Peace Corps Prep Launches at CU Boulder!
by Allie NunesAre you interested in adding something new and unique to your resume while becoming more culturally competent and globally focused? Then Peace Corps Prep may be right for you!
Last fall, CU Boulder established a partnership with the Peace Corps and proudly launched the Peace Corps Prep Program, here where the buffaloes roam. This new certificate program aligns with CU's mission and allows the university to better serve students, the community, and the world! The program is open to all CU students, any major, any year. Being part of Peace Corps Prep shows your commitment to global citizenship. It also prepares you for international development fieldwork and potential Peace Corps service, making you a more competitive applicant. Not interested in future Peace Corps service for two plus years? No problem! This certificate still has value and contributes to making you a more well-rounded human being.
As you work through your graduation requirements to accomplish this certificate, you’ll build on four core competencies through interrelated coursework, hands-on experience, and professional development support. These four competencies are:
Training and Experience in a PC Work Sector
How will you choose a sector, you may ask? Well, the sectors to choose from are Education, Health, Environment, Agriculture, Youth in Development, and Community Economic Development. Do you have volunteer or work experience in one of these areas already? That may help you decide, or just start with the one you are most passionate about!
Leveraging concrete skills and knowledge is central to on-the-ground international development work. Through this certificate, you will begin to build a professional specialty that will serve your career well, whether or not you become a Peace Corps volunteer. If you do plan to apply to the Peace Corps, the best way to assure that you will be a strong candidate is to explore the current openings and identify the type of assignments that interest you the most, then review the required qualifications and build them up accordingly. In the process, you’ll be building the PC Prep experiential requirements!??
Leveraging concrete skills and knowledge is central to on-the-ground international development work. Through this certificate, you will begin to build a professional specialty that will serve your career well, whether or not you become a Peace Corps volunteer. If you do plan to apply to the Peace Corps, the best way to assure that you will be a strong candidate is to explore the current openings and identify the type of assignments that interest you the most, then review the required qualifications and build them up accordingly. In the process, you’ll be building the PC Prep experiential requirements!??
Foreign Language
Working across cultures required the use of verbal and nonverbal languages distinct from your own. So, building foreign language skills is the second key component of the PC Prep curriculum. Are you a native speaker? Awesome, you are already done with that requirement!
Intercultural Competence
Engaging thoughtfully and fluidly across cultures begins with your own self-awareness. With this requirement, you will deepen your cultural agility through a mix of three introspective courses, in which you learn about others while reflecting on yourself in relation to others. The goal is for you to build your capacity to shift perspective and behavior around relevant cultural differences. Have you studied abroad yet? That can also count towards this certificate!
Leadership and Professional Development
Peace Corps service and similar international development work opportunities are highly professional and selective. PC Prep requires three specific activities that will strengthen your candidacy for any professional endeavor. You will have your resume critiqued, attend a workshop on interview skills, and demonstrate an experience of leadership.
Education Abroad has worked closely with Career Services to identify related CU courses in each sector and courses to count for the Intercultural Competence requirement. You can find all of these and more in the CU Student Guide.
By completing this program, you will earn a certificate from the Peace Corps. It does not guarantee your acceptance into the Peace Corps. It also does not require that you serve in the Peace Corps! No matter where you go, public or private sector, domestic or international service, employment or further education, your Peace Corps Prep certificate will show that you have the training to be a community leader.
Take control of your future and apply today!
https://www.colorado.edu/peacecorps/peace-corps-prep
?Last Updated December 2018