Welcome to the Rhode Island Area Peace Corps Association!
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2020 May Newsletter
May Newsletter Fun Fact: Did you know there is no upper age limit to serving in the Peace Corps? To date, the oldest volunteer was an 87 year old Boston grandmother who served in Morocco. General Updates From RIPCA- Annual Member Meeting Wednesday, May 13th 6:00-8:00pm - Join RIPCA board in their annual meeting gone virtual for an evening of companionship, story sharing, information, and entertainment. Although it will be virtual, we hope to still have a meaningful connection. Feel free to byo snacks and beverages! We recommend to use a laptop or computer to sign into the zoom meeting for the best experience. If you are new to zoom, we recommend to check out this web tutorial. If you are having difficulty signing in during the meeting, contact Kaitlyn Morgan at her phone number 315-528-5292. On the Agenda.... Live music entertainment by Osvaldo Gold NPCA Glen Blumhorst updates Screening and teaser on A Towering Task: The Story of Peace Corps Stories and experiences shared by recent Evacuated PCVs Words from local RI documentary filmmaker Group Discussion And more! Zoom log on information: Topic: RIPCA Annual Meeting Time: May 13, 2020 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/92461914224?pwd=M1EyeUhTc2QwanJHVDNCam5Edzlrdz09 Meeting ID: 924 6191 4224 Password: 755447 RI RPCV Campaign to Support Radio Broadcasting in Sierra Leone- RPCV Topher Hamblett is trying to spread the word on a crowd funding campaign to support radio broadcasts aimed to preventing the further spread of the Corona Virus in Sierra Leone. Specifically, the effort is aimed at helping the Independent Radio Network produce and broadcast nationwide news, information and dialogue, supplemented by its 40 member stations. Here is more information about the campaign to support Sierra Leone's Independent Radio Network in its COVID-19 work. From NPCA- Support Through Global Reentry - The National Peace Corps Association is responding to evacuated volunteers with the Global Reentry Program. This webpage is full of very helpful resources and webinars from career counseling to wellbeing. Be sure to monitor their calendar for upcoming webinars and events. “Unfinished Business” - This article series from NPCA highlights stories from recently evacuated volunteers who served around the world. Check out their stories. Ruppe Award Nomination - What affiliate group project has significantly advanced the Third Goal of Peace Corps to continue to serve host countries, build group spirit and cooperation, and promote service? Let us know by nominating a group for the Loret Miller Ruppe Award for Outstanding Community Service. The deadline is May 30. Nominate now. 2020 NPCA Board Elections - The National Peace Corps Association is seeking individuals to join their board. For more details and nomination form, check out their webpage. Upcoming Events May 13 RIPCA Annual Member Meeting- Join us via zoom 6:00-8:00pm for a night of sharing, discussion and engagement. Details above. May 29 NPCA Virtual Trivia Night Join the Peace Corps Community for a fun evening of virtual trivia hosted by Quizmaster Trivia and NPCA! Play solo or with a team — with a curated selection of trivia and a round of Peace Corps trivia! Suggested donation is $5 or more to participate. Prizes for 1st place, 2nd place, and best team name. Learn more & register. May 31 Virtual RIPCA Story Slam - For many Peace Corps volunteers the most valuable thing they get from their service is some really good stories; inspirational stories, funny stories, embarrassing stories, sad stories, stories that they’ll be telling for the rest of their lives. With support from John Kotula, we will host a virtual story slam May 31 6:00-7:30pm. If you have a story you’d like to tell, you can get on the list by sending an email to rireturnedpeacecorps@gmail.com. Volunteer Opportunities Thank you to all who have been able to attend the weekly virtual meet-ups in support of evacuated volunteers. We each can have a role to play to continue to support those volunteers by coming together in one of the ongoing call to actions: Call for Mentorship - We recognize that readjustment is a challenge and the RIPCA community has all undergone it in different ways. Please reply back if you are interested in being a virtual mentor to returning PCV’s or if you are interested in being connected with a RPCV mentor. It doesn’t have to be just for evacuees either! Call for Employment Connections - Evacuated volunteers are entering into a very different economic reality than the one they left. Please reply back if you know of any job opportunities, and we will make them available to the RIPCA community in email newsletters and