[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 4, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S924-S925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              ADDRESS BY PEACE CORPS DIRECTOR MARK GEARAN

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, on December 16, 1996, Mark Gearan, the 
Director of the Peace Corps, delivered an eloquent address at the 
National Press Club on the current status of the Peace Corps. Mr. 
Gearan's address provides an excellent summary of the accomplishments 
of the Peace Corps and the extraordinary assistance that Peace Corps 
volunteers are providing to nations in all parts of the world. I know 
that President Kennedy would be proud of the way the Peace Corps is 
living up to its ideals, and I ask that Mr. Gearan's address be printed 
in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

         Remarks by Mark D. Gearan, Director of the Peace Corps

       The job of Director of the Peace Corps affords those who 
     are privileged to hold it a unique perspective on the world 
     and our country, one that is shaped by the enduring values 
     that the Peace Corps represents, and by the spirit of service 
     that Volunteers embody.
       When Sargent Shriver, the first Director of the Peace 
     Corps, came to the National Press Club in 1962, he made this 
     observation:
       ``It is a complex world we live in today,'' he said. 
     ``While one man orbits the earth in a space capsule, another 
     man squats for hours beside an Asian rice paddy, trying to 
     catch a fish only as big as your thumb. While some men 
     manufacture computers, other men plow with sticks.''
       What my predecessor said then still holds true today. We 
     have men and women orbiting the earth in space capsules. But 
     we still have men and women plowing with sticks in many parts 
     of the world.
       Yet it goes without saying that the world is much different 
     than it was in 1962. The disparities that Sargent Shriver 
     described are still with us. But advances in science, 
     technology, the media, the spread of freedom and democracy, 
     and the end of the Cold War, have not only made our lives 
     more complicated, they have also given us new opportunities 
     and new reason for hope.
       Much the same can be said about the Peace Corps. Since 
     President Kennedy sent the first group of Volunteers to Ghana 
     in 1961, we have remained true to the vision and goals that 
     were set out for us from the very beginning. Today, nearly 
     7,000 Volunteers are working with ordinary people in 90 
     countries to encourage social and economic progress at the 
     grass-roots level. Peace Corps Volunteers are young and 
     older; they are black, white, Asian, Hispanic, and Native 
     American; and they come from every social, economic, and 
     religious background.
       Yet for all of their diversity, our Volunteers still share 
     a common purpose: to help make the world a better place.
       And just as it was in the beginning, the Peace Corps is 
     still much more than a development agency. Our Volunteers are 
     still strengthening the bonds of friendship and understanding 
     between Americans and the people of the developing world that 
     are, in many respects, the foundation of peace among 
     nations.
       Yet the Peace Corps has also changed to meet the needs of 
     our time. We have worked hard to strengthen the Peace Corps 
     while remaining faithful to our mission. And I believe that 
     the state of the Peace Corps is as strong as it has ever 
     been, and that its prospects for the future are bright and 
     promising. From the number of qualified and motivated people 
     who want to become Volunteers, to the new countries we are 
     entering, to the strong support we have among the American 
     people, this Administration, and in the Congress, the Peace 
     Corps is moving forward and is poised to enter the 21st 
     century with confidence and energy.
       With this future in mind, we decided to take a look at the 
     past and see what we could learn from some of the men and 
     women who have served as Peace Corps Volunteers over the 
     years. We have conducted the first comprehensive survey of 
     returned Peace Corps Volunteers who have served in each of 
     the last four decades since 1961.
       I'll tell you more about the survey in a minute. But let me 
     give you just a few examples that demonstrate the vitality of 
     an agency that continues to capture the imagination of so 
     many people.
       First, we continue to attract the best that America has to 
     offer. Last year, more than 100,000 people contacted us 
     seeking information about how to become a Peace Corps 
     Volunteer. Ten thousand went through our competitive 
     application process, and we extended invitations to 3,500 of 
     these talented and dedicated people.
       Second, we are making sure that Volunteers are serving in 
     the right countries for the times in which we live. That's 
     why earlier this year, our Volunteers returned to Haiti after 
     a five-year absence to work with the people of the poorest 
     nation in this hemisphere.
       That's why next month, Volunteers will go to South Africa 
     for the first time in the history of the Peace Corps to help 
     support and contribute to the historic transformation that is 
     taking place in that critical country.
       And that's why I recently signed an agreement with the 
     government of Jordan that will allow Volunteers to begin 
     serving there in April 1997 for the first time. Expanding the 
     presence of Peace Corps Volunteers in the Middle East is an 
     important step for us. I believe these Volunteers will help 
     improve understanding between Americans and the people of the 
     Arab world and contribute to Jordan's development.
       Third, we are making sure that the work of our volunteers 
     is driven by the needs of the communities where they are 
     serving. Volunteers are working with their counterparts to 
     help to protect and restore the environment. Others 
     collaborate with small business people to create economic 
     opportunities. They are working with teachers to expand 
     access to education for children and adults, and they help 
     farmers grow more and better food. Still others are helping 
     to keep families healthy and prevent the spread of terrible 
     diseases, such as HIV/AIDS.

