With media advertising fear of terrorists and the rejection of Syrian refugees, it would appear that citizens of the United States are becoming more insular and less tolerant of others; however, this year alone the  Peace Corps application numbers have skyrocketed and the organization  received 23,000 applications. This is a 23% increase in one year and the most application numbers since 1975. This raises an interesting question: why is there so much interest in joining the Peace Corps?

The Peace Corps, a volunteer program run by the United States government, was established in 1961 by president Kennedy. Its mission is to help countries with social and economic aid. Also, its purpose is to help people who are not United States citizens experience American culture and for Americans to experience different country’s cultures.

It is becoming popular career path for anyone over the age of 18 who is interested in helping people in need. (However, the Peace Corps  strongly encourages to attend a four year college before applying.)

Many speculate the reason why the number of applications increased is because it is easier to complete the application forms since July of 2014. The new changes to the forms allows volunteers to choose the country and any specific programs they wish to join.

However since the sudden surge of applications has increased, the Peace Corps has to  decline many applications just because there are now too many volunteers. Before July 2014 on average according to an article in Pacsafe a travel blog, one third of the people who started the application process to join, actually finished it. But ever since July 2014 it has been incredibly easier and faster to complete the application. Many people finished it easily and the number of people who completed the application increased tremendously.

In the Peace Corps Budget Justification report to Congress, this year the Peace Corps requested 378 million dollars: that is an increase of one million since last year. Since the Peace Corps is an independent within the government, it relies on government funding to pay for the travel, housing and small stipend expenses of volunteers.  There are additional site costs. Many people assume the amount of allocated money will increase greatly next year due to the rising number of potential volunteers.

In an article online in Devex  a spokeswoman for the Peace Corps stated, “Suddenly, the volunteer-sending agency is finding itself in the position of having to turn away qualified applicants who otherwise would have been eligible to serve —  a challenge that is not a reflection of lack of placement opportunity, but rather lack of additional funding from Congress.”

Why do people consider joining the Peace Corps?

Junior Taylor Moulton said, “It takes a special person to dedicate their life to help others.”

Joining the Peace Corps does have some great benefits. For instance, people who join and have student loans might be eligible to get a deferment from the loan lender. Also volunteers get paid at least $8,000 for their service and get 48  paid vacation days.

Although that does not seem like much money, volunteers who join the Peace Corps join to make a difference.  Their motive isn’t the money. Joining the Peace Corps has benefits such as a chance to travel and experience culture.  There are more benefit examples on the Peace Corps website.

There are numerous different projects volunteers can help with when joining the Peace Corps. For instance 38% of volunteers join the education field. Volunteers who join the education field teach native children and adults the basic learning necessities and educated them about American culture. Twenty four percent of volunteers join to serve in the health field. People who volunteer in the health projects provide immediate medical attention to the local people.

Other projects people can volunteer in is projects such as agriculture, youth and development, community economic development etc. Additional information and project information can be found on the Peace Corps website.

In an article in the Times Standard  a High School teacher named Jan West tells about her experience when she was a active member in the Peace Corps. “I created a bond with the Afghan people and the country as a Peace Corps volunteer that makes me feel as though I am still a part of them. I live my life trying to make a difference in theirs.”

Margaret Ellis an active member tells her experience when volunteering in Ukraine. “I am currently working at an institute that provides continuing education to Ukrainian school teachers. I also teach English to staff and make many guest appearances at colleges, universities, and schools in the area.The Peace Corps Response position offered an opportunity to serve for several months in Ukraine in one of several major cities. I knew Peace Corps Response would offer me high quality health care, life insurance, living arrangements, and a network of support that would solve any problems I might encounter.” The rest of Ellis’s story can be found on the Peace Corps website along with numerous other stories written by active members about their experiences.

Linganore alumni Edie Riggs is an active member in the Peace Corps. She is currently volunteering in Southern Africa in the country of Zambia. She has done numerous projects to help the local people learn more about the environment. In November she taught interested farmers the benefits from trees. Earlier in the years she transplanted 24 lemon saplings to prepare for buddy workshops and taught farmers how to bud oranges and lemons. She also spent time in a national park tree camp and taught local people to respect the environment.

Volunteering to join the Peace Corps is a selfless act. Riggs and the thousands of other members volunteering are making a difference in the world by giving local citizens in different countries tools and knowledge to help the grow. The Peace Corps is an amazing foundation for anyone who wants to help people and make a difference in the world.

Anyone who is interested should visit the Peace Corps website or follow Peace Corps on twitter @PeaceCorps for further information.