Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
News from PAPCA for the fall
Citation preview
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ’10
PAGE 1
SOJOURNERSPhiladelphia Area Peace Corps
PAPCA and YOU
If you’re reading this you’re either an RPCV or someone who appreciates and respects the work of the Peace Corps. Maybe you were a volunteer yourself at one point in your life, or perhaps you have a friend or family member who is or was a Volunteer. Regardless of what your particular angle is towards the Peace Corps, PAPCA is certainly grateful for your continued membership and participation! Let’s get back to the basics and review what exactly PAPCA is and why it’s important for you and the Philadelphia area. PAPCA stands for Philadelphia Area Peace Corps Association and is an affiliate of the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA). The purpose of PAPCA is to carry out the “third goal” of the U.S. Peace Corps - that is, “to bring the world back home.” We do this by promoting educational, cultural, social and service activities for group members. PAPCA Board Members meet 3 or 4 times a year to plan, coordinate and organize these events for all members to participate. Board elections occur each year at PAPCA’s annual potluck dinner in December. PAPCA is the best local way to stay connected with fellow RPCVs and the Peace Corps community. In this issue, we will highlight what PAPCA has been involved with this past year along with our annual call for Board Nominations, calendar sales, monthly dinners, and much, much more!
WINTER POTLUCKDecember 11th, 2010
Spread warmth & cheer!
Join us Saturday, December 11th, for our annual potluck dinner in Cherry Hill, NJ. Please bring a sweet or savory dish to share. RSVP to Paula; she will give you the address of our hosts and help coordinate carpooling. This is always a warm and wonderful event to meet with other volunteers and their families or spouses and share a warm meal, conversation and good tidings for the new year ahead. Please join us and ring in the season together! Contact [email protected] or call 215-238-0395. Stay warm!
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ’10
PAGE 2
CALL FOR BOARD NOMINATIONS
Our bylaws indicate that it’s that time of year again - PAPCA Board of Directors and Officer elections! We’ll have elections at the December potluck - all PAPCA members can vote. If you’re interested in learning more about any of these positions or to nominate yourself or someone for the ballot, contact Paula Larson ([email protected] or 215-238-0395). Here’s a description of the positions: President: The person in this position has the general responsibility for the affairs of the group and preside at general meetings and sessions of the Board of Directors. Current president is Paula Larson (Thailand,‘83-’85). Vice President: This person assumes the duty of the President as-needed. The VP also
assists the President and the Board in planning, encouraging participation, and fundraising for our various events and activities. Current VP is Stuart Jablon (Jamaica, ‘83-’85). Secretary: Responsibilities of this position include attending all meetings of the Board, record votes and take minutes of all proceedings. Current Secretary is Lisa Gauslow (Poland, ‘94-’96). Treasury: The Treasurer needs to keep PAPCA’s accounts of receipts and disbursements, collect dues and distribute funds as required to meet PAPCA obligations. Current Treasurer is Sandy Voge (Nepal, ‘90-’92).
In addition to these four Board positions, PAPCA also has additional Board positions to help plan and carry out many of our events.
Service Coordinator: A number of PAPCA’s activites involve service events for PAPCA’s members to participate. Responsibilities of this position is to plan, coordinate, encourage participation in PAPCA’s yearly service activities. Current Service Coordinator is George O’Shea (Niger, ‘74-’76). Communications Coordinator: Responsibilities of this position is to maintain the website and PAPCA’s mailing list. Current Communications Coordinator is Jessica McAtamney (Guatemala, ‘97-’99).
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ’10
PAGE 3
Speakers Bureau Coordinator: PAPCA occasionally gets a request from a school or organization asking for anRPCV to speak to their group. The Speakers Bureau Coordinator servesas a liaison between PAPCA and the requesting group to help identifyand locate a potential speaker. Current Speakers Bureau Coordinator isNino DeProphetis (Fiji, ‘68-’70). Newsletter Editors: PAPCA publishes three newsletters a year to share with members the comings and goings of Peace Corps-related activities in the area. Newsletter editors compile, coordinate and create the newsletter for PAPCA members. Current Newsletter Editors are Alicia DeMarco (Hungary ‘95-’97) and Kimiko Doherty (Honduras, ‘03-’05).
CALL FOR BOARD NOMINATIONS (CONTINUED)
Members-at-Large: Members in this position attend Board meetings, help generate ideas for program and assist in making PAPCA effective and awesome. Current Members-at-Large are Ari Weiner (Moldova, ‘05-’07), Jane Behnke (Afghanistan, ‘70-’72) and Debbie Cesario (Uzbekistan, ‘00-’01).
