What exactly is the ultimate goal of Peace Corps? Is the gran meta (as they say it español) world peace as the name Peace Corps implies? Is it improving relationships between the people of the United States and other countries? Is it actually to help others to meet their own personal and societal goals? Or I am just a pawn of the US government teaching people to become more comfortable with the Western/American way of life so it becomes easier to create a global empire?
Idealistically, it would be to bring world peace. Cynically, it would be the creation of the global empire. So let’s be realistic and decide that it is both to engage in intercultural exchange and work with host country nationals to help them meet their own goals. After all, those goals are in fact Peace Corps stated goals. I promise, you can even look it up.
However you look it, during my almost two years here, I have engaged in efforts (consciously and unconsciously) to work to meet all those possible goals. I have naively and passionately discussed how we can bring about world peace and believe I am doing my small part right now. I surely have created many meaningful relationships with Nicaraguans, shared my culture, and learned much about theirs. Through my work, I have tried to help the Ministry of Education implement entrepreneurship training courses and worked with various other business owners and organizations to help their meet their respective goals. And I have also done my part to help spread the seed of capitalism (semi-consciously) through my business ideas and advising, preaching higher profits and free trade; and surely I have forced others to become more comfortable with the Western way of life.
Of course, I am proud to have established what will be life long relationships with certain Nicaraguans but with my attractive (and humble) personality that was expected. I find myself most proud of being able to work together with Nicaraguans to meet their own goals. To do it not individually, but part of a dedicated group of volunteers and project that has been working in Nicaragua for decades, makes it feel even better.
Less than one month ago (in the first weeks of January) the 7-8 years of work that Peace Corps Nicaragua’s Small Business Development Project has been doing in the school system came to fruition when the Ministry of Education officially implemented “La Empresa Creativa” into the national curriculum. Bravo! Bravo! Eight years ago, MINED gave the go ahead for Peace Corps Small Business Volunteers to train and work with Nicaraguan teachers in providing entrepreneurial education to high school students through a course called La Empresa Creativa. It proved to be a successful experiment as the project has grown and developed year by year, volunteer by volunteer, culminating in this decision by MINED to add it to the national curriculum for this school year.
La Empresa Creativa is officially DEAD. Muerto. It is now part of the area Orientacion Tecnica y Vocacional (Technical and Vocational Orientation) and a course called Emprendedurismo (Entrepreneurship) will be given during the second semester of 4th year (juniors) and the entire 5th year (senior year). A few of my colleagues and friends worked with MINED and a Spanish organization during the past six months to design the curriculum and further adapt La Empresa Creative to work on a national scale with MINED’s guidelines. Now in my hands, I have the official course book for Entrepreneurship. Pretty cool, eh?
As Peace Corps Volunteers, we are still continuing our work with the Nicaraguan teachers and I imagine we will be for the next few years as we help to train all the teachers with no experience in teaching the subject. Yet, a huge shift has taken place. This is no longer a Peace Corps project. It is an official, nationwide course that has the full backing of MINED. Every single student will receive the course, and every school must assign a teacher to plan and implement this course. We are now purely in a support role and will probably faze ourselves out over the next few years.
Pretty awesome if you ask me, and an ideal example of a successful Peace Corps development project. MINED, the participating Nicaraguan teachers, PC Volunteers, and staff (mainly Georgia, my boss who has been with this project from day one) all deserve huge kudos. This is how it’s supposed to work folks.
