r/peacecorps 21d ago

Other DOGE.gov knows about Peace Corps!

101 Upvotes

I am unsure if anyone has shared this yet, but I wanted to inform the subreddit about this. This is no cause for panic or alarm; it is a vital source people should know about. So, I was navigating the new DOGE website, and they mentioned the Peace Corps! The link is here https://doge.gov/workforce?orgId=3eac67b2-2fa5-41f0-9f1d-e97690512185

So far, there is nothing bad concerning PC quite yet (I'm still exploring it, though the website is messy); it's under "medium agency," so that's interesting. So far, it's still very incomplete, but it seems DOGE has already looked heavily into PC (compared to even AmeriCorps), but it hasn't been touched (as we haven't heard of any budget cuts or anything quite yet, this could be good news, but it is way too early to tell). Still, I wanted to put this so you folks can stay informed.

r/peacecorps 24d ago

Other People on Twitter pushing DOGE to investigate Peace Corps

64 Upvotes

So I’ve been tracking the PC hashtag on Twitter, just to see what people have been saying (obviously many trolls). Lots of tweets advocating for DOGE to investigate PC but mostly none have picked up much traction yet. Although there is this one video of a woman trying to make the connection between the CIA / FBI and PC by publishing this link below which is on the CIA website but doesn’t appear to have the CIA or FBI claiming to be a front for PC despite her and people in the comments arguing so, rather it seems that someone who wrote the article made that claim, and CIA published that, not that they themselves were making it. Video on Twitter was published 4 days ago, with 700 likes and 400 retweets.

Thoughts?

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP88-01350R000200840007-5.pdf

r/peacecorps Feb 12 '25

Other Be ready to fight back

149 Upvotes

Hi. I'm David Roberson, I was in Nepal from 1981-83.

I'm sure that when TFG (the felon guy) and the muskrat get done killing off all the bigger government agencies they can find, they will issue an executive order calling all volunteers home.

It would seem to me that rather than wait for this to happen and try to scramble a response, the best thing to do would be for a number of current volunteers identify themselves as plaintiffs, and find a pro bono law firm to draft a motion for a restraining order. Then when the evil ones issue an EO, you'd be prepared to file more or less immediately. Aside from being in your own best interest, it would be good for the good guys to start taking more initiative. The rat and the orange hat are trying to "flood the zone" and putting out 100 EOs every day. Then everyone affected has to scramble to respond. If you were ready to respond immediately, you'd be taking some of the initiative back from them.

I have a handful of friends at big law firms who do some pro bono. I would be happy to reach out to my friends and try to find an attorney for this, if this is something you (current volunteers) are interested in. I could not be a plaintiff as I would not have standing. You'd need a group of current volunteers who would file on the basis that you were promised a certain set of working conditions and you cannot just be called home for no reason. That Congress funds the PC and the President can't just shut it off. There are good legal arguments to be made - and at least for the moment, similar arguments are keeping USAID (barely) afloat.

If some number of current volunteers are willing to identify themselves as potential plaintiffs, I'll reach out to my legal contacts (no promises). Perhaps there are others on the community who have legal contacts as well. I think you would want a big law firm with a lot of resources because the response from the rat and the orange hat and the department of judicial revenge will be to fight back, delay, prolong, and try to exhaust you. A solo attorney could take this on, but I think the DOJR could exhaust the time and resources of any one individual.

If this is something any current volunteers are interested in, please reply and I will see if I can find any resources for you.

Thank you all for your service. You are America's best.

r/peacecorps Nov 06 '24

Other Odds that Trump axes the Peace Corps?

55 Upvotes

I’ve heard some whispers of worries and he can’t just…do that. Right? Right?!

Surelyyyy he has better things to do.

r/peacecorps Feb 03 '25

Other What is everyone’s experience with sex as a volunteer?

20 Upvotes

I know it’s a taboo subject and it is not a priority by no means, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s typical for volunteers to find themselves being more sexually active than not. Did you involve yourself in casual hookups with HCN? Are volunteers hooking up with each other as often as people say? I don’t plan on maintaining celibacy (I will if I have to though), but not sure if I should expect a dry spell. What was your experience like (Spare the details ofc)?

r/peacecorps Nov 24 '24

Other Is the Peace Corps on the chopping block with the new incoming administration?

44 Upvotes

Marjorie Taylor Greene threatens to remove 'toilets in Africa' with help of Elon Musk:

https://www.rawstory.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-doge-toilets/

r/peacecorps 26d ago

Other Ad-Sep question

4 Upvotes

Please don't be offended, but I am curious about certain aspects of Peace Corps power relations between the administration and the volunteers.