[[Page S925]]

       Fourth, we are leading the way for international volunteer 
     organizations to play an even greater role in the developing 
     world. Earlier this year, we brought together the leaders of 
     35 international organizations that send volunteers outside 
     of their own countries. Our purpose was to find ways to 
     collaborate in the field and help those countries, such as 
     Mali, Senegal, the Czech Republic and Malaysia, that want to 
     establish their own volunteer organizations.
       Finally, we are moving forward with the establishment of 
     the Crisis Corps, one of our newest and most exciting 
     initiatives. We are making it possible for experienced Peace 
     Corps Volunteers and returned Volunteers to contribute their 
     language skills, their cross cultural understanding, and 
     their experience in development to short-term international 
     relief efforts.
       These are just a few of the important steps we are taking 
     to ensure that the Peace Corps stays on the cutting edge of 
     development and service. So like any forward-thinking 
     organization, we thought we could learn something from the 
     people who have contributed so much to the Peace Corps' 
     success. We wanted to take advantage of the insights and 
     experience of returned Volunteers who served in the Peace 
     Corps for at least one year.
       Let me share with you some of the highlights of what they 
     had to say:
       Perhaps the most impressive finding was that 94% of the 
     respondents said that they would make the same decision to 
     join the Peace Corps again, and 93% said they would recommend 
     service in the Peace Corps to others.
       One returned Volunteer wrote: ``Aside from the births of my 
     two daughters, my Peace Corps experience was the most 
     gratifying experience of my life. I'm so proud and grateful 
     for having been blessed with such a powerful and positive 
     experience.''
       Ninety-four percent of the respondents believed they made a 
     positive contribution to the development of the country where 
     they served, and most indicated that their greatest 
     contribution as Volunteers was to the individuals with whom 
     they worked.
       In addition, most of the respondents said that service in 
     the Peace Corps met their expectations of helping others, 
     experiencing a different culture, and their desire for travel 
     and adventure. And 70% said that their Peace Corps experience 
     had a positive impact on their careers.
       The survey also revealed that some returned Volunteers did 
     not leave their sense of humor overseas. In response to the 
     question: ``In what state are you currently living?'', 
     several Volunteers responded: ``confusion, or bliss . . .''
       Our survey also confirmed what we already know: Peace Corps 
     Volunteers face some very difficult realities--from petty 
     burglaries and assault, to racial and sexual harassment, to 
     political unrest and natural disasters. Service in the Peace 
     Corps can sometimes be tough, but the Volunteers confront 
     these challenges head on every day with great courage.
       Finally, this survey also reveals that, for most returned 
     Volunteers, their commitment to service doesn't end when they 
     come home. They tend to be active members of their 
     communities. Seventy-eight percent said they have volunteered 
     since coming home, and 63% have worked with people with 
     ``special needs,'' such as the elderly, the disabled, and 
     refugees.
       These are just some of the results of the 1996 survey of 
     returned Peace Corps Volunteers. But what are we to make of 
     all this? Does it matter? I think it does, and let me tell 
     you why.
       First, I believe that in many ways this survey reaffirms 
     and justifies the confidence that Americans have placed in 
     the Peace Corps over the years, something for which we are 
     grateful and never take for granted.
       Second, this survey also demonstrates in a small but 
     important way that many Americans care about what happens in 
     the world and want to help make it a better place. I believe 
     they understand the connection between America's engagement 
     in the world and our prosperity. And they are generous in 
     their willingness to encourage progress and help other 
     people.
       But there is also a significant domestic dividend to the 
     Peace Corps. Our country is fortunate to have a large cadre 
     of people with international experience that broadens our 
     understanding of other countries and cultures. This is a 
     tremendous asset for America's participation in the global 
     marketplace.
       Moreover, the insights about other peoples and cultures 
     that returned Volunteers bring back with them, I believe, can 
     add to America's thinking and understanding of the many 
     problems that we confront in our own multicultural society.
       Finally, let me close by speaking directly to the young 
     people in our country. The Peace Corps is an organization 
     that is often identified with the 1960s. A lot of young 
     people sometimes wish they had been around to witness the 
     sweeping changes that occurred in our society and our culture 
     back then. I believe there is much that we all can learn from 
     that important era in our country's history.
       But a nostalgic view of the past need not keep us from 
     looking ahead and moving forward. I believe the times in 
     which we live today are just as exciting and hold even more 
     promise. Fifty years from now, young people will look back to 
     the end of the 20th century and say: ``I wish I had been 
     around when the German people took their sledgehammers to the 
     Berlin Wall, when the people of South Africa tasted freedom 
     for the first time, when the Cold War ended and new 
     democracies began to flourish.'' They will surely wish they 
     had been alive when the information revolution took off and 
     helped shrink the world by an order of magnitude.
       But the men and women who are serving as Peace Corps 
     Volunteers today are taking part in the great struggle that 
     still lies ahead--the struggle for human dignity both here at 
     home and around the world. President Kennedy and each of his 
     successors, both Democratic and Republican alike, have 
     summoned us to participate in that struggle, and I am very 
     proud to say that Peace Corps Volunteers are doing their 
     part.
       I believe this is the best time to be part of the Peace 
     Corps. We are grateful for the service of more than 145,000 
     Americans. We are excited about our future--from the new 
     countries where Volunteers will be serving, to our new 
     initiatives, including the Crisis Corps. The Peace Corps is 
     moving into the next century, proud of the legacy that 
     precedes us and confident that Peace Corps Volunteers are 
     making a real difference in lives of people around the world.

                          ____________________