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ’10
PAGE 4
PEACE CORPS HAD QUITE A BUSY YEAR! TAKE A LOOK AT HOW WE’VE BROUGHT THE WORLD BACK HOME THIS PAST YEAR IN PHILADELPHIA!
* MONTHLY DINNERS at 10 international restaurants. This past year we had an Uzbeki feast in the Far Northeast; mouthwatering Afghani dinner in Old City and a scrumptious Indian meal at one of the hottest restaurants to hit Philadelphia. Restaurants are selected based on connection with Peace Corps (past or current host countries), reputation (good food only), and price (we try to go to cheap-eats). The dinners are a great time to share delicious ethnic cuisine, converse and build camaraderie with RPCVs and friends-of-RPCVs.
* ANNUAL SPRING PEACE CORPS SEND-OFF for Philadelphia-area nominees. This is an annual event held in the spring that PAPCA co-hosts with the local recruiting office from New York City. This year, more than 70 people came to UPenn’s International House (I-House) to hear RPCV stories and
look at images of Volunteers in different host countries. This event is one of the best ways for applicants and nominees to meet RPCVs in the area and to get a sense of the immense variety that exists from site to site as well as
country to country.* ANNUAL SUMMER PICNIC is one of
PAPCA’s largest events during the year and this year’s picnic was no exception! More than 50 RPCVs, nominees, and family members came out to Lemon Hill Pavillion, to share meals, play volleyball, relay stories and do a little networking. It seems like every year there’s a threat of thunderstorms and every year the rain holds off - an afternoon of vibrance and community building continues to sustain our connections with one another.
* SERVICE EVENTS throughout the year - dog walking, LOVE Your Park Day and Philadelphia Cares Day. We recognize that PAPCA members are busy with families and careers, yet many of you would like an
occasional opportunity to “give back.” PAPCA does the planning so you and your family can participate in these service events. This year we tried greyhound walking at the National Greyhound Adoption Program in the Far Northeast and by all accounts is a surprisingly relaxing and fun activity. PAPCA members also help weed Lemon Hill for Fairmount Park’s annual LOVE Your Park Day in the spring. Most recently, PAPCA members helped the Village of Arts and Humanities clean, compost and weed an herb garden in North Philadelphia.
* Last but not least, PAPCA’s MEMBER NEWSLETTER is a way to share with you local Peace Corps-related events, activities,
photographs, host country information as well as local tidbits, and Board of Directors updates in our newsletter that we publish three tofour times a year. None of these activities or events would occur without you - the local Peace Community - and the dedication of our fellow RPCVs who serve as Board Members for PAPCA. Your membership dues and the annual calendar sales help us raise funds so we have enough supplies for the annual picnic and winter potluck, and to co-host the annual send-off. Paula Larson (PAPCA’s president) and Sandy Voge (PAPCA’s Treasurer) work with NPCA and the rest of the Board to make sure membership forms, fundraising, and activities are planned and well-executed for our all. Thanks for all you do, Paula and Sandy!
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ’10
PAGE 5
INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR 2011 Reach out and celebrate 50 YEARS of PEACE CORPS SERVICE!
The 2011 edition features the first 13 countries to host Peace Corps Volunteers. We hope the gallery-quality photos will inspire you to learn more about the world.
Created, produced, and marketed by volunteers, more than $900,000 in proceeds from calendar sales have been donated to educational and development projects at home and abroad. Get one at the November dinner or the December potluck event for $10 each!
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ’10
PAGE 6
2011 Second Saturday Restaurants*denotes a BYO
January 8th Tiffin* (Indian)712 West GirardRSVP to Jessica ([email protected])
February 12thAriana* (Afghan)134 Chestnut St.RSVP to Jane Behnke ([email protected])
March 12thMarrakesh (Morrocan)517 S. Leithgow St.RSVP to Ari Weiner ([email protected])
April 9th Tacqueria Veracruzana* (Mexican)908 Washington Ave.RSVP to George O’Shea ([email protected])
May 14thPattaya (Thailand)4006 Chestnut St.RSVP to Paula Larson ([email protected])
June 12th (Sunday)Annual Summer PAPCA PicnicLemon Hill
July 4th (parade) and 9thJamaican Jerk Hut* (Jamaican)1436 South St.RSVP to Stuart Jablon ([email protected])
August 13thTierra Colombiana (Colombian)4535 N. 5th St.RSVP to Kimiko Doherty ([email protected]
September 10thChaikhana* (Uzbekistani)12012 Bustleton Ave.RSVP to Lisa Gauslow([email protected])
October 8thKabobeesh (Pakistani)4201 Chestnut St.RSVP to Alicia DeMarco([email protected])
November 12thDahlak (Ethiopian)4708 Baltimore Ave.Sandy Voge ([email protected])
December 10thWinter Potluck - location TBD
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ’10
PAGE 7
UPDATES FOR PAPCA - WHAT HAVE WE BEEN UP TO LATELY? READ ALL ABOUT IT!
