Category Archives: Resources

04.30.09
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Engaging Service Members of All Ages and Abilities in Service

Living today for a better tomorrow

May has been declared Older Americans Month, by the Administration on Aging (AoA) out of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the AoA: “This year’s theme ‘Living Today for a Better Tomorrow’ reflects AoA’s continued focus on prevention efforts and programs throughout the country that are helping older adults have better health as they age.” Many seniors of all abilities are “living today for a better tomorrow” by committing themselves to national and community service through Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn & Serve programs.

In May 2007, the Corporation for National and Community Service released “The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review of Recent Research” (PDF). The study “documents major findings from more than 30 rigorous and longitudinal studies that reviewed the relationship between health and volunteering. The study, which were controlled for other factors, found that volunteering leads to improved physical and mental health.”

Key findings include:

  • Older adults are more likely to receive greater health benefits from volunteering; including improved physical and Continue reading →
04.29.09
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RPCVs: Find a Mentor, Be a Mentor

Recently-returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) can find focused readjustment support, networking help, and even career guidance through a mentoring program established by the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA).

Almost 30 NPCA affiliate groups have signed on to help facilitate the RPCV Mentoring Program which matches pairs of individuals, calling on RPCVs who’ve been back longer to actively engage one-on-one with recent returnees who are currently facing the many challenges of readjustment. NPCA member groups all around the world have been a source of support and assistance for returning Volunteers since the organization’s founding.

RPCVs who would like to mentor, or to become mentees, each fill out a compatibility questionnaire to determine common interests. Once matched, the mentorship lasts at least four months, where the pair is encouraged to meet up or chat over the phone three times or more.

Mentors receive an electronic toolkit, including a Career Resource Manual, list of Peace Corps’ medical, psychological, financial and administrative resources, relevant story-telling material from Country of Service Trainer’s Kit and much more.

Mentees receive tailored guidance about readjustment, career, education, and networking issues.

Learn more about the National Peace Corps Association, the RPCV Mentoring Program, and Peace Corps’s services for Former Volunteers. Connect with the larger Peace Corps community through the NPCA’s social networking site Connected Peace Corps.

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04.21.09
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The Signing of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act

SAA signingToday President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act into law. It will take affect October 1 of this year. Read more about the Act.

During one of the most exciting National Volunteer Weeks in recent memory, President Obama and national service supporters gathered today at the SEED School in Washington, D.C., an academic and boarding charter school.

At the signing, Obama said, our “government cannot do everything alone,” but needs the help of citizens in local communities everywhere. And national service isn’t just for recent college graduates (watch news footage from AARP.) Sounding Whitman-esque, he called people every where to “Put your shoulder to the wheel” of service — and if you do, you can look back on the “moment when your own story and the American story converged.”

Michelle Obama and Bill ClintonHe also recognized Bill Clinton for launching AmeriCorps during his administration, and the First Lady Michelle Obama who was the founding executive director of Public Allies Chicago, a national service program.

Obama went on to talk about the long legacy of service contributed by the Kennedy family including Ted Kennedy, for whom the legislation is now named.

He also introduced Maria Eitel his nominee for the new chief executive post at the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and Acting C.E.O. Nicola Goren.

The bill re-authorizes CNCS and its programs through 2014, and authorizes sweeping expansion of national service (with a nod Continue reading →

04.20.09
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Asia Society Hosts a Discussion about China RPCV’s Book

The Last Days of Old BeijingMichael Meyer, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in China (1995-97), will appear at the Asia Society in New York City on May 7th.

Meyer will be discussing his recent book The Last Days of Old Beijing with Orville Schell, the director of the Center on US-China Relations, at an Asia Society event — Conversation with Author Michael Meyer.

A longtime Beijing resident, Michael Meyer has been sharing a courtyard home for several years in Beijing’s oldest hutongs, Dazhalan. The book chronicles the people in his neighborhood, the forced evictions there resulting from urban overhaul and commercialization, and the destruction of its way of life.

You can also read a recent essay of Meyer’s in the New York Times (free login required).

The Peace Corps China program started in 1993. Listen to a podcast featuring current Peace Corps China country director Bonnie Thie. The program has produced a bevy of other writers like Peter Hessler and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jake Hooker.

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04.17.09
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Seeking Opportunities to Be the Minority, to Connect, and to Serve

halitll - flickr creative commonsA community of service-minded people gather to celebrate the Passover Seder.

Last week I attended a Passover Seder at a friend’s house. Nineteen of us gathered together at not one, but two, tables and took turns reading passages and singing songs from the Haggadah, then devouring the many dishes before us with extra helpings of gefilte fish and matzah crackers topped with horseradish for me. Yummers!

Before we sat down for dinner, the evening began as large evening gatherings usually do—with the requisite mixing and mingling—“What’s your name?” “How do you know the host?” “What do you do?”

As much as I wanted to, I wasn’t able to talk to each and every guest. But that wasn’t a grave issue because I’d already met a few of them at the Hanukkah celebration last year.

During dinner, the man sitting to my right asked me, “Are you familiar with Youth Service America? I used to work for them.” Continue reading →