Peace Corps Community Resources: An interview with Erica Burman and Molly Mattessich of the National Peace Corps Association - a podcast by Idealist.org

As Peace Corps nears it's 50th Anniversary in 2011, applications are on
the rise, fewer Volunteer positions are getting funded, the Senate just
confirmed a new agency director, and the number of Peace Corps  alumni
is nearing 200,000. Helping connect the dots among the agency's fiscal
needs, and Volunteers past, present, and future is the National Peace
Corps Association—the independent organization of former Peace Corps
Volunteers, known as Returned Peace Corps Volunteers or RPCVs.



The National Peace Corps Association offers the Peace Corps
community tools and resources to stay informed and engaged, and
advocates for Peace Corps funding and support.

Today’s guests
are Erica Burman and Molly Mattesich of the National Peace Corps
Association. Erica Burman is the Director of Communications at NPCA,
and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served in The Gambia in the
late 80s. Molly Mattesich manages the Africa Rural Connect project at
NPCA, as well as the Peace Corps Connect online social network. Molly
served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali from 2002-2004.



Idealist's Amy Potthast talks with Erica and Molly about NPCA's initiatives like the More Peace Corps Campaign, Africa Rural Connect, the RPCV Mentoring Program, and Global Teachnet. They also talk about the new online social network for the Peace Corps community Peace Corps Connected, the Peace Corps Polyglot blog, and World View magazine. Finally, they discuss the new Peace Corps director — and departing NPCA board member — Aaron Williams, and how online communication tools are changing the Volunteer experience.

Further episodes of The Idealist.org Podcasts

Further podcasts by Idealist.org

Website of Idealist.org