National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is a North American nonprofit organization supporting the Peace Corps Agency community. Founded in 1979, the NPCA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States[1]
The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) maintains a database comprising around 150,000 records of volunteers,[2] including figures such as the Peace Corps' founder, John F. Kennedy, and individuals from host countries.[3] The NPCA has historically provided advisory support to Peace Corps volunteers. Its stated objectives include fostering a commitment to the global ideals of the Peace Corps community and advocating for the enhancement and expansion of the U.S. Peace Corps initiative. [4]
According to the Peace Corps mission statement, those ideals entail promoting "world peace and friendship by fulfilling three goals:
- To help the countries interested in meeting their need for trained people.
- To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
- To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans."[5]
In the mid-1970s, at conferences of global educators in the Midwest, a group of returned Peace Corps volunteers began meeting to discuss their service experiences. They adopted a Peace Corps goal articulated by President John F. Kennedy in 1961: "Come home and teach your neighbors about the communities where you served." Their aim was to offer returning Peace Corps Volunteers in America a continuing mission and communal identity as Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs).[6][7]
In 1979, this group joined with RPCV community leaders in New York and Washington, D.C., to form the National Council of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, which was incorporated in 1981. In 1993, the organization’s name was changed to the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA).
In response to the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, NPCA created the Emergency Response Network (ERN) of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers willing to respond to a crisis. Peace Corps Director Mark Gearan modeled the Crisis Corps (later renamed Peace Corps Response) after this program.
In coordination with the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Washington, D.C., NPCA organized 200 RPCVs to march in President Barack Obama's Inaugural Parade[8] on January 20, 2009. That same year, the NPCA launched Peace Corps Connect, an online social networking platform to help current and returned Peace Corps Volunteers interact and share ideas about projects, events, careers, and advocacy issues.
In 2002, the NPCA was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, along with the Peace Corps.[9]
NPCA has encouraged and recognized the service of members of the Peace Corps community by awarding over 20 Sargent Shriver Awards for Distinguished Humanitarian Service.[13]
Peace Corps Connect is the annual conference of the Peace Corps community.
Africa Rural Connect (ARC) is an online collaboration tool aiming to address some of the challenges in rural African communities. This project introduces and encourages collaboration to identify creative, new plans to deal with the fundamental problems of agricultural development and rural poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. The ARC project is supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of its Agricultural Development initiative to provide millions of smallholder farmers in the developing world with tools and opportunities to boost their yields, increase their incomes, and build better lives for themselves and their families.[14]
The RPCV Mentoring Program assists returning Peace Corps Volunteers with their transition from service. The program connects recently returned Peace Corps Volunteers with RPCV mentors one year after their service ends. Mentors provide advice, key networking contacts, share experiences and adjustment issues, offer guidance on further education, review resumes, assist with career planning, and promote resources available to RPCVs to help them transition from serving abroad to serving at home.[15]
NPCA publishes Worldview magazine four times a year. The magazine shares the Peace Corps' perspective on global issues through articles authored by and about Peace Corps Volunteers, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and people who "share the global values of the Peace Corps experience".[16]
NPCA also produces email newsletters including the monthly NPCA News; GlobalEdNews on global issues; and NPCA Advocacy on action alerts and news on legislation impacting the Peace Corps community.
Since the year before its founding, the NPCA has planned annual events. These events include large conferences, celebrations for major Peace Corps anniversaries, and general meetings to satisfy bylaws requirements.
June 4–6, 2015: Berkeley, CA (University of California-Berkeley)
Sept. 21–25, 2016: Washington, DC (George Washington University) 55th Anniversary of Peace Corps
August 4–6, 2017: Denver, CO (University of Denver)
August 23–25, 2018: Shawnee on Delaware, PA (Resort)
June 20–22, 2019: Austin, TX (University of Texas-Austin)
Sept. 26, 2020: "Peace Corps Connect to the Future" (Virtual Conference)
Sept. 23–25, 2021: Washington, DC (Virtual Conference)
60th Anniversary of Peace Corps
Sept. 24, 2022: Washington, DC (Virtual Conference)
Sept. 8–9, 2023: Washington, DC (Virtual Conference)
Starting in 1990, affiliated group leaders held the NPCA Presidents' Forum in conjunction with each annual meeting at Kent State University. In 2005, these meetings were renamed the "Group Leaders' Forum."
The network includes over 180 affiliate groups. Affiliate groups may be geographic (e.g., Chicago Area Peace Corps Association); based on the country of Peace Corps service (e.g., Friends of Guatemala); associated with workplaces (e.g., RPCVs at USAID); driven by social action (e.g., Peace Corps Community for Refugees); or defined by affinity (e.g., the Peace Corps Oral History Project). Groups advocate in line with the stated goals of the organization.
Organized by region or city, listed alphabetically (by U.S. state):
A: Anchorage AK, Fairbanks AK, Birmingham AL, Phoenix AZ, Tucson AZ
B: Boston MA
C: Los Angeles CA, Northern CA, Orange County CA, Sacramento CA, San Diego CA, Santa Barbara CA, Inland Southern CA, Ventura County CA, Denver CO, Connecticut
D: Delaware, District of Columbia
F: First Coast FL, North FL, South FL
G: Atlanta GA
H: Honolulu HI
I: Idaho, Chicago IL, Northeastern IL, Central Indiana, Iowa
K: Kansas City Area, South KS, Kentucky – Statewide, KY/IN-Kentuckiana
L: Louisiana
M: Maryland, Boston MA, Central MO, Kansas City MO, Southeastern MI, West MI, Minnesota, Saint Louis MO, Big Sky MT, Western MT
N: Nebraska, New Jersey, Southern Nevada, New Mexico, Charlotte NC, North Carolina, Western NC, Wilmington NC, Winston-Salem NC, Long Island NY, New York NY, Northeast NY, Rochester NY, Western NY
O: Athens OH, Central OH, Cincinnati OH, Northern OH, Southwestern OH, Oklahoma, Eugene OR, Portland OR
P: Bethlehem PA, Philadelphia PA
R: Rhode Island
T: Austin TX, Dallas/Fort Worth TX, Houston TX, San Antonio TX
V: Vermont, Hampton Roads VA
W: Inland Northwest (ID/WA), Seattle WA, Madison WI, Milwaukee WI
