By Kate Schachter
The end of November has seen the usual flurry of emails encouraging people to buy, spend, consume, with excited news anchors out-wow’ing each other with how many billions of dollars Americans are expected to spend this year. I hope you saw my message on Giving Tuesday, asking you to give your Ideas, not Dollars.
So let me repeat the request, because I didn’t get any feedback (that’s a hint).
Imagine that you are back in Peace Corps service, working on environmental and climate-related projects. What resources did you wish you would have had available to you? Wonder why the community has regular outbreaks of cholera? Look up the hill to the water streaming down from areas with no outhouses or sanitation awareness and ask for training assistance.
Maybe your service was long ago, but you can readily imagine the type of pre-service training that would be needed today to implement a project. Perhaps colonial history from the country laid the groundwork for pollution that has caused severe water or air contamination. Tell us about it, that you needed to know about that history!
Heck, maybe you're a current volunteer, and the climate issues are too real. What experts do you wish you could confer with to address the problem(s)? Do you need help finding an international group that is active in your country, whom you can work with to mobilize community participation in solutions? The democratic process is teachable.
Why did I ask for this?
Perhaps you are aware that Peace Corps has identified environmental change and climate adaptation and resilience as a priority for the agency, and they have a team working on training and resources. This is the new, post-COVID Peace Corps service and all Volunteers have a role to play in securing a resilient global future.
We at RPCV4EA are helping Peace Corps identify those needs and resources. YOU are part of WE. Your input as one of our members will help diversify the quality of ideas that are needed. No matter what sector you have worked or are working in, climate change impacts us all.
Share your ideas with me at info@rpcv4ea.org. Feel free to go back to the Facebook post and make a public comment on the post, since your idea may spark others.
At our next Leadership meeting on Thursday, December 7, we will review the information received and prepare to send any and all ideas to the Peace Corps HQ team working on new programming for environment and climate volunteers. You are welcome to join us in December, or any first Thursday of the month.
Use your knowledge to Give Solutions on Giving Tuesday and every day.