Photo: CSIS
This transcript is from a CSIS event hosted on November 25, 2024. Watch the full video here.
John J. Hamre: Good morning, everybody. Welcome. This is a wonderful way to start Thanksgiving week, you know? I mean, if you’re – if you want – this is a week that’s very, in my – very joyful. And it’s – you know, I think it’s what America needs right now, is we need a bit of a break, and we need to think about the good things in our lives. And we need to think a little bit about what makes our lives joyful and happy. And so I think this is a marvelous way to begin the week. And I want to say thank you to Administrator Spahn for being here to talk to us today.
Now, the focus today is going to be, you know, broadly about the Peace Corps, but also looking at the Pacific island nations too. And so we’re going to be covering two bases today. I must say, it was totally accidental that over the weekend I was reading a book a friend sent me called “Wonder Drug.” And it’s – the subtitle is “Seven Scientifically-Proven Ways that Serving Others is the Best Medicine for Yourself.” And it’s a remarkable book. It’s written by two medical doctors, one who’s the chief medical officer for Cooper up in New Jersey and the other is the chief research scientist. And it just documents why giving is so good for you. It’s good for your health. You are going to be a much healthier person if you have gratitude in your heart and you do something about it, you act on that gratitude and you do something positive.
I think that’s what must have been in President Kennedy’s mind when he created the Peace Corps. You know, and I think it’s what animates the very strong and positive feeling we all have for the Peace Corps, what it’s been – what it’s meant for all of us as a nation to be able to act on our sense of gratitude for the things that we have, the positive things. And it isn’t that it’s just do-goodism. They say repeatedly, this is not a self-help book. A matter of fact, self-help book is a contradiction in terms. You help yourself if you help others. And it actually makes you better. And I think that’s what the Peace Corps is about. The Peace Corps is about the way that America, you know, we have confidence in our values, but that doesn’t – just giving lectures to the world about how virtuous we are is pretty boring, you know? Pretty big turn off, actually.
It’s really when we do something about it. And, you know, Director Spahn has been doing something about that her whole life. So Charlie is going to give a more formal introduction to her now, and with her background. But I just want to say how grateful I am that someone of your talent is serving at the Peace Corps at this very important time, and why we as Americans should understand why this is so important for us. It’s good for us that we have the Peace Corps. It’s good for the rest of the world too, but it’s really good for us. So, Charlie, come on up here and let’s get this started.
Charles Edel: Thanks very much, Dr. Hamre. And good morning to all of you. Thank you for joining us on a Monday morning. I’m Charles Edel. I’m the Australia chair and a senior advisor here at CSIS. And I’m thrilled to welcome you all here, both in person and online, to a conversation with Carol Spahn, the director of the Peace Corps.
John F. Kennedy founded the Peace Corps in 1961 to foster global peace and friendship through international service. Over the past six-plus decades it’s done just that, forming lasting ties of goodwill between the U.S. and foreign communities around the world. Today, the Peace Corps faces a shifting landscape and new challenges that it’s not faced in the past – be it climate change, be it health care crises, or even a shifting geopolitical landscape.
I’m really thrilled and quite humbled that Director Spahn has joined us today to discuss how the Peace Corps is approaching its historical mandate in the current operating environment, and share insights into what it’s doing not only around the world but, more specifically, in the Indo-Pacific region. Now, Director Spahn was sworn in as the 21st director of the Peace Corps on December 21st of 2022. She brings more than 25 years of public and private sector experience to the job and she’s worked around the world on issues ranging from small business development to infectious disease prevention to women’s empowerment. She has recently served as the Peace Corps’ chief executive officer. Prior to that, she served as its acting director. And she was Africa director. No less, a Peace Corps volunteer herself in Romania some years ago. It’s really a pleasure to have her here today.
The way that we’re going to proceed today is Director Spahn will come up and offer some comments about the mission, the trajectory of the Peace Corps. We’ll sit down for a conversation spanning the globe, and then getting a little bit more precise about the Indo-Pacific. And then I would love to open up the conversation to all of you for questions. Director Spahn, would you please join us? (Applause.)
