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60 Years of Peace Corps: A Look Back
Special to The Truth
While life around the
globe has changed significantly since the Peace Corps was
founded 60 years ago, the agency’s mission to promote world
peace and friendship between Americans and people around the
world has not.
Established by President
John F. Kennedy on March 1, 1961, via Executive Order, the
concept for the public service agency was first introduced
months prior in an impromptu presidential campaign speech
delivered to college students.
“How many of you who are
going to be doctors, are willing to spend your days in
Ghana? Technicians or engineers, how many of you are willing
to work in the Foreign Service and spend your lives
traveling around the world?” then-Senator Kennedy asked the
students. “I think Americans are willing to contribute. But
the effort must be far greater than we have ever made in the
past.”
The response was swift and
enthusiastic. Since the Peace Corps’ founding, more than
240,000 Americans have served in 142 host countries. Here’s
a look back at some of the agency’s major accomplishments
and milestones:
• 1961: President Kennedy
hosts a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden in honor of
the first group of volunteers departing for service.
Congress approves legislation for the Peace Corps. The first
volunteers arrive in Ghana.
• 1977: Carolyn Robertson
Payton is appointed Peace Corps Director by President Jimmy
Carter. She’s the first female and first African American to
serve in this role.
• 1985: The Paul D.
Coverdell Fellows program, a graduate fellowship program
offering financial assistance to returned volunteers, as
well as opportunities to continue service in underserved
communities, is established.
• 1995: The Peace Corps
sends volunteers to the Caribbean island of Antigua to
rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Luis. This pilot program,
Crisis Corps (now called Peace Corps Response), provides
short-term humanitarian service to countries worldwide.
• 2005: For the first
time, volunteers are deployed domestically when the Peace
Corps Response program assists the Federal Emergency
Management Agency’s relief operations in the Gulf Coast
region following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
• 2007: The Peace Corps
Prep program is established, offering an undergraduate
certificate program that helps students build skills needed
to be effective volunteers, giving them a competitive edge
when applying for Peace Corps service.
• 2014: For the first
time, Peace Corps applicants can choose the programs and
countries they apply to, selecting the path that best fits
their skills, languages, and personal and professional
goals.
• 2016: The Peace Corps
gets a makeover with the adoption of a new look and logo.
• 2020: The Peace Corps
initiates its first global evacuation in its history in
response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, what’s the status of
the Peace Corps today? Currently, the agency is working to
return to service and is accepting applications to serve.
Interested applicants can connect with a recruiter to learn
more and get the application process started by visiting
peacecorps.gov.
From partnering with local
communities, to mitigating the impacts of climate change, to
teaching digital literacy, today’s Peace Corps service
opportunities look different than they once did; however,
they all continue the agency’s original and inspiring
mandate to “promote world peace and friendship.”
Courtesy StatePoint
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