I was wondering if there are any Peace Corps-like programs that I could join.?

Question

I want to travel abroad and gain cultural knowledge from other countries, but the peace corps has almost a 2 year commitment to join, I was wondering if anyone knew of any programs that will allow me to travel abroad.

PS: I would like the program to have something to do with helping people in other countries, because that's what inspired me to want to join the peace corps..

Answer 1

Organizations that don't charge fees for volunteering, such as VSO Canada, UN Volunteers and the PeaceCorps are looking for people who can work (read, write and speak) in a language other than English, who have skills and experience that can lead to local people generating income, better feeding their families, improving children's health, etc., or that can lead to the transformation of key institutions, such as government, universities/schools or NGOs. They are looking for people who can commit to a two-year assignment, who have experience working with under-served communities, or who have a lot of experience in very diverse or religiously-conservative communities. The average age of volunteers in these organizations is over 30 (for UNVs, it's 38).

The goal is to give local people jobs and to keep money local, not to give Westerners a feel-good vacation -- hence why 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.).

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 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 2

I search for the words "Peace Corps" in YA every once in a while. Click on "Advanced" and try it. Every time I do I get half a dozen sponsored links for Peace Corps Alternatives. They range form one-week "Working Vacations" that you pay for to year-long commitments.

Most organizations want a return on their investment. The Peace Corps will spend 3 months training you in the language, culture and history of your host country. They will fly you there and back for free. You get a living allowance, medical and dental care and, after you finish, career counseling. You pay them back by working for two years. All in all, it is a 27-month commitment.

At the other end of the scale, some churches will organize spring breaks where college kids from the USA go to Mexico (or poor parts of the USA) to paint an orphanage or fix fences for old people or do something else that can be done in a week. The churches kick in a little, but the college kids basically pay their own way, sometimes by finding sponsors.

There are programs between those extremes. VSO lets people volunteer for a year, for instance.

Answer 3

I received a brochure a few months back at my school from a program similar to Peace Corps...except the commitment is only for a year. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name. If I should, I'll update my answer. In the meanwhile, check out these sites: www.volunteerabroad.com and http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org

Answer 4

I was recruited for the Peace Corps but changed my mind. I'm interested in the U.N. volunteer programme they have, but the only thing is that you have to be 25 (which I am not, yet). Also, there's Americorps, but I don't know too much about that.

Answer 5

Projects Abroad is only a few months committment and you can choose your location/project, but it costs money. It's pretty reasonably priced. AmeriCorps is in the U.S., but it's also a really good service organization.

Answer 6

UNESCO - www.unesco.org has internship opportunities...

http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=11716&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html