Carol Spahn: Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Thank you, Dr. Hamre. Thank you to Charles and the Center for Strategic and International Studies for welcoming me today. And a big thanks to all of you for coming out this Monday morning on Thanksgiving week. Dr. Hamre, your comments were spot on. There is a lot for us to be grateful for. I am grateful for all of you who do the hard work of figuring out how we show up with our best selves, how we show up as the United States in countries around the world, and how we really do foster world peace and friendship. It is a modest mission for us, and I do wake up thinking about it every day. And I think it is more important now than ever.
So today we will explore how the Peace Corps is adapting, how we’re evolving to a landscape that is shifting, how we continue to play a vital role in fostering peace and development, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. And really from our origins, that was a bold experiment in 1961, an experiment in grassroots diplomacy, to our current efforts addressing the pressing challenges like climate resilience and youth engagement, that mission is as critical as ever. And I think often about John F. Kennedy’s call to action. And we’ve all heard this so many times, but I think it’s really relevant today, and particularly as we ask what will we do about our values? How will we bring those to life?
He challenged us to ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. Since then, more than 240,000 Americans have heeded that call to action by joining the Peace Corps. These volunteers learned to speak the local language. They learn about the local culture. And they share a little bit about who we are as Americans in return. And that is all in the spirit of building genuine connection and supporting locally led community development. And we see, 63 years later, that these connections truly last a lifetime. What begins as two years of service is a home away from home.
A few years ago, a group called the Friends of Tonga, which is one of over 100 returned Peace Corps affiliate groups, was recognized as a 2021 Library of Congress Literacy Award honoree for creating a virtual read-aloud program. So group members have recorded themselves reading stories for a video resource library in Tonga where students and teachers can freely access those resources to promote literacy across the country. These were returned Peace Corps volunteers who, decades after leaving Tonga, remained committed to service and remained committed to the country that hosted them and welcomed them with open arms.
I really do wish I could find the right words to convey the heartfelt love between a volunteer and their host community. I wish I was a poet. I am a trained accountant. The skill sets don’t convey. But those volunteers really do experience amazing hospitality, shared growth, changes in perspective over their time during service. And it has been my truest honor as director to bear witness to the Peace Corps’ magic in countless countries around the world. I have been received by presidents and prime ministers, very busy people, as the head of a small, independent agency. And they showed up. They took the time to share what it means for them to have volunteers learning their languages and working in their countries. It was a profound honor.
As we delve into the Peace Corps and its role in today’s world, I’d like to hearken back to a famous quote by Dean Rusk, who was secretary of state in 1961 when the Peace Corps was founded. He said, and I quote, “The Peace Corps is not an instrument of foreign policy, because to make it so would rob it of its contribution to foreign policy.” Our volunteers are not official U.S. government representatives, although many ambassadors have called them small-A ambassadors, in communities that may never may otherwise have only experienced America and Americans through the news, entertainment, and social media.
We’re an independent agency and we engage at the invitation of host governments and communities. And I share this because it’s critical to who we are and how we operate. Peace Corps’ global presence has evolved over the years, but never did we expect that we would face a global evacuation as borders were being closed and flights canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time in the agency’s 63-year history. With no volunteers in the field during that time, we were faced with many, many existential questions. Not to mention the daunting logistical challenge of figuring out how and when to return volunteers to service overseas.
As a critical part of that process, we engaged with every foreign ministry from every country where volunteers were evacuated to ask the hard question: Did they want us to return? Were we still relevant to them, to the communities? Was our approach still valued by those countries? And the answer was a resounding yes from every single country. Since then, we’ve been in the process of rebuilding and revitalizing an agency that is in high demand around the world, not only from the countries we departed – who are asking for more and more volunteers – but also from countries who have asked us back.
We’ve been examining how we can build on our strengths and expand our impact in a technologically connected, yet socially isolated environment. Our geographic scope is at near pre-pandemic levels, with volunteers serving in 61 countries, with two additional countries supporting virtual programs. Two years in we are now at 3,400 volunteers, which is roughly half the number of volunteers who were evacuated. In the Indo-Pacific, we have a deep and long history with more than 14,500 volunteers who have served in 16 countries since inception. And we now have volunteers serving across the region, including our first-ever program in Vietnam. And we also expect to have volunteers back on the ground in Palau in 2025.
