Why to Join Peace Corps?

Why do I want to join the Peace Corps?

• Next month I'm entering my junior year in college, and at the end of the year I am planning on applying to the Peace Corps. Yesterday somebody asked me why I was interested in joining, and I froze. "I...don't know..." I'm not exactly eloquent when it comes to these interview type questions! And "I don't know" won't cut it as an answer with the Peace Corp recruiter! What am I supposed to say, though? "Because I like to help people" sounds so cheesy...besides, you can help people a lot of other ways besides the Peace Corps! I have experience with at-risk youth and tutoring because I help tutor young children who are at risk of not reading at-level, but that's about it! Do any prior Corps volunteers have advice for the interview? Or just anybody whose been in one? lol thanks! Oh also I had a question, are French and Spanish the only helpful languages? Because I was planning on taking Arabic (Islam is my concentration) and maybe they'd place me in a Middle Eastern country?

• Answer:

  It's a tough question to answer when people ask you why you want to join the Peace Corps, especially when it's from someone who doesn't know much about the organization. For me, the biggest factor is just that...that I WANT to do it. You're right, there are a lot of opportunities to help people in the US, but how many people do you know that want to dedicate 2 years of their life to helping others in another country away from their family and friends? Not too many and if those of us who can do it and who want to do it don't then how can we expect anyone to fill that need? I spent some time working on a wildlife project in Africa and it hurt so badly to leave knowing that my short time there was not enough to make a large impact. The Peace Corps is a unique program that allows you the time to become a part of a community and to make a difference in the lives of the people there. You said that you have experience working with at-risk youth and there are a lot of programs in PC (youth development, Children Youth and Family) that call for people with your background to make a difference in the lives of children who otherwise might not have access to the type of help and guidance that someone with experience in that field can give. Here in the US there are a plethera of Community Centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brother/Big Sister programs, etc. and although a lot of kids in the US are not helped by these programs, we are leaps and bounds ahead in the game than a lot of places around the world. In a lot of countries served by the PC at-risk youth, orphaned children, and others may never in their lives be cared for by someone who would listen to their problems, play games with them, or try to develop their future. It would also give you applicable experience to come back and work with youth in the US perhaps giving you the capability to make a bigger impact than you could have before the two years. My advice is to speak from your heart and don't be afraid to sound cheesy, if it's sincere they will see it that way. Your volunteer experience is great, tutoring kids and working with at-risk youth should qualify you for a lot of programs, I would just keep it up over the next year before you apply, if you would like to work with youth I would suggest leaning toward volunteering with youth centers, etc. They even have some assignments for women and girls empowerment. French and Spanish are helpful, but I believe that they do learn Arabic for Morocco and Jordan in the PC, and maybe other places. You aren't required to have any specific language background, just having the experience of taking a language course will give you an edge because it will show that you are capable of learning another language. I knew some Swahili when I applied but was not placed in Africa. I definitely understand your nervousness, I felt the same way, most of the recruiters are really great people and your interview will be way more comfortable than you expect. My husband and I interviewed together last August and we are now heading to the Philippines in a few weeks for our 27 months in the PC. The time will fly! Good Luck!!