facebook posts. Call for Professional and Readjustment Support - Evacuated volunteers did not have a chance to go through close of service workshops. Please reply with any COS-related materials and readjustment tips that we can share and make available to them. Call for Political Action - On Wednesday, May 6, Congressman Jeff Duncan (R-SC) introduced H.R. 6657, the Working Under Humanity’s Actual Needs (WUHAN) Rescissions Act, which proposed the return of the $88 million appropriated for Peace Corps under the CARES Act legislation that was overwhelmingly approved by Congress and signed by President Trump in late March. Learn more and take action here. Call for Resources - The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) is filling in the gaps in support for Peace Corps Volunteers. Give Now to the Benevolent Fund to support RPCV’s both financially and through community-led support groups in their adjustment home. Call for Stories - Let’s keep the Peace Corps community and storytelling spirit alive and utilize our virtual resources! Send us your Peace Corps stories written in an email, video, audio file, or photos. Or send us your contact information and we can set up an interview. We hope to share these on our facebook and webpage. Call for Educational Content - With schools now online, virtual classrooms are a good way to share our Third Goal work. Please respond back if you would like to share a virtual presentation about your country of service, project, culture, etc and we can try to match you with a local school or organization. If you already have a presentation created that you’ve used in the past, we can share that out as well. Call to Get More Involved in RIPCA - Do you have interest in becoming a leader and making an impact on the Rhode Island area Peace Corps community? One of our board members recently moved away from the Ocean State, and we are looking for more support. Reply back if you are interested in becoming a board member and taking a more active leadership role in our association. We like to think we are a fun group! Have any volunteering opportunities you’d like highlighted in the newsletter or on our Facebook page? Send them to Kaitlyn at kaitmmorgan@gmail.com. From Our Readers RIPCA newsletters are beginning a NEW monthly fun, Q&A collaboration section! What are you watching, reading, listening to? In these times of social isolation, what is your favorite TV Show, Movie, Book, or Music that is getting you through the day?Email submissions to riretrunedpeacecorps@gmail.com to be featured in June’s RIPCA newsletter. Transitioning back- Many volunteers are currently adjusting back to Rhode Island. Adjusting back to the USA can sometimes be just as difficult (or more) than adjusting to your host county. What was your transition home back? Do you have any stories to share? Check out our RIPCA Stories Project Interviews now on Facebook. Sharing Opportunities for Evacuees! Short term Employment Opportunity with RI Health Department. You can learn more and fill out this interest form here. Connect with Rotary/Rotaract Clubs NPCA’s affiliate group Partnering for Peace (PFP) is helping to connect recently Returned Peace Corps Volunteers with local Rotary and Rotaract clubs to help volunteers readjust to their home community — or tie up loose ends from a recently evacuated host community. If interested, Volunteers can reach out to a Rotary/Rotaract club using the Club Finder Tool, and then contact PFP at info@partneringforpeace.org for a personal introduction. Learn more NPCA Community Fund NPCA’s Community Fund supports projects from evacuated Volunteers who lost funding due to COVID-19. Do you have a project that you left behind? NPCA is offering assistance to RPCVs who want to continue the work they started with their communities. Apply for support through NPCA’s Community Fund by submitting an expression of interest. Thanks and hope to see you all soon! Your RIPCA Leadership Board :) Have content to share? Want to get involved? Feel free to reply back to this email and we can share it to the group either in an e-blast, monthly newsletter, or on our facebook page.
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We are an affiliate of the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA). NPCA is the nonprofit alumni network at the center of a vibrant community of over 220,000 people who share the Peace Corps experience. NPCA champions lifelong commitment to Peace Corps ideals by connecting, engaging and promoting its members and affiliate groups as they continue to make a difference in communities in the U.S. and abroad. NPCA is also dedicated to advocating for, contributing to, and supporting the betterment of the Peace Corps. Visit NPCA to learn more. |
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