In several of the Pacific island nations, we were the only U.S. government presence on the ground for many, many years, including Samoa and Tonga, where we have had a presence for 57 years. I had the privilege of attending the 2023 U.S. Pacific Island Forum Leaders’ Summit and meeting leaders from those island countries. And almost every single one of them had a story about the impact of Peace Corps in their country. Some had specific personal experiences about the volunteer who taught them. In fact, one of them said, if my English is bad I blame it on my Peace Corps volunteer.
But many others said, Peace Corps is a part of us. It’s a part of our culture. It’s part of who we are. And as such, it is no surprise that there is strong demand from the return – for the return of Peace Corps to countries like the Federated States of Micronesia – thank you, Ambassador, for joining us here today – the Marshall Islands, and Kiribati. So it is an honor to be invited back. And I really do thank you for that warm welcome and recognize what that means for us as Americans and for you and your communities. And it’s a very, very special bond that has been formed over decades and that we want to be able to renew.
So as we respond to these evolving supply and demand signals, both from our host countries and our applicants, we are reimagining service in a number of ways to meet those needs. So this includes a virtual service pilot program that was stood up at the request of the Government of Botswana during COVID-19. It allowed technical experts to donate five to 15 hours a week, and has enabled us, even as we return volunteers to service in person – which is our core mandate and core purpose – even in those cases we have been able to stay active in places like Ukraine, where we have had over 100 participants teach things like trauma-informed teaching techniques to teachers in those environments.
It has also enabled us to link technical experts with our volunteers on the ground so that we can not only do teacher training, but we can have a virtual expert who observes those teachers, virtually, and provides one-on-one coaching. So it’s a very, very exciting time as we look at how we can build on what makes Peace Corps very special, and how we can bring more people into the fold. There is a possibility of having hybrid models, where volunteers go out, professors – understand there might be some of those in the crowd too – professors who go out for three months or go out during a sabbatical and continue their service virtually, or precede their service virtually, and are able to both build those local connections and relationships and support back home in ways that meet their needs and their limitations in terms of being able to pick up and move for two years.
With respect to our two-year model, which is really our bread and butter, we have volunteers serving in communities for two years. It is a well-honed and continuously evolving approach to community-led development and public diplomacy. And we are focusing that work on youth. This is the largest generation of youth in history, 90 percent of whom live in developing countries. They are looking for opportunity. They are motivated. They are engaged, and we are prepared to go out and not only work with them as Peace Corps, but as a Peace Corps network of students, of counterparts, of staff, as part of a larger ecosystem, to look at how we can link those most marginalized young people to opportunity.
In the Pacific, this means bringing young people together across the four island nations that we are in as part of the Blue Pacific Youth Initiative. This is a partnership with USAID that brings together youth climate champions for training and community development projects. And in other parts of the world, we are supporting service opportunities for local youth through partnerships with organizations like CorpsAfrica. On a trip to the region this past August, I joined volunteers in Tonga in planting mangrove trees as part of our first climate resilience cohort. And in Fiji I had the opportunity to hear firsthand about the work of the Blue Pacific Youth Initiative directly from our volunteer, Megan, and her counterpart, Mariani, who had taken place in a training around project design and management.
Mariani brought that training back to her community, went through a process of identifying local needs, and soon thereafter the women’s group was busy creating an evacuation shelter. The men’s group was examining the housing structures and looking at how weather events had impacted housing in their community, so that they could reinforce and develop resilience from climate-related disasters. And the youth group had used locally available materials to create trash bins and a system for picking up trash and properly disposing of it in their community. It was a beautiful thing to witness how that impact multiplies. And I really do look forward to seeing how young people like Mariani develop. I am very, very inspired by their energy, by their passion, by their commitment to developing a better world for themselves and their future.
So as technology overtakes so many aspects of modern life and as the world continues to change, I want to emphasize the importance of human connection. Peace Corps’ commitment to building and sustaining long-term friendships based on trust, cultural sensitivity, and mutual respect is unwavering. Peace Corps volunteers embody public diplomacy at its best. And the work that is done represents a shared journey and relationships that are formed over shared human values. Through these relationships, volunteers engender long-term trust and goodwill. It pays dividends for decades and it shows itself in countless ways.
