The Peace Corps announced it is partnering with 11 more universities in 2021 to provide the Peace Corps Prep certificate program to undergraduate students. Florida A&M University is the only historically Black college or university among the 11 new partnering institutions. Peace Corps Prep, scheduled to launch at FAMU next spring, will be structured as an interdisciplinary certificate program housed in the Office of International Education.
“At this pivotal time in our history, young people have a crucial role to play,” said Peace Corps Acting Director Carol Spahn. “The Peace Corps Prep program equips students with the skills and understanding necessary to help communities near and far recover from the multidimensional and global shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Established in 2007, Peace Corps Prep aims to meet the demand for Peace Corps volunteers with broad and relevant areas of expertise and to support schools’ efforts to provide substantive, globally focused experiences for their students. Through the program, students learn about leadership, intercultural competencies, foreign language, and a professional sector of their choice like education, health, or the environment. While having a Peace Corps Prep certificate does not guarantee acceptance into an agency volunteer program, enrolling in the program helps graduates be more competitive during the selection process.
“We believe that not only will FAMU be a great addition to the program, but FAMU students will also develop valuable skills that will make them competitive for Peace Corps and will help them achieve their life goals beyond Peace Corps,” said Aleksandra Benedict, education abroad coordinator at Florida A&M University.
The Peace Corps is in NO Position to be “beating its chest” as if they’re doing something groundbreaking with this partnership with FAMU even though they’re 105 HBCUs. Yet, the Peace Corps and its “out of touch decisionmakers” have the Chutzpah to make it appears as if they’re so inclusive of “native born Black Americans” (not African or Caribbean immigrants in the USA either) when they have an abysmal track record in the undervaluing and disparate treatment of “Native born Black Americans” students and scholars. For those who dissent, their record speaks for itself.