"Take it Global". That's the advice First Lady Michelle Obama gave the graduates of the George Washington University Class of 2010 when she gave the commencement address in May. She was suggesting that the graduates continue their community service and expand it to other areas of the world. This is a reflection of the ever increasing globalization with which the United States and all other nations are faced, due economic, environmental, cultural and other interdependence. More than any other generation before you, this is the world you will enter shortly. "...We are no longer isolated from what happens on the other side of the world....it’s in our best interest to look beyond our immediate self-interest, and look out for one another globally....so many of today’s challenges are borderless, from the economy to terrorism to climate change, and that solving those problems demands cooperation with others", Mrs. Obama said.
Clearly, her message applies to all of you, as well as the GW grads. Why should you consider service abroad? Michelle Obama gave several reasons in her speech. "When you serve others abroad, you’re serving our country, too. You’re showing the world the true face of America –- our generosity, our strength, the enduring power of our ideals, the infinite reservoir of our hope. And yes, serving abroad will make you stronger, more competitive, a more valuable asset for a career in the public or private sectors."
This blog post is designed to help you explore one avenue of global community service: the Peace Corps. First, click here to find out what the Peace Corps is. Next, discover where Peace Corps volunteers serve by clicking here. Then, to learn more about what types of things Peace Corps volunteers do, click here. Finally, click here to choose at least one location on the world map to explore in depth the activities of a Peace Corps volunteer. Just move your cursor over the various blue dots to see the different types of work the volunteers are doing, and click on one or more that interest you. Many of the stories have slide shows or videos or audio reports that accompany them and make them more interesting.
Having done all of the above, address at least 2 of the following prompts:
Do you agree with Michelle Obama that global community service makes a difference to U.S. relations with the rest of the world? Why or why not?
Based on the specific volunteer and location you learned about, how is this volunteer impacting the community he or she is serving? Provide specific examples from what you read, watched, etc.
Do you think you would be interested in global community service such as the Peace Corps? If so, where would you want to serve? What type of work would you like to do? Why is this type of service personally important to you?
7 comments:
I agree with Michelle Obama that global community service makes a difference in U.S. relations with other countries. Reaching out to others around the world helps the U.S. develop peaceful communications with areas difficult to negotiate with. It lets other countries see that the U.S. is compassionate and willing to compromise and help others. In times when countries are at war, or come across global differences, people remember who helped whom. Global community service makes it easier down the road to work with other countries, especially when it is us who is at a disadvantage.
The specific volunteer story I read was “The Last Drop”, a project in Jordan. Here Peace Corps Volunteer Susan Miller-Coulter works on a system of reusing water for everyday use. The aim of this project is to show the importance of waste water treatment and using reclaimed water for agriculture. The other aim is to involve the local community in using this reclaimed water and especially to involve women in this field. Susan has such an immense impact on the people of Jordan. By her volunteer work, she is able to bring these people one of the most vital resources that they do not always have. She is continually improving their lives by not having to worry when and if they will see water within the next week.
I agree with Michelle Obama to join services abroad, it helps the participants see and explore the rest of the world while spreading the generosity to help those in need.
I would definitely be interested in the Peace Corps. I would choose to be an environment volunteer. Practicing conservation in different parts of the world would be so awesome, like I'm doing something that is really helping the world! I would be most interested in helping with turtle tracking which studies protecting the sea turtle population, restoring the sealife depended on for food in the Filipinos, and also pushing positive recycling practices.
I agree with Michelle Obama, reaching out globally to other countries in need, will help strengthen our relationships with them. America could use some knowledge about other countries and by studying abroad we can develop that knowledge that could further help us in the long run. Also by showing them that we are willing to help and contribute to their needs will prove that we are not as selfish as they might think.
I would certaintly be interested in voluteering in the Peace Corps. I would probably voluteer in Southern Africa and work with HIV/AIDS awareness. This is important to me because it is a raging epidemic and by becoming involved in prevention and helping the awareness of HIV/AIDS I feel like I would be helping save lives.
I agree with Michelle Obama and her efforts to reach out to other countries around the world through volunteer services. It's great that she is taking the initiative to expand our cultural knowledge through peaceful and communicative actions. One service that I plan to take part of, while in Medical School is called Doctors without Boarders. this program allows doctors to provide free emdical care to towns and vilages in developing countries.
I've actually thoroughly considered joining the American Peace Corps for help in getting job experience (I am going to be studying International Relations or Politics with Economic and Social Development) and to help pay for my college-- which will be overseas. I have a phone interview with a Corps worker soon! From my earlier examination I know that volunteers are needed in Romania, particularly for the service of creating a more stable government, or finding a way to centralize the government. I had read things and watched videos, and it is often dangerous (very!) to get involved in the Peace Corps... especially if they want to stablize a government, because several people who grappled power aren't willing to give it up without a fight. Another service the Corps sometimes does is turning a village into an environmental centerpiece by doing something like building a well. A government body (a country) is no different from a person, how are you supposed to flourish if you turn into yourself? I wrote a paper on globalization for my English project last summer... this is one of the quotes I used from the former Minister of Education and Research, Øystein Djupedal is “globalization is an irreversible process. But it is by no means a one-track course where outcomes are already given – we can and must manage it well and try to maximize its potential.” (“Challenges and Opportunities of the Global Market”, Djupedal.)
Although I'm a bit more passionate than the average student about reaching out to the world around us, I think it's a bit irresponsible to not do so. Not acknowleding the needs of an international market could be catastrophic for large employers, that's just the beginning of why a government should be interested in relations to other countries. The American Department of State is constantly working to achieve these ends. I think we, as people, should all try do our parts to try and make the earth work more smoothly. There is never too much good to fight all the evils out there... man-made or otherwise. And it helps to have people take a liking to you when you- as a country- try to take something global, whether it be economic priorities or even environmental priorities, having other countries remembering how you aided them when it comes time to commitments and signatures sure is a good thing.
I also agree with Mrs. Obama, and believe it makes a huge difference in our relations with other countries, on a political and humane level. Undeveloped countries will see our selflessness, and desire to go across the world to help people we hardly understand. Not only would they appreciate the help in education, health, and environment, but they would benefit greatly from our help, maybe even returning the favor in the future.
I would be very interested in global community service, especially in Bolivia, where I sponsered a child for a year before he was removed from the program. My main focus would be to help young children get the education they deserve, tutor them in life skills, and help them become healthy contributors to their country, as well the rest of world.
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