El Clima Story 2: Peer Support Network

411, Not 911: PSN reinvents itself by Lauren Wagner

Who: The Peer Support Network (PSN). We are a group of Peace Corps Volunteers who are selected and trained to provide support to our peers in concert and cooperation with the Peace Corps staff. Oh, and we are your friends, too.

What: The new PSN crew just got sworn in (passing of the torch and all) in February and we are excited about what 2013 has in store. In the past, PSN was sometimes interpreted as a last resort, panic moment type of thing. Although PSN members are trained in dealing with crises and stressful situations, we want to make sure that people know we are more than that. We are good listeners who have probably been through many similar scenarios. Give us a call before things get bad. …

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Stories from El Clima 1: Volunteer of the Quarter

Who the VOQ? By Sarah Reichle (107)

            VOQ (Volunteer of the Quarter) is a VAC initiative to help us all get to know our fellow PCVs a bit better and to commend the great work that volunteers are doing in their communities. Know about a PCV working on a successful project, one who is really integrated in their site, or someone who is just being a superstar volunteer in general? Let us know: e-mail VAC at EcuadorVAC@gmail.com

Amanda Monroe (Mandy) is VAC’s Volunteer of the Quarter and is a Natural Resources Conservation volunteer from Ithaca, New York, representing Omnibus 105. Why did Mandy join Peace Corps? Everything about it, she says, but her experiences at Warren Wilson College located in the Swannanoa Valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina probably had something to do with it. Warren Wilson is different than your typical university experience in that the school is committed to emphasizing environmentalism and localism. “You complete all your credit hours like any other accredited university, but you are also required to complete 100 hours of community service (off campus) and work on campus for 15 hours a week. Students run the place, really. The work assignments vary from janitorial duties to cafeteria workers to gardeners, landscapers, ranchers, accounting wizards, plumbers, locksmiths, auto mechanics, journalists, and artists.”

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PCV Stories from El Clima

We have a great working relationship with Peace Corps Ecuador, and this month we are glad to feature three stories from volunteers in the field, from the volunteer newsletter El Clima. The stories include:

  • Volunteer of the Quarter: Amanda Monroe by Sarah Reichle – this article describes Amanda’s work as a Natural Resources Volunteer in Las Tunas, Manabí.
  • Peer Support Network reinvents itself by Lauren Wagner – this article describes the network, how it works and who is part of it.

 

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Alto Coca Trip Report from Keteka

Last newsletter, we featured a story on the new conservation tourism spot Alto Coca, founded by friend of Friend of Ecuador Mark Thurber. We also featured a post from a new adventure tourism website called Keteka. Well, in the interim, we were able to hook Keteka up with Alto Coca for this stirring trip report. We’ve grabbed the story from Keteka’s website. Check out their page for some photos and video.

Last night, I saw an active volcano erupt and I’ve since nominated it Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Seen. I’ve been to 19 countries in the world and seen some pretty cool stuff along the way, so I don’t award that title lightly. Let me explain how I had the privilege to see this.

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Not to miss events in August: Peace Corps career conference and the Third Goal Summit

Peace Corps Career Conference: Aug 19-22 at PC headquarters in DC

Each Returned Volunteer Services career conference draws over 200 RPCVs from all around the U.S – make sure you’re one of them! At this four-day intensive conference, you’ll learn in-depth strategies to make yourself stand out from other job-seekers. We hope you’ll join us and take advantage of this opportunity to boost your job-searching skills while networking with other RPCVs and RPCV-friendly employers.

Registration now open!

 

Third Goal Summit: Aug 23-24 at PC headquarters in DC

Join Peace Corps for the first-ever Third Goal Mobilization Summit! This two-day interactive Summit will bring Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) together to exchange ideas and acquire new tools to help Americans better understand our countries of service.

Sign up today and help us elevate, redefine, and reinvigorate Peace Corps’ Third Goal.

 

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Life after the PC: Getting the balance right

If you happened to miss it going around social media this past week, the Daily Muse had a great article on Life after Peace Corps. The tips and points resonated with my own experience visiting home in Michigan two-thirds the way through service and then returning to the US after three years as a PCV in Ecuador. I’m sure the tone and topic rings true for many other RPCVs.

Give yourself some time to read through the full article for more thoughts on readjustment State-side. And then compare notes with the Peace Corps recommendations on the “transition home“.

Give Yourself Some Time, But Not Too Much

Basically, you need a little bit of time to relax, enjoy being home, and come to terms with the new world—but you don’t want to be sitting around feeling useless for months on end. The time needed is different for everyone, but I would recommend two to three months of resettling before jumping into anything big. The Peace Corps gives you enough cash to put money down for an apartment and get yourself back on your feet until you find a job or start school, so take advantage of that.