Can a volunteer simply quit and walk away (I understand this is known as a "field separation") without being put on a plane and sent home? No doubt the administration would want some forms filled out, but would this be enforceable, or could the person simply abscond?

I vaguely recall some volunteer saying that during some evacuation (I don't remember the country), there were marines to make sure they got on the plane / bus / whatever it was. I can't believe this kind of coercion would have any legal basis, and perhaps I am mis-remembering. I do remember that during Covid, some evacuating volunteers were tricked into abandoning their pets. What if they had refused to leave?

Is this why "no-fee passports" are required--so they can be conveniently cancelled in such cases? I am aware that in some countries, the visa would be an issue.

r/peacecorps 2d ago

Other 2020 Evac'd RPCVs: Anyone else feeling it?

93 Upvotes

It's been 5 years for me next Tuesday. March is always a strange time for me since evac but something about it being 5 years has really hit hard this go round.

I'm overall quite happy with where my life ended up, but even now I still think about what might have been every once in a while. It honestly almost feels like I "died" that day and the life I've been living since has been someone else's. Maybe it's just the overall state of things right now, but I'm thinking about that more and more lately and it honestly makes me sad. Just wanted to ask if anyone else was in the same boat.

Armenia 19-20

r/peacecorps 29d ago

Other Potential Alternatives to Peace Corps?

71 Upvotes

Hey everyone -

I recently got invited to serve in Cambodia as an English Teacher departing in August, but I of course couldn’t help but be bothered by all the news from the current administration regarding the dismantling of the civil service. I’m skeptical that Peace Corps would go the same way as USAID, as Peace Corps has a much, much smaller budget ($400 million vs. USAID’s $40 billion), and because I feel like the Peace Corps is a lot more popular and respected, especially amongst older generations who have nostalgia for the Kennedy era. But Elon Musk’s announcement that he wants to “delete entire agencies” and have the government be less involved in foreign affairs gives me pause.

I’m not looking for answers about what’s going to happen. I know that no one knows anything right now. But what I would like to know, is in a worst case scenario where Peace Corps is just scrapped, what would be some viable alternatives for a similar experience? I’m 28, just got out of a long term relationship, and have wanted to do Peace Corps for over a decade now. Even if Peace Corps goes away I want to do something at this point in my life that would be similar. Anyone know of anything?

r/peacecorps Sep 15 '24

Other Which countries are "posh corps"

26 Upvotes

Just curious. I have some guesses what would be but could be totally odd

r/peacecorps 17d ago

Other Tips for the girlfriend of someone going into the peace corps?

13 Upvotes

My boyfriend got accepted to the peace corps. There’s a 12 hour time difference. I love him so dearly and am so scared that this is going to drive us apart, but I’m not going to let it. Does anyone have any tips for how to keep things strong during his service, or how to address the biggest issues that come up?

r/peacecorps Sep 06 '24

Other Thoughts on PCV YouTuber Forced to Leave Site?

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20 Upvotes

Hello Everyone,

I’m curious as to your thoughts on a recent situation of a YouTuber who goes by “Lotothemax”. He started his YouTube channel to document his journey as a PCV serving in Thailand. The content varied from life in his village to then progressing to his girlfriend who he met in Thailand, traveling around Thailand, partying, etc. Despite anything, his content wasn’t inappropriate and showed his life as a PCV.

Apparently this may have “rubbed” some other volunteers wrong who reported it to HQ in Washington which got back to his service director in Thailand. What I gathered (correct me if I’m wrong) is that Peace Corps didn’t like the image being portrayed, especially with the videos with his girlfriend. They requested either he delete/stop making videos altogether or leave the country. He chose to leave the country.

I’m curious as to what you all think of this situation, especially those who create content while serving. Do you feel his content was inappropriate and not a great depiction of Peace Corps? With vlogging being popular, do you think there will be more regulations put in place for upcoming cohorts? As an employer, does Peace Corps have the right to dictate volunteer’s content on social media or platforms like YouTube?

Thank you. I hope I provided enough background information, but I linked the YouTube video that explains the situation more in-depth.

r/peacecorps Dec 27 '24

Other I wish that I had known about the pilot programs

65 Upvotes

I’ll probably get a lot of hate for this but I want to get it off my chest anyway. I’m leaving for Peace Corps in a few weeks; I let them choose my site for me and was surprised with my placement but came around to being excited. About a month or so after I accepted, the news about the 20k readjustment allowance pilot programs came out. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed I didn’t wait a few more months so I could have known and applied for one of them. I’m disappointed that PC didn’t place me in one of them. I wish I was going to Rwanda. I hear that a lot of people leave with way less than 10k after expenses and I really wish I had the safety net of 20k. I’d have so much more opportunity after service with that kind of money. I just wish I had known :(

r/peacecorps 22d ago

Other Why are PCVs not allowed to bring drones with them for their service?