But it’s most easily seen by the students once taught by Peace Corps volunteers who go on to become chiefs, and ministers, activists, and presidents. Next week, I will head to the Gambia where President Barrow will attend the grand opening of our new Peace Corps office. Why, you ask, would a nation’s president attend the opening of a new Peace Corps office, and take that time out of his busy day? It is because he was taught by a Peace Corps volunteer and remains very close friends with her to this day. This is the kind of impact, it’s the kind of relationship and goodwill that the Peace Corps and our volunteers have created in community after community, day after day, year after year for the past 63 years.
The relevance of establishing human connections and trusted relationships does not end with technology. It does not end with changing geopolitical environments. It only strengthens the need to be out across borders, engaging across difference, solving problems hand in hand. And whether it is in the Gambia or throughout the Indo-Pacific, know that Peace Corps and Peace Corps volunteers will continue to carry out this work, one community, one person, one interaction at a time. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
Dr. Edel: Thank you. Please, want some water? I loved the opening of this, discussing the Peace Corps magic which I think we just heard a little bit about. I guess where I’d like to start the conversation is zooming up – zooming out for a little bit, because you really concluded on this note, Director Spahn. When we think about the current moment that we’re in, the world looks vastly different than it did even a decade ago. We think about heightened geopolitical competition. We think about consolidated rivalry between some of our adversaries. We think about wars now – not the prospect of war, but real wars breaking out in two areas of the world.
And I think about what you’ve just said up here on stage about the value of human connection and how important it is for us as Americans. And I guess I’d really like to hear your reflections a little bit more on Peace Corps as influence, because influence is all about human connections. I was jotting down notes when you were talking. I was really struck by something that you said about asking us to think what it means for us as Americans to be invited back into countries. I was, again, quite struck by the fact that post-COVID, every single country invited us back. So I guess I’d like to start the conversation, if you don’t mind, with asking you to think a little bit, reflect a little bit more broadly about the value of Peace Corps in terms of American influence, American presence.
Ms. Spahn: Mmm hmm. Again, I have the opportunity to talk with many foreign leaders. And I hate to put words, you know, in their mouths, but I will share some of – some of what I have heard from them. And particularly in the context of youth, right? With large generations of youth, government leaders are thinking about how to provide those young people with opportunity. And at this time, English is the language of business. It’s the language of tourism. It’s the language of the internet. So there is, you know, a direct value proposition there.
But on a more nuanced level, what I have heard them say is – and these are from countries that have said, you know, bring your generalists to teach in our schools. Some want specialists. And we honor the request of those governments. But some have said we will take 500, 1,000, one country even said 10,000 of your generalists. Why? Because of the can-do spirit, the civic engagement, what that demonstrates to young people in their country about what is possible, what is possible when they engage. And it really does open a new perspective and a new way of thinking.
And when you’re engaging with young people, and you can imagine in today’s world we stay so connected. I was a volunteer in 1994. That was, you know, before the internet. (Laughs.) And makes me feel really, really old. But I was contacted by my counterpart, you know, five years ago, and we reconnected. And that’s what the world looks like, you know, going forward. So when we talk about influence, and it’s really about shared values and shared connections. And that is what public diplomacy is about. That is what soft power is about. And I hate to even say it in those terms, right, because it is something that is so personal for volunteers and for the communities that they engage with.
Dr. Edel: When you talked about the desire expressed for generalists, but also for specific needs, how does Peace Corps think about what missions it’s prioritizing as kind of the scope of the challenges change over the years?
Ms. Spahn: It’s always a dialog with the countries who are inviting us back. We have six core programmatic areas, but we also embed a frame around those areas of interest. So of interest particularly now is climate resilience, climate adaptation. The communities we work with are experiencing the impacts of climate change. They are on the front lines. And so we are embedding climate literacy in some of our education programming so that young people, you know, have the words, and they’re developing camps and clubs around that. So we adapt in conversation with the host governments and, you know, with the request of them and their ministries, but also as we’re observing trends around us.
Dr. Edel: When you think about the prioritized missions – because you’re in conversation, as you said, with countries constantly on this. I think you just gave us a scope of new places where you’re looking to expand the mission, based, of course, upon the invitation of host countries. How does that happen? How does the decision tree work? Are there areas that get prioritized? Does that align with kind of U.S. national priorities? How do we think about which countries we might see and which resources Peace Corps might be able to put resources and people to them?
