What other similar groups are there besides the Peace Corps?

Question

I am interested in joining the Peace Corps but would like to know all my options beforehand. If tied to a Christian church, thats okay too! Can someone help me please?

Answer 1

There are thousands of organizations that will let you volunteer. Click on "advanced" and enter the two words "Peace Corps" and you'll get five sponsored links.

Some will give you a stipend. Some will expect you to pay them.

Church World Service has a sterling reputation.

http://www.churchworldservice.org/employment/
and
http://www.churchworldservice.org/opportunities.html

VSO is based in the UK but takes volunteers from all over

http://www.vso.org.uk/

Go to your denomination's national web site and hunt for "Volunteer".

Answer 2

The PeaceCorps requires a person to be highly skilled and an excellent work history, and willing to commit to a year-2 years abroad. Preferably, candidates should be able to work in another language. CHF International and International Executive Service Corps (IESC) offer short-term international volunteering opportunities, also for USA citizens only and candidates must be HIGHLY skilled and experienced. 

Here is a web site that can help you learn more about the skills and experience desired by long-term placement organizations, and how you can gain that experience locally. It also lists the various organizations that don't charge for volunteer placement (but require a great deal of experience -- the average age of a UN Volunteer is 38).
http://www.coyotecommunications.com/volunteer/international.html

There are short-term placement agencies charge volunteers, or require these volunteers to pay their own way (flights, in-country transportation, health insurance, accommodation, food, security, translators, training, staff to supervise and support them in their service, liaisons with the police and local officials, etc.). There is a listing of the more-than-30 member organizations of the International Volunteers Program Association (IVPA) that is a good place to find reputable volunteer-for-a-fee programs -- programs where you don't need to have much experience in order to participate, and the placements are just for a few weeks or months:
http://www.volunteerinternational.org/

The cheapest overseas volunteer-sending organization in the USA that will send unskilled volunteers for short-term assignments (six months or less) that I've found is SCI - Service Civil International (http://www.sci-ivs.org/). I know *nothing* about them other than what's on their web site, so please don't consider the listing of this organization in my answer as an endorsement.

Answer 3

AmeriCorps is similar, there are a few branches and each one offers something different. NCCC is a team based residential program that sends you around the country, about half your service is devoted recovery work in the Gulf. City Year is an inner city youth development program, you apply to the city of your choice. State is another branch where you apply for the program of your choice and live there anywhere from 4 months to a year, if not longer. AmeriCorps works with faith based communities, I'm currently stationed in a Presbyterian Church in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. When it comes to cost, you pay little to nothing for NCCC, with State you get discounts on housing and such, and in City Year you're almost completely immersed in the city life and have to provide your own housing and such.

Answer 4

churches sponsored by the FBCI to go out and make converts and put villages at odds with the next one, ensuring no peace and constant wars over relgion

invariably, christianity needs a "bad" person or non believer to point fingers at and this usually causes conflict, shootings and chaos