projects to help youth grow into positive adults, or volunteers may train youth in a certain trade which will help the youth to excel in life.

In order to be accepted into the youth development field within the Peace Corps, there are a few different possibilities.

1. Have an Associate degree and one year of full-time counseling at risk youth. 2. Have five years of full-time work experience with at risk youth. 3. Have a Bachelor's degree with six consecutive months of full-time work experience. All experience must be relevant with the line of work in the Peace Corps.

To understand the full extent of why youth is an important field in the peace corps, a quote from the Program Manager in Kazakhstan can be taken into consideration:

" They [youth] can retain information, knowledge, and experiences which can... influence them as individuals and society at large. They are more open to new ideas and are much less resistant to changes than adults."

Works Cited “History; A Proud History, An Everchanging World.” __Peace Corps__. 25 May, 2010. 31 Aug., 2010. < [|www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=about.history] > “Youth Development.” __Peace Corps__. 12 Aug., 2010. 31 Aug., 2010. < [|www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatvol.youth.youth] .> “Fast Facts.” __Peace Corps__. 28 Jan. 2010. 31 Aug., 2010 < [|www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=about.fastfacts] .>