Ms. Spahn: It’s a very dynamic environment, and it’s a very dynamic sort of decision-making process, particularly in times of limited resources, to think about how we expand and where we go. We have a well-honed and developed model where we look at both the interest of the host government, the needs, and how they align with what Peace Corps can offer. We look at that programmatic niche in very intensive conversations with a variety of actors and stakeholders, including at the community level, in visits to the country. And we look at the safety and security environment, and our ability to provide appropriate medical care and other services to our volunteers.
So it is a very robust analysis that we do. And we do a formal assessment. And then after that assessment, right, make recommendations about whether or not, you know, we think it is a place where volunteers could safely serve and we could provide value to the country. And after that, it’s a question of, you know, how we are allocating resources and budget.
Dr. Edel: I actually do want to stay on this question of allocating resources and budget. This is a Washington conversation, after all. And you did lay out the fact that there are some countries – I was blown away by this – where you have tens, if not hundreds, if not thousands of Peace Corps volunteers being asked for. But you also have a somewhat limited budget. And I’m asking, can you talk us through some of the challenges that you see, writ large for Peace Corps, but maybe budgetary-wise for supporting, as you said, the very small mission of world peace that you guys pursue?
Ms. Spahn: Well, look, I think that, you know, as I’ve said, there is tremendous demand that is out there. Peace Corps’ budget has been relatively flat for a period of time. And so every time we are looking to expand into a new country or provide additional services for our volunteers – I’ll use mental health services, which, you know, is an important thing in today’s world that we’re able to support our volunteers with those kinds of services – it’s always going to be a tradeoff.
And so, you know, in that context, again, multiple factors come into play. And, you know, there are some countries where there are, you know, civil unrest. We were previously present in Ukraine. It was one of our largest countries. We have a very small presence there now. As I mentioned, just some virtual serving, you know, volunteers. And so we do look at all of those factors, whether it is the safety and security landscape or, you know, where that country – some countries might be in their development, and how we might be able to shift those resources around.
Dr. Edel: OK. Shifting maybe from the global mission to get a little bit more specific to the Indo-Pacific region, maybe the Pacific island region too. It was really interesting to hear that we’ve had continuous Peace Corps service for 57 years on some of the Pacific island countries. And now we are seeing, as you laid out, invitations from newer partners, or maybe partners that hit pause for a little while. Could you give us a quick scope of where we’re getting the Peace Corps back into these countries, and some of the ones that – again, noted, it’s by country invitation – some of the conversations you’re having around the Pacific island itself?
Ms. Spahn: Mmm hmm. Sure. So Peace Corps currently has volunteers present on the ground in Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji. So we’re very proud to have those countries back up and running in a post-COVID environment. And, as I mentioned, you know, we’ve had engagement with the Solomon Islands, with Federated States of Micronesia. Both of those countries have been assessed, you know, for reentry. And then Marshall Islands and Kiribati we have not had an opportunity to assess, you know, yet. Every time we go out and assess a country for potential reentry it raises expectations about what we’re able to do. And, you know, again, in a limited budget environment we want to be able to, you know, follow up and be able to execute in those places that we’ve assessed.
Dr. Edel: It is really interesting to hear you note which countries, because in several of them – and I’m sure many of our viewers, but maybe not all of our viewers, know this – that there was Peace Corps presence in those countries when there was not U.S. governmental presence.
Ms. Spahn: Yes. Yes.
Dr. Edel: Before the United States opened or has decided to reopen its embassies, Peace Corps volunteers were there on the ground providing continuity for the United States, even though they’re not big-A ambassadors of the U.S., as you said. Can you talk about – because the needs of the Pacific island region are different. Each place around the world is unique. What are some of the particular challenges that you face when you think about reentry into some of these very small, very fragile island states?
Ms. Spahn: Well, and our presence in the very small islands and some of these states is what has made us so endeared, you know, in the region. And I know many volunteers who have served in those very remote places, and absolutely loved their time there. As you can imagine, you know, those vast distances become a challenge when there’s an emergency. So if a volunteer gets sick, is hit by a car, we need to medically evacuate them. And we need to be able to make sure we can get them, you know, the services that we have said we, as Peace Corps, will be able to provide.
So some of those are just a virtue – by virtue of the geography. And others, the infrastructure that’s currently in place. We are working in the interagency space to really identify what are any remaining barriers so that we can come as a whole of government and say, how can we – how can we do this so that Peace Corps volunteers can get back?