1. INTERESTED IN PUBLIC POLICY? The Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania is a Peace Corps Fellows participant and they value your public service - all RPCVs are eligible for scholarships at Fels. Fels will be hosting a Live Chat for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, AmeriCorps alumni, and Teach for America on Monday, December 6th at 8:00 p.m. EST. To sign up for this event, go to this website, http://www.fels.upenn.edu/news/thinking-about-applying-fels or contact the Admissions Coordinator Jaclyn Clevenger ([email protected]> or (215)746-6684).
2. PEACE CORPS IN THE NEWS! Kim Weaver (Ghana, '07-'09) gave us the heads up on a recent NPR piece about the 50th Anniversary of the Peace Corps - one of the interviewees was peer of Kim's in Ghana! The five minute interview talks about the of two RPCVs who served in Ghana - one RPCV from the 60's and another who returned a year ago. While listening to the interview, you can see timeless photos of Peace Corps Volunteers over of the decades. Here's the link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130550616 (or go to www.npr.org and search "fifty years of Peace Corps")
3. CALENDARS ARE HERE! In honor of the Peace Corps' 50th Anniversary, the 2011 calendar includes the first 13 Peace Corps host countries. Get your calendar at the November 13th dinner at Pastoral or at the December 11th winter potluck. These $10 calendars are popular so buy one soon....p.s. they make great gifts!
4. PAPCA & PHILADELPHIA CARES DAY! This year PAPCA members helped clear and weed an herb garden for the Village of Arts
and Humanities in North Philadelphia. It was a beautiful fall Saturday to spend getting our hands a little dirty!
After we worked in the herb garden, Liz Grimaldi, the Executive Director of the Village, gave us a brief tour and history of the Village. We we impressed with all the work they do and even talked about the possibility of PAPCA coming to the Village on a regular basis to help out.
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ’10
PAGE 8
PAPCA PREPARES FOR THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
PAPCA is starting to organize a delegation to march in Philadelphia's annual Welcome America Parade next July 4th. The executive director of the parade has been extremely supportive and looking forward to seeing a sea of international flags march down Chestnut and Market Street near Independence Hall. The annual parade is a celebration of what makes the United States - past and future - great; and what a fantastic opportunity for us to locally bring the world back home by carrying your host country's flag next summer and sharing with others our Peace Corps pride.
Stay tuned for more information - we'll send out details later this fall about flag carrying responsibilities and sponsorship opportunities. If you're ready to commit to marching in the parade with us next year, contact Kimiko Doherty at [email protected].
Highlight: 4th of July Parade March
We need YOUR PRESENCE!!
Info about the Village:The Village is a nonprofit community organization who works with youth and adults in programs involving the arts, education, construction, economic development, and leadership and community building (www.villagearts.org). For over 20 years, the Village has been a leader in multicultural and multidisciplinary community building. The Village runs various arts programs for teens, including dance, visual arts, video production and fashion. They also partner with the Spells Writing Center, who recently moved nearby the Village. Spells Writing Center offers creative writing workshops and tutoring. In addition to all the great programs, the Village maintains over 200 vacant lots. Many of the vacant lots have colorful art work and murals, and serve as performance or gathering space. Other Philadelphia Cares Day volunteers from Drexel University helped clean up, rake and weed other lots the Village maintains. The lots PAPCA helped weed was an overgrown herb garden that a group of teens maintained over the summer. El Sawyer, the Village Program Director, told us that herbs are sold to local entrepreneurs and restaurants - including a local chocolatier!
Service Event: October 2010Philadelphia Cares Day
Village of Arts & Humanities
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ’10
PAGE 9
Meet the PAPCA Board of Directors for 2010 - 2011
Paula LarsonPresidentThailand ‘83-’85Medical Technology
Stuart JablonVice PresidentJamaica ’83 - ’85Fishing Cooperative
Sandy VogeTreasurerNepal ’90-’92Nursing & Education
Lisa GauslowSecretaryPoland ’94-’96TEFL
George O’SheaServiceNiger ’74 - ‘76Agriculture
Nino DeProphetisSpeaker’s BureauFiji ’68 - ’70
Kimiko DohertyNewsletterHonduras ’03-’05Municipal Development
Alicia De Marco NewsletterHungary ‘95 - ‘97 TEFL
Debbie CesarioMember at LargeUzbekistan ‘00-’01TEFL
Jane BehnkeMember at LargeAfghanistan ‘70-’72TEFL
Ari WeinerMember at LargeMoldova ’05 -’07 Business & Agriculture
Jessica Mc AtamneyCommunicationGuatemala ’97 - ’99Agriculture
Philadelphia Cares Day, Village of Arts &
Humanities
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ‘10
The Voice of Innocence A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF HELP THE AFGHAN CHILDREN (HTAC) A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, 501-C-3, TAX ID: 54-1695838, ESTABLISHED IN 1993 Volume XIV Issue 3 September 2010 Peace Education is Working!
