Is there a need for Peace Corps in today's world of technology? While there a several sectors in Peace Corps the two major ones comprising well over 50% of all volunteers are health and education. In the age of Khan academy and e-health technology is sending young Americans to these countries worth it? In this era where colleges are going online, our meetings are often involving telecommunication and with so much of our days spent interacting, not with each other, but with our virtual selves, can it be said that there is no longer a need for the government to send Peace Corps Volunteers to other countries to help? Would it not be more effective to provide good telecommunication options and have skilled and well trained professionals give the instruction needed?
I don't really have an answer but I have come up with some pro's and con's for this argument.
Full disclosure: I am probably writing this blog because this morning I was hit by a motorbike on my way to work. Luckily I saw him coming and anticipated it so while he messed up my bike, I'm only a bruised butt worse for wear. But it put me in a foul mood for the rest of the day. Soooo. Probably shouldn't be writing this blog today but sometimes it's cathartic to write down your thoughts. Whether this ever gets published is another thing. If it does though, take it with a grain of salt;)
Okay so I am going to pose this as Pro's for eliminating the Peace Corps and con's as reasons against it. There's probably been some study that looks at how you frame a question and label pro and cons- I bet it skews the results to some degree. Anyway, here goes:
Pro:
Safety Concerns: Peace Corps volunteers go to parts of the world where crime, poor infrastructure and political turmoil can, and often does, lead to safety issues. Wouldn't it be better to have a person in DC tele-communicate with said countries and provide constructive ways to fix the problems?
Con:
Being a Global Citizen: As I mentioned before, it is easy to be a tourist but far harder to live in a land where we may otherwise exploit. To not know the countries and peoples of the world, how can we possibly develop empathy and better understanding of each other?
Pro:
Health Issues: In addition to motor vehicle accidents, crime, infectious diseases, wildlife attacks, a far higher(and more socially acceptable)level of alcohol consumption, pollution(in my case from trash burning nearly constantly) and above mentioned safety concerns, is the health risks our citizens face worth the arguably minimal effect we provide?
Con:
Accountability and Credibility: If we don't send volunteers into these countries and model good behavior and provide a constant and consistent presence, is there any chance of having these communities hold themselves accountable? And I'd imagine, telling someone what to do via Skype does not lend itself the same credibility as if you are in the Psych Ward with the patients as they are having a tantrum.
Pro:
Easy Transfer from Physical Presence to Electronic Presence: Very few Peace Corps positions require hands-on skills. Usually it is didactic in nature where the intent is to provide the community or organization with better skills to the implement their own programs. The key is sustainability and being able to continue once we have left. Is there really a difference if this instruction comes via in-person instruction or telecommunication?
Con:
A Physical Presence is Sometimes Needed: Some skills require a physical presence and to demonstrate and model behavior techniques before we expect others to then be able to implement them in a consistent and effective manner.
Pro:
Cost: Even though I am living off a meager living allowance, Peace Corps does also have to pay for my rent as well as get me to and fro from the country. And because of the Fly America Act, that can be prohibitively expensive. Wouldn't the money be better used to help create better infrastructure?
Con:
Less Opportunity for Positive Social Interactions: While we may not need to be there, if we don't go are we missing opportunities to make long-lasting friendships as well as promoting a better image of the US society? It's amazing how few people in Guyana realize that Queens is not ALL of New York, no less all of the US. I've shown some people a map of the US and where NYC is and then where Queens is and they are amazed to realize that there is quite a bit of the US they have never heard of.
[Probably due to the direct flights from Georgetown to NYC there is a huge portion of Guyanese immigrants who have settled in Queens, so when their relatives go to visit, that's pretty much the only place they go. It's amazing how many Yankee baseball caps are in Guyana. Although my original hypothesis for this is that every year the Yankees are over-confident that they are going to be successful and when they eventually flop they have many unsold caps which they then export to Guyana as a tax write-off;)]
Sorry for that long side-bar but I know that by the end of my time I will have some friendships that will probably last for a long-time and that I would otherwise not have been exposed.
Pro:
Telecommunication is More Far-Reaching: Just look at the number of people participating in Coursera or Khan Academy and they are exceeding the numbers of the world's biggest university. If we send a Peace Corps volunteer to a village to teach 25 children, we have taught 25 children. But if we can extend that reach with telecommunication to even 100 children, we've increased our reach by 4 times!
Con:
A Physical Presence, while not always needed, Is Sometimes More Effective: Having a real teacher or health educator that lives in your community may afford more credibility and compliance than if it's a person that you've only met on line.
Pro:
Peace Corps Is Not An Adventure: I think too often Peace Corps is viewed as an adventure and an opportunity for(and this is a broad based categorization, but yet has held up so far) young naive liberal arts college graduates to see the world and "give back". Well I can tell you that for the people who live in the country, it's not an adventure, it's a way of life. And a good number of volunteers that I've spoken with, once they get here, are disillusioned and disappointed with the little impact that they are actually able to elicit. And my real question is: is sending new grads to areas of extreme poverty and need the best way to serve these peoples' needs? Why not send more professionals?
Con:
Peace Corps Can Be An Adventure: While once you get here you may realize that the work is mundane and you are educating people on things that you presume EVERYONE knows, it is also a once-in a lifetime experience. And this is where I think the Peace Corps marketing staff is amazing. They really do an excellent job making it seem like this experience is life-changing. And it is. But you have to realize that what Nietzsche said was accurate. You're not getting an improved life by having no difficulties but by taking you to the brink of it and then allowing you to chose whether you want to live or not. And it seems that some of the challenges that Peace Corps presents may be contrived from the bureaucracy which is inevitable in any government run program. But others are the very things that are listed as Pro's for discontinuing Peace Corps. In addition, the people you meet and the places you go when you're at your site can certainly be an adventure. As is battling with your first 6 inch spider.
Pro:
Who Cares if You Teach a Man to Fish, if There is No Water? I think the biggest problem is that we are putting the horse before the cart). Is it really a good idea to educate people when there is no work available for them to pursue? Educate them on healthy lifestyles when it means exercising on poorly lit or crime-ridden neighborhoods? Educating them on eating healthy when there is no potable water? The biggest pro here for discontinuing Peace Corps is that this money used(or arguably wasted) in sending volunteers to these countries is not inappropriate, just premature. We need to first help establish better infrastructure(namely, safe and well-lit roads, clean water sources, better trash removal, etc) before we try to promote intellectual and personal growth. Otherwise what will happen is that the well-educated and -off will just leave the country for higher paying jobs elsewhere.
Con:
The Actual People: No matter how many or few people you are working with, you are at least, conceivably making a difference in those people's lives. While I hold no notions that anything I have done(ranging from starting a community garden, yoga and walking programs as well as other projects just in their infancy) will continue when I am gone, I do know that in this time that I am here, I will have made difference in these people's lives. And that is why, despite all the negatives, I plan to stay and fulfill my goals and project.We will see if my determination lasts.
And as I was spell-checking the blog before posting, I realized that I become more loquacious as I went. Sorry for that. Lots of words and no pictures. So, here's a picture.
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| That's the kinda day I have been having. haha! |
Until next time,
Danny
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