Dr. Edel: Let me pause our back and forth, because I have lots of questions here, but opening this up to the audience. I believe we have some microphones. If you wouldn’t mind raising hands, identifying yourself, asking a question, maybe not making a statement. And then we’ll throw it over to Director Spahn. Right up here in the front. Thank you. Yes, you.
Q: Hi. My name is Jessica Stone. I work for Voice of America. And I love covering this region. It’s an exciting place to be.
I wanted to just ask you, Director, about the on the ground sort of geostrategic competition that’s happening. How you’re seeing your volunteers be part of that, what are the messages that they’re able to send about U.S. presence and commitment to the region, particularly in light of the propaganda that’s going in the opposite direction, which is that they left us and they’re never coming back?
Ms. Spahn: Well, first I would say that when Peace Corps talks to volunteers and how we represent ourselves it is as apolitical. And that’s an important part of who we are. And that is what enables us to do our work at the people-to-people level. So we tell them that they can, you know, speak in their personal capacity, but they cannot and do not represent, you know, the United States. And they are not there as part of strategic competition. They’re there with people-to-people diplomacy intentions. And that really is critical to our mission, to who we are, and to how we engage with countries around the world.
Dr. Edel: More questions from the audience? Right in the front row. Thank you.
Q: Thank you, Director Spahn. Daniel Mellsop from the New Zealand embassy.
And thanks for covering a little bit about the Pacific in your comments. Always good to hear discussion on the Pacific. And we know the Peace Corps are loved in the Pacific. So your efforts there are much appreciated. Just a question, really, about coordination with other countries who do send volunteers overseas. Obviously, the host country is your primary source of inspiration and direction, but do you do any coordination with other countries who send volunteers overseas? Thanks.
Ms. Spahn: We do. And thank you for asking that question. When I was in Tonga, I met with Australian volunteers and New Zealand volunteers while we were there to learn about their work and to see how we can leverage, you know, each other’s presence and, you know, align our resources. We also engage with JICA and KOICA in countries around the world. What’s been really fun – and I alluded to it a little bit in my remarks – is that we’re really trying to also work with host governments around the world to start their own volunteer service organizations.
And CorpsAfrica is the one I mentioned. There’s also Central America Service Corps, which is being funded by USAID. And, you know, these opportunities for young people, there’s often a gap between secondary education and their ability to find a job. And these opportunities for service are available, you know, through Peace Corps to Americans, are now being made available to college-educated young people from the countries themselves, and going out into the rural communities. And Peace Corps volunteers in Malawi, where I served as a country director for five years, helped start up the CorpsAfrica program there and are now starting a side by side service model, so that our volunteers are going out into communities with volunteers from CorpsAfrica.
So lots of really exciting things happening, both with other international volunteer-sending organizations and local organizations who are supporting volunteerism, not just, you know, as a one day, you know, let’s go up and pick up trash kind of model, but as a real way to serve the community over the long term, develop real, transferable skills, and provide an entree into the job market.
Dr. Edel: We have a question over here, then we’ll come over here next.
Q: Good morning. My name is Donatienne Ruy. I work here at CSIS.
I’m curious about whether you’ve seen any changes in the recruitment of volunteers. We have a lot of conversations here among our staff of generational differences with young people today in the United States are interested in doing. And you mentioned six thematic areas as well. Are you seeing a shift in what the people who do volunteer are interested in working on? You talked about climate change, for example. I’m curious if that’s starting to be a bigger area of work. Thank you.
Ms. Spahn: Thank you. Certainly, this generation is very interested in working on climate issues. There is a lot of research out there that shows a sense of doom around climate and a real eagerness to get out there and do something about it. So we definitely are seeing that interest. Tonga is our first country to have a dedicated climate resilience cohort. We’re seeing that in a couple of other countries pop up at the request of governments. But the volunteers who are serving in other sectors are very, very interested in integrating that work because it does impact education, health, agriculture, and, you know, how we can do all of those in a climate smart way.
Recruitment is our biggest challenge right now. And I think there are a lot of things that contribute to that. First, our – with no volunteers in the field for two years, we used to have about 7,000, those were our greatest influencers. And this is – you know, this is a generation that is not going to look to a John F. Kennedy for inspiration. They are going to look to each other. They want to hear about the authentic experiences of other volunteers. And so not having those 7,000 people on the ground telling their stories for two years really did impact our ability to reach people where they are.