For several years, weʼve been telling our readers how HTACʼs peace education program is fundamentally changing the attitudes and behaviors of Afghan children for the better; that children are rejecting violence and embracing the principles of peaceful everyday living. Well, now we have the numbers to prove it. In the largest peace education study to date, via a grant from The United States Institute of Peace (USIP), 2,800 boys and girls at seven schools in Samangan Province are being observed and tracked to determine just how effective our peace education program is making a difference and (so far), the results have been nothing less than dramatic. A critical area we are tracking and measuring is the number of observable conflicts (fighting, harassment, and bullying) between students per month at the seven schools. Before the program began in mid‐May, trained observers recorded 1,540 conflicts in one month with 63.6% of them initiated by boys. By mid‐July the overall number had decreased to 739 (a 52% reduction) and the reduction among boys had decreased an amazing 58%. An equally important yardstick to evaluate our programʼs effectiveness is the number of potential conflicts resolved peacefully by students per month, using non‐violent conflict resolution techniques learned in the classroom. Prior to mid‐May, observers recorded only 23 cases of successful resolutions out of a total of 1,563 incidents (or 1.5%). Two months later, the number of peaceful resolutions rose to 610 out of 1,349 incidents, a 45.2% increase. A third performance area was determining how many students were consistently modeling six key positive behaviors they had learned in the program. These six behaviors are‐ asking for help when upset, listening respectfully to other points of view, saying ʻthank youʼ when being helped, actively seeking a solution to a problem without being prompted by a teacher or adult, resolving potential conflicts non‐violently, and doing positive things for others. In the beginning, of course, not one of the 2,800 students even knew what the six key behaviors were, let alone being able to understand why they were so important. Thanks to our skilled peace education teachers and a variety of well‐planned class activities, an amazing 1,556 out of 2,800 students (55.6%), are being observed applying these principles not only in the classroom, but in the school yards.
PAPCA supports literature that enriches and broadens our understanding of the world. Help the Afghan Children is an organization devoted to peace
education to children with incredible results. These
articles were sent by PAPCA Board Member and former Afghanistan volunteer Jane Behnke. Take a look at
some of these great articles.
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ‘10
A membership in the National Peace Corps Association entitles you to...(1) - membership with your local affiliate group (PAPCA-Philadelphia Area Peace Corps Association)(2) - a subscription to World View Magazine (3) - a subscription to the Peace Corps alumni newsletter 3/1/61(4) - discounts on travel and merchandise(5) - access to a number of members-only benefits such as NPCA's online directory. Your membership also supports legislative advocacy, global education, and more.
BY MAIL:
____ NPCA and PAPCA ($50.00) Make check out to NPCA.
Be sure to choose the Philadelphia Area Peace Corps Association as your affiliate group. Additional affiliate groups can be added on for $15.00 per group.
____ *PAPCA only membership ($15.00).
ONLINE:
peacecorpsconnect.org
Click “Support” in the green bar, then “Join/Renew Membership.” They have a form at the site which you can print and mail to them, or complete the form online and pay electronically.
TO JOIN OR RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP NPCA & PAPCA
MAIL TO:
SANDRA VOGE 1939 E Zabenko Drive, Wilmington, DE 19808. She will forward to NPCA as needed.
Make check out to PAPCA.
Please include: your address, phone number, email, country and years of service!
OR, for checks sent directly to NPCA:
National Peace Corps Association Group Affiliation
1900 L Street NW
Suite 404Washington DC 20036
PHILADELPHIA AREA PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION FALL/WINTER ‘10
Contributors
KIMIKO DOHERTY
ALICIA DE MARCO
We would both like to thank all Board Members and
surrounding RPCVs for their continued contributions and support! Think
Global, Act Local!
Calendar at a Glance ‘10-’11
November 13 - Second Saturday Supper
December 11 - Annual Potluck Dinner
January 8 - Second Saturday Supper
February 12 - Second Saturday Supper
March 12 - Second Saturday Supper
April 9 - Second Saturday Supper
Please check our website for
further details:www.phillyrpcv.com
Please join us for a monthly dinner or a day of service!
We hope to see you!
