In early July, the Peace Corps and Teach for America, two organizations known for their commitment to helping underprivileged areas within and outside the country, came together in what seems like almost a natural partnership.
“I’m excited about it,” said David Leazitt, Peace Corps director of public affairs Southeastern region, about the collaboration. “They’re two organizations that I think many students are aware of. So when you combine two organizations with such high levels of recognition, then, to me, the synergy that comes out of that is very powerful.”
The partnership has been in the works for at least six to nine months, and according to the Peace Corps Press Office, Teach for America is the fifth AmeriCorps organization to partner with the Peace Corps this year.
Under the new arrangement, each group will encourage its alumni to join the other group.
According to Leazitt, one way the Peace Corps will do this is by publicizing the initiative to Teach for America alumni twice per year in electronic format.
Additionally, both the Peace Corps and Teach for America will hold events where the organizations will have the opportunity to speak to their alumni about the effort.
Although these methods will provide easy access to information for the groups’ alumni, former members will not be given special treatment when it comes to the application and selection processes for either organization.
“Peace Corps has its own application process, and whether you have two years of Teach for America experience or 30 hours working with a homeless shelter in Tallahassee, you still have to go through our process,” said Leazitt. “Alumni for Teach for America are not going to get special consideration.
“They will be considered with the same kind of evaluation as we would give anyone else.”
Although there are currently thousands of new openings available around the globe in the Peace Corps’ 77 host countries, Leazitt maintains that the partnership was not created out of need for volunteers, as he reports they receive 150,000 applications every year and place about 3,900 people in service areas.
Instead, its focus is placing people who have the qualifications to serve.
Angie Brice, Teach for America recruitment director for Florida, said the similarity between the groups is one of the components behind the collaboration.
“I think the partnership stems from the fact that both organizations have similar missions in the terms that the Peace Corps is seeking to alleviate inequity and poverty globally, and Teach for America is seeking to eradicate the achievement gap in the country,” said Brice.
While serving outside the States is different from serving within, Brice said the experiences of Teach for America alumni will better prepare them for international service.
“I think having done Teach for America, Corps members can certainly take their […] skills and their perspectives and even broaden that and take it on a global scale,” said Brice. “The skills that you gain can in turn help you to be much more effective when you go outside of the county.”
It is reported that there were 27 Florida State University graduates accepted into the Teach for America program this past year, and over 40 former students are now serving in the Peace Corps today.
Students interested in joining either program are encouraged to apply early in their senior year, as the application for both are lengthy procedures.
While Ricardo Horna, FSU junior and Teach for America campus campaign coordinator, is not yet sure he will join the Peace Corps in the near future, he doesn’t rule it out as a long-term possibility. He does, however, plan to apply for a teaching position with Teach for America in the upcoming year.
“I think the reason that I was drawn so much to Teach for America [is] because it’s interesting to see how a lot of Americans don’t have access to fair and just resources when it comes to school and learning,” said Horna. “So I feel like if I can start here and gain more knowledge and experience, then I can use that to possibly make a better impact overseas.”
To become a Teach for America member, one must first complete a five-week training institute and agree to teach in one of the organization’s 39 designated regions. Like the Peace Corps, placement region/host country depends on demand, but member preferences and skill sets are considered. Similarly, both programs require extended two-year commitments.
“I feel like being able to bring groups together in order to kind of share the resources and understand different styles is good,” said Horna. “You can bring leaders together that have different perspectives and possibly different goals on a smaller scale, but at the end of the day they’re still trying to better society and better humanity.”
Recruitment for Teach for America and the Peace Corps at Florida State University begins in August and September.
For information on the Peace Corps, visit www.peacecorps.gov. Additional information for Teach for America can be found at www.teachforamerica.org.