We launched a bold invitation campaign, inviting people to really get outside their comfort zone and reengage in the world following COVID-19. I will be honest that I, myself, was so anxious to get on a plane and back out in the world I just thought everyone would want to do that. (Laughs.) And it turns out that we all got a little comfortable in smaller environments. We got comfortable behind screens. And I think that to really inspire this – you know, I won’t even say next generation, because I think it impacted all of us in different ways – we really need to inspire people to get back out there and to take the action on the things we care about, and not just social media advocacy but really to get out there and understand the nuance.
Because it’s very easy in today’s environment to think about issues at a surface level. And that’s not the way the world works. And I worry that we’re getting, you know, a little – a little too soundbite driven. And the work that we do in diplomacy, that all of us do, is very complex and very, very nuanced. So we are thinking about ways that we can make sure that, you know, potential applicants know about us, know they will be supported, and know that they have what it takes to get out there and do the work. And that it will be transformational in ways that they never imagined.
I mentioned that I’m an accountant by training. I never imagined I would be in this place, you know, really working on issues that are as, you know, complex and beautiful and human as the work that we in Peace Corps do. I really liked the simplicity of debits and credits. (Laughs.) It was – it was quite easy. So, you know, I think that, you know, the other thing that I’m noticing is, you know, little bit of risk aversion, right? There’s a lot going on in the world that is scary. There’s a lot of uncertainty that we’ve lived through. And that remains.
And I think that there is a tendency at this moment – and this is my own personal opinion, not based on, you know, data, but what I’ve observed – to conflate wellness with comfort. And as we think about wellness, to truly be well you have to be growing and stretching and learning and thriving. And that happens by doing things that are uncomfortable. And so that is my challenge to, you know, all of us is, you know, whether we can serve or not, get out and challenge someone to do that, because it’s amazing and they’ll never regret it.
Dr. Edel: Can I just follow up for a second? Just in case people haven’t cracked the mission, but also kind of the changing profile of who is a Peace Corps volunteer. Can you give us – you know, there is no typical Peace Corps volunteer. But about how old, how much professional experience before they take up a mission? I’d be very curious to hear who the background of our volunteers – what the background of our volunteers, rather, are.
Ms. Spahn: Sure. So our volunteers, the vast majority have a four-year college degree, although they can have equivalent experience. And that really comes from the requests of host governments. And I’ve had many people ask me, you know, couldn’t we extend it to high school graduates or community college graduates? And we really do work with the governments on that and want to respect their needs and interests. So the age range is, you know, usually from 21 to – you know, I had someone serve with me in Malawi who was 80 at the time of service. So really, anyone can serve as long as they can medically clear.
At this time, about 8-9 percent are over 50, and the vast majority are in the 20 to 30 age range. Some come straight out of university and others are in what, you know, are sort of mid-life breaks, or, you know, they might join our Peace Corps Response Program, that is a shorter-term program for people with more advanced technical skills. And that is a three-to-12-month program. So vast majority, 20 to 30, early on in their careers. As you know, I think there’s a – there’s a gap for almost all volunteer – organizations that rely on volunteers once people start to have families, and all of those things. You know, life becomes a little more complicated, so volunteers tend to be in the early stage of their life, or towards the end when their responsibilities are changing.
Dr. Edel: Go on a little bit more too about the technical skills, because obviously Peace Corps volunteers presumably are showing up, being willing to work, being willing to partner and listen, being willing to smile. But they bring things with them. And that’s the reason why they’re requested, not just for their smiles – you are an accountant; obviously, medical professionals. Can you talk about some of the other skill sets that are in highest demand in Peace Corps around the world?
Ms. Spahn: Our largest program is education. And a lot of that is English education, for the reasons I mentioned previously, but also math and science education. And for that, we can take a generalist. And we put them through three months of training. So they get three months of language, cross cultural, and technical training on teaching techniques. There are countries, again, who ask for teacher trainers. And those people typically have, you know, master’s degrees and a certain number of years of experience that puts them in a position to work at that level.
