Sean Kelly 11/10/13 International Development in Practice Essay 2 Amrica Solidaria Can Learn from the Peace Corps

John F. Kennedy described the role of volunteers at the earliest stages of the Peace Corps by stating, For every young American who participates in the Peace Corpswho works in a foreign landwill know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace" (Peacecorps.gov). President Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961 with a mission to promote world peace and friendship (Peace Corps Strategic Plan 4). This mission still holds true today over 50 years after its founding and the Peace Corps is revered as a positive force for development around the world. More recently an organization from Chile, Amrica Solidaria, has brought operations to the United States in an attempt to gather US volunteers who are inspired by the same tenets of the early Peace Corps: freedom, decency, and peace for all. Amrica Soldarias mission states, We build cooperation networks among the American nations to strengthen local projects with professional volunteers in order to improve the life quality of the poorest and most excluded people of the continent (Amrica Solidaria Application). In seeking to capitalize on US volunteers, Amrica Solidaria would be wise to look to the success of the Peace Corps. The two organizations build off of the same central values and seek to truly make the world a better place through international placement of committed volunteers. Amrica Solidaria already possesses the framework for success as an international development organization and implementing some Peace Corps practices to refine the outreach, application and interview processes will help the program to emerge as a worthwhile volunteer program in the United States.

Volunteer Outreach To gain a successful foothold in the United States, Amrica Solidaria must first consider how it reaches out to prospective volunteers. Amrica Solidaria is a relatively young organization at 10 years old, but they currently have a presence in 9 countries and over 300 volunteers from throughout South America and the Caribbean. The organization has a highly professional Spanish based website articulating all necessary information for prospective donors and volunteers. As Amrica Solidaria moves to incorporate US volunteers and seeks US supporters, an improved English version of the website will be necessary to garner credibility as an organization. The Peace Corps has a comprehensive website that is both modern and well organized and its template could be useful to any similar organization. When considering advertising and outreach, the greatest source of Peace Corps advertising comes from its alumni who come back transformed and who have had their biggest impact not on foreign villages, but on the American aid community (Kristof). The importance of vignettes about the success of Peace Corps projects cannot be understated, these are the inspiration both on the online platform of the website and through effective word of mouth advertising and presentations at all sorts of venues across the country. Past participants often speak at universities or career fairs (among many other locations) and can attest to the power of the Peace Corps. Although Amrica Solidarias alumni base is centered in Latin America, for the program to take off in the United States they need to tell their stories not just in Spanish, but in English as well. If possible, these successful participants need to remain involved with the organization and speak to interested audiences in the US. While this is initially difficult, the eventual return of US volunteers will allow this type of outreach to selfsustain, but the impetus must be behind recruiting these initial first classes of volunteers.

Application When concerning the volunteer applications of both the Peace Corps and Amrica Solidaria, the Peace Corps application appears far more formal. Both applications ask similar questions of background information, education, employment history, skills and interests. However, under the current format of the Amrica Solidaria application, applicants see an extremely long single page Google Form. This page does not save responses unless the application is submitted, creating additional steps for applicants. On the other hand the Peace Corps application involves password-protected accounts with several pages asking the same information but with the option to save progress. The Peace Corps data suggests an average of two weeks spent on the application by each prospective applicant (Peace Corps Application Procses). But, with the ease of saving applicants can sign on and spend 20 minutes of free time answering background detail questions versus a single extended time block when all questions must be answered on the Amrica Solidaria application. God forbid an applicants computer freezes before they press submit! The formality of the Peace Corps application also extends to documentation that it requests. Both organizations request information on an applicants educational history, but Amrica Solidaria simply asks for the name of the school attended, the degree, the applicants GPA and date of graduation. In a perfect world applicants would be forthright and honest in these responses, but when the Peace Corps requests transcripts from the applicant, the results cannot be questioned to the same degree. Moreover, both groups inquire about an applicants marital status and explain that in most cases they cannot pay for spouses or families to accompany during the time of service. However there is a great difference when the Peace

Corps requests a notarized letter from the spouse (Peace Corps Application Checklist) while Amrica Solidaria does not ask for anything other than Single, Engaged, or Married (Amrica Solidaria Application). The last document that the Peace Corps requests is an explanation of the status of an applicants current debt obligations ranging from student loans to mortgages. This can help the organization identify whether or not an applicant will be able to afford the financial sacrifice incurred with volunteer service. These requests can be incorporated into a revamped Amrica Solidaria application. Their current absence on the application is more than likely a result of recent move to the US and the US legal system, understandable given the recent move. Interview One of the last major stages of the application process for these organizations is the interview. There is certainly much to be gained from an interview and this stage allows the Peace Corps and Amrica Solidaria opportunities to meet and choose from the very best candidates. Amrica Solidaria has an extensive interviewing process, five stages to be exact, featuring initial, personal, skills/competencies, psychological, and technical interviews (Sebastin Villarreal). While this process may be successful in Latin American recruitment, it is unlikely to be as well received by US applicants and is time and resource exhaustive. The Peace Corps describes one single interview with a former Peace Corps volunteer that usually offered within two weeks of the application submission. Unfortunately with a single interview comes the possibility of intensive gaming of the process: there are a number of books and a lengthy Wikipedia page detailing how to ace a Peace Corps interview (Peacecorpswiki.org). Amrica Solidaria could likely approach the interview process with a consolidated 2-3 interview setup while still maintaining all of its current material and effectively cut down on the time spent interviewing while still gaining worthwhile insight into an applicant.

Conclusion Amrica Solidaria is seeking to utilize its current model as a direct translation from what has worked to make it a success in Latin America. The basis of this model is solid, but the execution can be refined in order to attract a wider audience from the United States. Amrica Solidaria can learn from the volunteer outreach and website, application, and interview processes of the Peace Corps, an organization that has been successful at attracting US volunteers for the last 52 years. With certain adjustments and patience with recruitment results during the initial years in the United States it is exciting to think about the success Amrica Solidaria could eventually see towards reaching the poorest of the poor anywhere in the Americas.

Works Cited "AMERICA SOLIDARIA U.S. Be the Change, Change His World, Change You." Fundacin Amrica Solidaria. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. "AMERICA SOLIDARIA U.S. Be the Change, Change His World, Change You." Fundacin Amrica SolidariaFundacin Amrica Solidaria. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. Kristof, Nicholas D. "Teach for the World Vs. Peace Corps." Nicholas D Kristof Teach for the World Vs Peace Corps Comments. NY Times, 12 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. "Peace Corps." The Application Process. Peacecorps.gov, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. "Peace Corps." Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Peace Corps Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2009-2014 Performance Plan Fiscal Years 2009-2011. Rep. Washington, DC: Peace Corps, 2009. Print. "Peace Corps Wiki." Peace Corps Wiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. Villarreal, Sebastian. "Information." Message to the author. 16 Oct. 2013. E-mail. "What Peace Corps Is Looking For in a Volunteer Applicant." Peace Corps. Peacecorps.gov, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.