Director of the Peace Corps Carrie Hessler-Radelet spoke in the ICC auditorium on Monday evening of Feb. 23 about the Corps’ vision for college graduates’ future service abroad.
Hessler-Radelet opened her speech by reiterating Georgetown’s close history to the Peace Corps. “One of the very first training courses for the Corps was held here in 1962,” she said. “Our founder Sergeant Triver received an honorary doctorate in 1963 from Georgetown.”
The Peace Corps uses student service in order to carry out its mission of having a hands-on approach to development in often inaccessible areas. “Peace Corps builds the capacity of host countries to address the issues of poverty, gender inequality, and lack of opportunity at… places where other development agencies and even sometimes governments have trouble reaching,” she said.
According to Hessler-Radelet, the program is working to broaden the network of countries it is able to help over the next few years. “We are looking to expand our outreach in Muslim communities. Other countries cross my mind for the future,” Hessler-Radelet said. “For example, we may have a Peace Corps program in Cuba. Four months ago I couldn’t have said that. Five years ago no one would have believed we would be in Myanmar/Burma, either, but we are now.”
Going forward, Hessler-Radelet explained that the Peace Corps will be taking enhanced security measures as a response to media coverage of recent incidents of assault. According to a report filed by the Peace Corps, in 2012, 130 volunteers reported incidents of sexual assault, nine of which were classified as major, and 88 volunteers reported incidents of sexual assault, eight of which were classified as major.
Hessler-Radelet admitted that community-immersion is the only form of security the Corps provides. She also noted, however, that the Corps has a rigorous process for evaluating which countries are safe enough to host volunteers. She also explained a new process in which volunteers are able to report assault anonymously and fill out surveys to help the Corps address unreported incidents.
Additionally, the Peace Corps condensed its application process last year and began allowing students to specify where they wanted to serve. As a result, the number of applications reached a twenty-two year high of 17,336. Hessler-Radelet added that despite the change, over half of the past year’s applicants still chose whichever countries were most in need of volunteers. The Peace Corps is on track to break its application count record again this year.
Hessler-Radelet’s concluded the presentation by stating that, “We have arrangements with many universities. We have our own formal fellowship program. … And we’ve love to have a fellowship program with Georgetown.” Increased accessibility to the program could help Georgetown’s already high rates of service careers. Four Georgetown students reported going into the Peace Corps last year, one in 2012 and two in 2011. This year, Georgetown ranks tenth among medium-sized colleges that send graduates to serve at the Peace Corps.
In response to the lecture, Rachel Pugh, director of media relations at Georgetown, reflected on Georgetown’s historical relations with the Peace Corps. She said, “Students and alumni share a deep commitment to making a difference in their communities and the world on local, national and global levels.”