So we really do, for every sort of job assignment, have a minimum skill set requirement. For our health programs, we have doctors and nurses who are training in medical schools and schools of nursing in a few countries, but the vast majority are generalists with maybe a biology degree or, you know, have done some community health work. And they’re not providing care. They are working on behavior change. They are working on HIV, malaria prevention, water and sanitation type projects. So things that don’t require, you know, that technical skill level. But, again, we train them in all of those things when they join.
Dr. Edel: Got it. OK. There was a question right here in the front.
Q: Thank you so much. Hello, ma’am. Hello, sir. I’m Novera Moazzem Chowdhury. I am a master’s student, master’s of international public policy, in School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University.
And I also work as a volunteer in Smithsonian National Museum of American Indian and Smithsonian National Museum of American History. I was born in Bangladesh, and I was raised there. And I also work for Bangladesh government. And I went to Australia to do my master’s there, in University of Canberra, and also my MBA from Japan. So I had my experience living in Indo-Pacific region. And also, I applied for Peace Corps job but that is in Togo, in Africa. And I’m waiting to hear what’s happening.
So my question is, the climate change issue is there. And I can understand all these islands in Pacific region, or maybe the country from where I born – I’m a U.S. citizen now – they don’t have much to do. They are not doing anything about the emission. But they are the sufferer. They are very vulnerable in the situation now. So Peace Corps is working there. Other than raising public awareness in those areas, what else – what actions Peace Corps is taking regarding climate change?
Ms. Spahn: Thank you. Very great question. And I couldn’t be more delighted that you’ve applied to serve in the Peace Corps. And Togo is a wonderful country. You’ll love it there. I had the opportunity to visit its neighboring country, Benin, and visit a community where the rivers were rising. And they used to flood once every 10 years and in the current years they’ve been flooding every year. So the volunteer there is working with some of the community members on planting trees to overcome some of the soil erosion and to protect the community from that constant flooding. So that’s one just very concrete example of, you know, climate adaptation.
Because we work at the community level, what the community needs are, are very, very specific. And so volunteers are trained in participatory community assessment and in action. And they develop those action plans in collaboration with local leaders, as they’re observing what’s happening around them. So it’s very, very specific in terms of the actions that are taken. And then, you know, as a country program that we have resources, program managers, and others who are working with the government and with other NGOs to see about which kinds of resources we can bring into communities where the challenge is beyond, you know, what the local resources might have available. So it really is very, very country specific, but very much a part of how we’re moving forward because it’s what the communities need, it’s what they’re asking for. And the impact is just very, very real.
Dr. Edel: There’s maybe one more question I think we have time for. It’s right in the back with the microphone. Thank you.
Q: Hi, Director. My name is Josh Buckingham. I’m a congressional staffer.
I was wondering if you could tell me, maybe, if there’s any limitations that our government maybe sets on Peace Corps, or anything that you wish that our government maybe want to help you with moving into the next year with any of your programs.
Ms. Spahn: Yes. I love to answer that question, particularly from a congressional staffer. So thank you for being here. Look, we’re in the place of trying to reduce barriers to service for Americans from all backgrounds, so that they can be able to serve. So I think that student loan debt is a significant issue for a variety of people, a variety of organizations, not just Peace Corps. And I think that that would be a big benefit for people who do take that opportunity to serve their country in a really profound way that requires tremendous sacrifice. So any kind of student debt relief would be a very welcomed and important change.
Dr. Edel: Let me just underscore that, because, Director, when you talk about reducing barriers to service, we did start the conversation with the inception of Peace Corps, with John F. Kennedy’s call to serve. And for those of you who know the history, when JFK was on the campaign trail before he was elected president he was asked by a bunch of students at the University of Michigan, you know, what should we do? And he, off the cuff, said something along the lines of, upon your willingness to serve overseas rests America’s ability to influence and play a part in the world. And so this service, the willingness to serve, is extraordinarily important.
I really do want to close where we started, which is noting that this is a week of Thanksgiving. And this has been an extraordinary talk, I think, about an oftentimes undersold and undervalued mission that the United States has in the world. I just want to profoundly thank you for everything that you’ve done, and make sure that all of you are taking this message out – be it in Congress or to your families when you have the conversation later this week. But if you could all join me in thanking Director Spahn. (Applause.)
I will now note – and this does not apply, sadly, to anyone who’s watching online – that we have some breakfast outside. You can’t really eat that virtually. But please join us for a short reception afterwards. And thank you all for making the time today.
(END.)