In September the United Nations challenged global citizens to make YouTube videos telling our world leaders how we would like to make our world a better and safer place. As Peace Corps Volunteers we feel our organization and other similar grassroots service organizations dedicated to the great common cause of world development can be great vehicles for affecting meaningful and lasting change.


We think it would be incredible for the United Nations to create an international effort based on the unique Peace Corps model to encourage grassroots development by fostering cultural exchange, capacity building, international friendships and world peace. Outside the box of traditional international development, Peace Corps offers Volunteers and communities the opportunity to exchange cultures and build friendships by learning each others' languages, living and working together for over two years and then bringing those experiences home to share with their fellow citizens. Average citizens, without professional development backgrounds, are the heart of this effort and would fuel the United Nations effort that we are suggesting.

During his campaign, Barack Obama said he would “double the size of Peace Corps and work with the leaders of countries from around the world to build an international network of overseas volunteers so that we all might work together, side by side.” Applications for Peace Corps and other service organizations dedicated to world development are skyrocketing. We think this is an unprecedented opportunity and an incredible chance for the United Nations to create a new program which would give world citizens a chance to serve their fellow man.


For decades the United Nations has demonstrated its commitment to sending professional international development workers into countries around the world to make improvements in infrastructure, peacekeeping, and boosting economic development with programs such as the UN Volunteers. However, we think it would be great for the United Nations to expand their efforts on a more grassroots level and give enthusiastic world citizens, young and old, experienced or not in international development, an opportunity to make the change they wish to see in the world through developing friendships and exchanging cultures in countries all around the world.