FAQs
- What is Peace Corps?
- When did Peace Corps come to Romania?
- How can I learn what Peace Corps Volunteers are currently doing in Romania?
- How can my school or organization become involved?
- How can I find out how to help Peace Corps Volunteers' projects?
- How can I apply for a Volunteer to work in my school or organization?
- How much time does it take to request a Volunteer? What are the requirements?
- How long do Volunteers stay in Romania?
- What do Volunteers do after their Peace Corps tour of service?
- What are some other organizations that are working with Peace Corps worldwide?
- What do volunteers do?
- Where do volunteers go?
- Who volunteers?
- What is Pre-Service Training?
What is Peace Corps?
Peace Corps was created in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy to promote world peace and friendship by providing American Volunteers who contribute to the social, economic and human development of the host countries in which they serve. Since then, more than 165,000 Americans have served in the Peace Corps in 135 countries. For further information, visit the official Peace Corps website. Also, visit Peace Corps Romana home page to see and hear how it all started in Romania!
When did Peace Corps come to Romania?
In March 1991, a group of 18 Trainees arrived to initiate a Romanian orphanage project (Health, Social Service and Youth), following which requests for assistance in other areas were received. On January 22, 1992, a formal country agreement was signed that established the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) program. Since then the following sectors have been added: Community Economic Development (CED), Institutional Development (ID), and Environmental Education and Management (ENV).
How can I learn what Peace Corps Volunteers are currently doing in Romania?
Information about Volunteer projects and activities can be found in the Volunteer Stories and In The News sections on the main menu.
How can my school or organization become involved?
f you want your classroom to become involved, check out World Wise Schools.
How can I find out how to help Peace Corps Volunteers' projects?
Information on contributing to Volunteers' projects around the world can be found by visiting the Peace Corps Partnership Program (PCPP) website.
How can I apply for a Volunteer to work in my school or organization?
Please refer to Request a Volunteer section under the Volunteering section.
How much time does it take to request a Volunteer? What are the requirements?
The time from application to approval is generally 6 months. After receiving an initial application, a member of Peace Corps Romania program staff visits the organization or school and the site. If going forward with the application, the program staff member contacts the organization or school to inform them that Peace Corps Romania wishes to enter into a partnership with a Volunteer assignment. This agreement is contingent upon the organization or school providing more detailed information about its program activities, its staff and general information about the location of the proposed assignment. Housing and counterpart requirements are also discussed. An invitation to attend the Counterpart Conference, toward the end of the Trainees' 10-week training, confirms the decision to assign a Peace Corps Volunteer to the organization or school.
How long do Volunteers stay in Romania?
Volunteers must complete a 10-week training program, and they then serve for 2 years, working in Romanian organizations and schools.
What do Volunteers do after their Peace Corps tour of service?
Many Volunteers return to graduate school for advanced studies. Others return to work in their communities as teachers, local development workers, medical or legal professionals. Others pursue a career in international development with aid and relief organizations, the U.S. Foreign Service or other organizations with a focus on international relations.
What are some other organizations that are working with Peace Corps worldwide?
Peace Corps works with USAID, UNDP and other UN organizations, and many NGOs such as Academy for Educational Development, Cooperative Housing Foundation, Care, and World Learning. Peace Corps Romania's Partners are listed under Useful Links on this website.
What Do Volunteers Do?
Peace Corps Volunteers work in the following areas: education, youth outreach, and community development; business development; agriculture and environment; health and HIV/AIDS; and information technology. Within these areas, the specific duties and responsibilities of each Volunteer can vary widely.
Where Do Volunteers Go?
The Peace Corps works in countries from Asia to Central America, and from Europe to Africa. In each of these countries, Volunteers work with governments, schools, and entrepreneurs to address changing and complex needs in education, health and HIV/AIDS, business, information technology, agriculture, and the environment.
Who Volunteers?
Picture yourself as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
The men and women who join the Peace Corps reflect the rich diversity
of America in race, ethnic background, age, and religion. They possess
varying physical capabilities. They come from all geographical regions,
all personal backgrounds, all walks of life. Each brings a unique
perspective.
What do they all have in common? A sense of adventure and a desire
to help others.
What is Pre-Service Training (PST)
A Peace Corps Trainee receives 10 weeks of Pre-Service Training (PST)
in Romania before being sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Additional
In-Service Trainings are provided over the first year of service in
order to allow Volunteers to work on their language skills and receive
training that is geared towards specific needs.
The PST consists of:
Pre-Service Training (PST) is the first experience in Romania for the Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs). The training lasts for ten weeks. Currently, Romania has two PSTs per year, one from February until April for the Community Economic Development (CED), Environment Management and Education (ENV), and Institutional Development (ID) programs and one from June to August for the Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Volunteers.
