Peace Corps Preparatory Program
The University of North Georgia, in cooperation with the , has established a Peace Corps Preparatory Program (PCPP) that is open to all students which will help you acquire the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to serve in the Peace Corps.
While completing the requirements of the program does not guarantee admission into the Peace Corps, it does prepare students for service in the organization.
Somewhere in the world is a place where you can make a difference in someone else's life. Use your knowledge and expertise to help make lives better and share
in the lives of people in a world apart from your own.
How? Serve in the U.S. Peace Corps.
Application Process
You are encouraged to apply during your sophomore year as there may be prerequisite courses that need to be completed prior to taking the required courses. An early application will help you to better prepare for completing the requirements successfully.
You can plan accordingly using the information below to help fill out your application form and fulfill the requirements of the Peace Corps Preparatory Program. Contact Laurel Wei if you have any questions or need assistance.
Program Structure
The program prepares you for international development fieldwork and potential Peace Corps service by helping you build four core competencies through coursework, hands-on experience, and professional development support.
These four competencies are the following:
Leveraging concrete knowledge and skills is central to on-the-ground international development work. Through the PCPP you will begin to build a professional specialty, which should serve your career well whether or not you become a Peace Corps Volunteer.
The Peace Corps Volunteers serve within . PCPP requires at least three courses that align within a sector. The courses can but do not need to come from your academic major or minor. You also must accumulate a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer or work experience in that same sector, preferably in a teaching or outreach capacity.
See the suggested courses for each sector below.
Work Sectors
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Teach lessons that last a lifetime. Education is the Peace Corp’s largest program area. Volunteers play an important role in creating links among schools, parents, and communities by working in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools as math, science, conversational English, and resource teachers or early grade reading and literacy teacher trainers. Volunteers also develop libraries and technology resource centers.
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Serve on the front lines of global health. Health Volunteers work within their communities to promote important topics such as nutrition, maternal and child health, basic hygiene, and water sanitation. Volunteers also work in HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs to train youth as peer educators, develop appropriate education strategies, provide support to orphans, and create programs that provide emotional and financial support to families and communities affected by the disease.
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Help forge a global movement to protect our planet. Volunteers lead grassroots efforts in their communities to protect the environment and strengthen understanding of environmental issues. They teach environmental awareness in elementary and secondary schools and to youth groups and community organizations, empowering communities to make their own decisions about how to protect and conserve the local environment. Volunteers also address environmental degradation by promoting sustainable use of natural resources.
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Lead grassroots efforts to fight hunger in a changing world. Agricultural Volunteers work with small-scale farmers and families to increase food security and production and adapt to climate change while promoting environmental conservation practices. They introduce farmers to techniques that prevent soil erosion, reduce the use of harmful pesticides, and replenish the soil. They work alongside farmers on integrated projects that often combine vegetable gardening, livestock management, agroforestry, and nutrition education.
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Empower the next generation of change makers. Volunteers work with youth in communities on projects that promote engagement and active citizenship, including gender awareness, employability, health and HIV/AIDS education, environmental awareness, sporting programs, and info technology.
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Harness 21st-century tools to help communities lift themselves. Volunteers work with development banks, non governmental organizations, and municipalities to strengthen infrastructure and encourage economic opportunities in communities. They frequently teach in classroom settings and work with entrepreneurs and business owners to develop and market their products. Some Volunteers also teach basic computer skills and help communities take advantage of technologies such as e-commerce, distance learning, and more.
Working across cultures often entails verbal and nonverbal languages distinct from your own. Building foreign language skills is thus a second key component of the PCPP curriculum.
PCPP minimum language course requirements align with those needed by applicants to the Peace Corps itself, which vary by linguistic region.
Engaging thoughtfully and fluidly across cultures begins with one’s own self-awareness. With this learning objective, you will deepen your cultural agility through a mix of three introspective courses in which you learn about others while reflecting upon your own self in relation to others. The goal is for you to build your capacity to shift perspective and behavior around relevant cultural differences.
You must take at least one of these courses.
You can choose two more from the Core Courses above or two other courses from the electives list to complete your intercultural competence requirement.
Peace Corps service and similar international development work opportunities are highly professional and selective. PCPP requires three specific activities that will strengthen your candidacy for the Peace Corps (or any other professional endeavor):
- Have your resume critiqued by someone in Career Services.
- Attend a workshop or class on interview skills at Career Services.
- Develop at least one significant leadership experience and be prepared to discuss it thoughtfully. For example, organizing a campus event, leading a work or volunteer project, or serving on the executive board of a student organization.
Peace Corps Resources
Images courtesy of the Peace Corps Media Library