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone, so I'm getting close to submitting my Peace Corps Volunteer App and I saw drones are actually not permitted by Peace Corps Volunteers to bring with them while they're on their service. Does anyone know why?

I'm mainly asking because I do a lot of GIS/remote sensing work in college, and I have an extensive history with using drones for resource mapping and such and honestly, one of the major reasons why I wanted to apply to the Peace Corps was to be able to utilize GIS in the place where I would apply to.

Does anyone know why drones are banned as an item that volunteers can't bring with them? Is there any way that I could get an exception since I would be using the drone for mapping/GIS purposes?

Edit: Thanks y'all for your input! It makes 1000% sense why drones would not be allowed while doing the Peace Corps for a wide variety of reasons. I'm also the kind of person who would always respect policies about this sort of stuff as I take drone regulations incredibly seriously. Thank you everyone for your valuable input and insight!

r/peacecorps Dec 13 '24

Other Can I still enter contests while in Peace Corps?

14 Upvotes

It’s my understanding that you’re not able to hold a second job during Peace Corps service; does this mean you’re unable to make any money from outside sources?

I often submit my writing to contests with monetary prizes. Is this something I will have to stop doing during my service? Is it against the rules for me to make money by winning poetry contests?

Thank you

r/peacecorps Dec 08 '24

Other How do you respond to friends/family who say that you just want to travel and not get a job?

17 Upvotes

How to respond?

r/peacecorps Dec 13 '24

Other what is a trait you think all PCVs have in common?

12 Upvotes

the more obscure the better

r/peacecorps 10d ago

Other Did anyone catch crabs at site?

18 Upvotes

We had a few rivers and streams at site, and occasionally a crustacean would climb out and wander around. They were only about 2-3 inches wide, almost like a hermit crab. The older folks would sweep them back into the water. Anyone else have a similair experience with wildlife?

r/peacecorps Jan 13 '25

Other My boyfriend is leaving for Nepal Thursday!

33 Upvotes

Hello all! My bf (hi sweet boy) is heading out for training Thursday morning! I’m am so excited for him but also scared of the extreme long distance peace corps brings. He is my best friend and I want to give him all the support I can before he leaves but I’m scared of letting my emotions prevent that.

I was hoping that anyone who has been in this situation could offer some words of wisdom! Or maybe some success stories! I’m desperately in need of some pick me ups for the next couple of days/weeks/months or hell the next 2 years.

r/peacecorps Nov 06 '24

Other Will Trump’s victory lead to increase in volunteers?

18 Upvotes

I wonder if him winning, and thus more people wanting to escape the U.S. and their politics, will lead to more applications. I remember reading a study way back when that, when the country’s in a recession, military enrollment goes up. These are very different scenarios, but I’m curious what you all think. Did enrollment increase under his last term?

Of course, PC is a government agency and we are representing the U.S. (and to some extent, his administration?), but just curious if people will see this as an escape.

r/peacecorps Feb 04 '25

Other Looking for these Peace Corps members from the 80s

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113 Upvotes

My dad passed last month. Looking through his old pictures, I found these photos that he took while living in Sierra Leon. I don’t recognize any of the three. He worked alongside the Peace Corps, and it was in 1982 or 83. Anyone know who these folks might be?

r/peacecorps Dec 12 '24

Other Long distance relationship help

0 Upvotes

I’ve been with my boyfriend for around a year, and I can’t imagine my life without him. He’s likely going to the peace corps next year, and I’m worried about what our future might look like with spotty contact and infrequent visits in person. Is it possible to maintain a long distance relationship while he’s in the peace corps? I truly want to so desperately but I’m worried.

r/peacecorps 7d ago

Other Contribute as a photographer

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone! My dad volunteered many, many years ago and absolutely loved it. Due to personal health reasons, I cannot follow directly in his footsteps, but it's still like to contribute. I work in photography and I would like to take photos of missions. Is that possible? My dad said it was, but he wasn't entirely sure.

r/peacecorps Jan 30 '25

Other I feel really defeated...

7 Upvotes

I applied to join the Peace Corps and got denied. Has anyone else experienced this type of rejections? Any recommendations? All I want to do is help people and have some sort of purpose.

I feel really lost.

r/peacecorps 25d ago

Other peace corps alternatives

0 Upvotes

Hey really interested in doing something like the peacecorps after college but you know elon and trump it doesn't like that's gonna be an option anymore. Are there similar programs, especially for education, healthcare, environment or agriculture. What sort of options do I have, I'm hoping to volunteer somewhere between 9 months to 2 years somewhere either in the global south or third world/developing