NPCA Western Regional Meeting
Abby Wasserman
On Saturday, Oct. 4, 2008 the National Peace Corps Association held itsWestern Regional Meeting in San Francisco. Its purpose: to build NPCA's capacity to achieve its goals of facilitating networking and improving communication within the greater Peace Corps community.
Friends of Colombia was represented by David Miron and Abby Wasserman in addition to NPCA Board Member/FOC advisor Pat Wand, who flew in from Dubai. There were some 70 RPCVs in attendance and another half-dozen following the proceedings during part of the meeting via conference call.
Key topics were membership, fundraising, projects, leadership succession planning, NPCA's relationship to Peace CorpsWashington, and the new Virtual Peace Corps Community, a social networking site and community-driven open platform with an inspirational brand and design.
Planning for this project dates back to 2005. Endorsed as a concept by the NPCA Board in 2006, with a proposed budget of $400,000, it has received contributions totaling $11,000 from regional PCV groups towards a matching grant of $21,000. In 2007, early deliverables were articulated: database of all individuals who have served in the Peace Corps; online self-service membership; and a system of direct deposit membership dues to regional group accounts. The two latter items are on hold.
In January 2009 the group plans to launch a social networking site powered by NPCA and driven by the community. Although there are many networking sites already (500 Peace Corps Yahoo groups alone, not to mention Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace). This new site will be more comprehensive than the others, acting as an umbrella and also an interface, connecting and engaging with issues that are important to all RPCV groups. It will be horizontal, not hierarchical. NPCA will build the platform and provide tools and models, and local groups and individuals will use it for what they want.
Another topic of discussion was More Peace Corps and its strategy for mobilizing our PC community. The group has pledged to double the number of overseas volunteers by our 50th Anniversary in 2011, and to make improvements that address the needs of the 21st century. A few fundraising ideas were articulated. Right now the PC budget is only $300 million, and it costs $40,000 or more per volunteer. We must let legislators know how important the program is. Doubling the budget is a priority. See more peacecorps.com
Participants also discussed the third goal of the Peace Corps: to support projects of service in countries in which we served, and suggested a mentoring program for volunteers arriving home after their Peace Corps service, a crucial transition period.
NPCA is not affiliated with Peace Corps Washington. It is a "robust advocacy program" that can accomplish as a community what PC Washington cannot do, including asking for money or food. NPCA only does projects with the Peace Corps that are consistent with NPCA's goals and strategies, and the two often diverge.
The FOC newsletter hopes to feature a column by the NPCA board in future newsletters in order to provide updates on projects and progress.
Dave Miron and Pat Wand also attended the NPCA Board Meeting on Friday, Pat as a Board member, David as an observer. Dave’s observations:
“NPCA is in the best shape ever: strategic focus on the “new Peace Corps”; diversified and healthier finances; aligned Board, and people stepping up.
“TheWorld View magazine, Fall 2008 issue, lays out a provocative vision for how the Peace Corps could operate as a much larger and more effective organization. There’s a lead story by President-elect Obama: ‘A Quantum Leap: Peace Corps and the Next President’ (www.worldviewmagazine.com). It's good reading."