Pre-Service Training includes many components that are of key importance
for the Volunteers' future assignments in Romania. These include intensive
Romanian language classes, cross-cultural sessions, and discussions
of Romanian history, mass media, economic issues, and social issues,
as well as program training that prepares them to become effective
Volunteers. The technical, program-related training is designed to
fit the needs of each sector and to prepare Volunteers for their future
two-year assignments. Another important part of PST is the homestay
experience, in which Volunteers live for 10 weeks with Romanian families
from various walks of life. The homestay experience prepares them
for understanding Romanian lifestyles and mentalities. Other important
parts of Pre-Service Training are the Practicum, the Counterpart Conference
and the Site Visit. During the Practicum, which takes place halfway
through the training, Volunteers are assigned to work on a short project
with Romanian organizational partners. This short term project, which
PCVs are assigned in groups give the Volunteers first-hand knowledge
of a Volunteer assignment in the field. The Counterpart Conference
is the time when Volunteers meet their future colleagues, start building
a professional relationship and define mutual expectations. The Site
Visit, which follows the Counterpart Conference, is meant for the
new Volunteers to see the town and organizations to which they have
been assigned and to get acquainted with their future working and
living environment.
Technical Training (program specific)
In their technical training sessions Trainees are prepared to function
properly within the Romanian organizations they will be working with,
whether they are schools, NGOs, mayor’s offices, or chambers of commerce.
Through the technical training, Trainees will be helped to become
comfortable using their expertise, skills and education backgrounds
in the Romanian context. Trainees are given overviews of the respective
fields they will be working in, and specific topics are covered to
help them develop or refine the skills and knowledge they have to
possess in order to meet the needs of the Romanian organizations.
Cross cultural elements are also introduced in the technical sessions,
most of them pertaining to work ethics and norms.
Each program has its own set of technical competencies that a Trainee
has to meet by the end of the training. Guest speakers and trainers
with experience in the respective area, current Volunteers who have
already experienced a year of working and living in Romania, and Peace
Corps staff conduct the technical training. The Trainees themselves
constitute a great resource as each of them brings specific skills
and knowledge that can be shared for everybody’s benefit. Besides
the theoretical aspects, practical opportunities are also included.
The TEFL Trainees have a three-week practicum with formal observation
and feedback in order to expose them to a classroom setting where
they interact with Romanian students. Trainees in the other sectors
have a practicum with local organizations in Ploiesti or in the other
communities where they are placed.
The technical component of training is crucial in preparing the Trainees
to become successful Volunteers in schools and organizations which
have clear, high expectations and require well-trained people to perform
the required duties. Based on observations and information gathered
by Peace Corps staff during the PST, Trainees are assigned to organizations
that can best utilize the unique sets of skills and knowledge each
Trainee offers.
Three months after the Volunteers start their service with Romanian
organizations, an In-Service Training is conducted, offering more
technical training as well as the opportunity to share individual
experiences and lessons learned. Technical training is also provided
throughout the entire service through site visits to the Volunteers,
discussions with Romanian colleagues and various additional training
opportunities (e.g., conferences and workshops).
We know that the best way to integrate into the Romanian culture and
way of life is through learning Romanian, so Volunteers spend much
of their training studying Romanian. When we designed the Romanian
language program, we thought about everything that Volunteers would
need to know to be able to live and work in Romania. We listed things
that people do in their daily lives, with the awareness that these
Americans will have to do exactly the same things. They go to the
market to buy fruit and vegetables and to the post office to send
letters home; they take buses and trains like most Romanians around
them; they cook food and talk about friends and their families; and
they are often invited to Romanian weddings and baptism ceremonies.
We teach these skills, in both Romanian and Hungarian, during the
10 weeks before they all move to their towns. Our lessons are very
practical, combining formal classroom time with field trips, activities
and simulations. We have classes in which the Volunteers learn specialized
vocabulary and dialogues meant to help them be more efficient in their
work places. The lessons also include useful information about the
way people live in Romania, about their customs, traditions, and mentalities.
At the end of this training program, the Volunteers move to their towns. They are all very different people, and they speak Romanian and Hungarian with different levels of ability. However, the vast majority of Volunteers are well-equipped to integrate into their communities all over Romania, and they are able to interact with their colleagues, neighbors, and new Romanian friends.
Cross Cultural Learning and Homestay
We believe that the best way of learning is through doing -- active,
experiential learning. During the 10 weeks of training, we try to
provide the Volunteers with as complete an experience as possible.
In order for them to experience first-hand what Romania is about,
they are placed with host families in communities in which PST is
taking place. The Volunteers become part of a Romanian family over
this period of time. They spend a lot of time together, have their
meals together, go on picnics on the weekends, and are generally treated
as new members of the families. We feel that this component of our
training is essential in helping the Volunteers learn about the Romanian
way of life and about the people, and to improve their language skills
through real conversations with their host families.
The local host families are carefully selected and represent a varied range of backgrounds, social status and interests. They may be single mothers, families with young or grown children, or young couples. These families are very keen to communicate and share their homes with Americans. Thus, a very important cultural exchange takes place between Romanians and Americans, and this is one of the major goals of Peace Corps. In many cases, at the end of the training, Volunteers and their families remain friends and keep in touch, often visiting each other for holidays and other special events.
Cross Cultural Learning and Homestay
If, after reviewing the FAQs, you find that you still have some questions, please email us at info@ro.peacecorps.gov, list the subject "FAQ". Additionally, if there are FAQs you think would be helpful to publish, we appreciate your submissions.
"We had hoped to do something like this for a long time. Our partnership with Peace Corps helped us accomplish our goal and strengthen our organization." Ambrus Laszlo, Agora