Carry Your Experience With You Everywhere

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how what you did in the Peace Corps transfers to the “real world.” But in reality, there are endless stories and attributes that not only should strengthen your self-worth, but are also valuable tools to use in interviews and on your resume—whether or not you enter a field that’s directly related to the work you did. Quantify what you can, but know there will be a lot that you can’t. So think about how it applies to what you want to do: your commitment, loyalty, determination, initiative, courage—I could go on and on.

 

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Controversy, Quantity, and Quinoa

You might have seen some news reports reflecting on a controversy about the beloved Andean quinoa, the superfood of the gods that is a wonder to vegetarians because it is a complete protein. The Huffington Post had a provocative and largely mistitled post “Is Fair Trade Quinoa A Real Thing, Or Has The Superfood’s Popularity Hurt Those Who Grow It?”

Actually, if you read the piece, it is pretty clear that rising prices may be tough for some quinoa consumers but is a boon to producers. But, the challenge may be that production cannot expand to keep pace with demand, which may be a mixed bag for growers, higher prices for the quinoa that is sold but some money on the table for unmet demand (though too much production might mean cheap prices for consumers and low incomes growers). It’s unclear what the ethical sweet spot is for fair trade quinoa but here is news from recent stories about the quinoa market and  …

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Peace Corps Worldwide: Call for Contributors

Marian Haley Beil (Ethiopia 1962-64) and John Coyne (Ethiopia 1962-64) in the late 1970s published a newsletter RPCV Writers & Readers that developed by early 2000s into the website:www.peacecorpsworldwide.org. They sent us this message with a request for submissions for Third Goal-related activities:

Today, this is an online community and resource for RPCVs, Peace Corps Volunteers, their friends and families, and all who share a desire for international understanding. Peace Corps Worldwide is not officially connected with the Peace Corps or the National Peace Corps Association.

As the publisher and editor of this site, we are continually impressed by the Third Goal activities of RPCVs back in their host countries, the projects that RPCVs have developed in-country over the last fifty-plus years, from school and community libraries to health initiatives, to peace keeping efforts, to scholarships for students, and many other such efforts on behalf of their former hosts and the lifelong friends that  they have made.

We would like to add our support to all these efforts by featuring the Third Goal work of RPCVs. If you would request that your RPCVs send us photos and narratives of their projects, we would be happy to publish them on our site. It is, we think, one way RPCVs can draw attention, and perhaps financial support, for their efforts. Thank you for considering this request and we hope you might publish our offer on your website or in your newsletter.

All narratives and requests for further information should be sent to: John Coyne at: jpcoyne@optonline.net

Thank you.

Marian Haley Beil, Publisher

John Coyne, Editor

www.peacecorpsworldwide.org

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Alto Coca Conservation Project

News of this project, located opposite an active volcano El Reventador, comes to us by way of Mark Thurber, an American living in Ecuador, friends of Friends of Ecuador, and an accomplished mountaineer who has written travel guides about climbing and hiking in Ecuador. They have a fantastic Facebook page of photos on the progress they are making in building a cabin and supporting conservation of this unique cloud forest. The project website describes the intent:

This project was originally conceived by two environmentalists living in Quito, Ecuador. Now, the Alto Coca Conservation Group is a dedicated community of persons interested in preserving, understanding, and sharing 1000 hectares of privately owned cloud forest located in the Eastern Andes of Ecuador. In 2013, the Alto Coca property received conservation status from the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment.

They posted an amazing photo of the active volcano in view from the cabin construction site.

The project website describes more about the vision of the group, its aims and progress:

Our Vision:

Protecting the ecological integrity of the Alto Coca Area for future generations

Our Mission:

Protecting Alto Coca from anthropogenic development

Improving our understanding of the biological and physical features of the area

Facilitating opportunities for interested persons to explore and appreciate the area

Values:

Sustainable Tourism

Sustainable Development

Here is a little bit more on the location:

The Alto Coca property is located in the Province of Napo, Ecuador and is flanked by Sumaco Galeras National Park to the East and the Cayambe Coca Ecological Reserve across the Rio Quijos to the West.

View Larger Map

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Keteka – Adventure Travel Guide

Hi,

My name is Jason Kreiselman, and I’m an RPCV from Omnibus 99.

I’m working with a few other RPCVs on an online, community-based adventure travel guide that leverages the Peace Corps network to promote underdeveloped communities as tourist destinations. The website is www.keteka.com if you want to check it out. It’s still in the development stages, but it’s slowly coming together. Right now, one of the Keteka founders is in Ecuador and he’s trying to connect with current PCVs to identify sites that could potentially benefit from responsible tourism or would otherwise like to help the effort in any way.

If you are a current PCV or know of any current PCVs living in an interesting community that has some tourism potential, could you get in touch with Jack at jack@keteka.com or on his local cell at 095-885-6172 (feel free to just ring and he’ll call you back so you don’t waste your saldo!). Also, if you are an RPCV with strong connections to a community that you think has tourism potential, please get in touch with Jack!

PLEASE feel free to forward this message along or post it in any other PC

Ecuador forum that you know of.

THANKS SO MUCH!!

Jason

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