Peace Corps for the Over 50 Crowd

50+For people who were alive to hear President Kennedy’s call to serve in 1961, but couldn’t join Peace Corps back then — there’s still hope!

Peace Corps’s mini website for 50+ applicants offers resources and support especially for people whose main concerns about joining Peace Corps include staying in touch with the grandkids (not grandparents), and how it will affect their social security (not student loans).

The 50+ site includes a Frequently Asked Questions section with topics like health and financial matters. It also includes stories (including audio) of senior Volunteers.

Warning: if you are sentimental about service, the slideshows and voice overs might inspire tears.

While the average Peace Corps Volunteer is 27, the program has no upper age limit. In my mid-20s, I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in China alongside mid-career, retired, and even elderly U.S. citizens. Chinese students and faculty enjoyed inviting Continue reading