Fifty Years Of Peace Corps Essay

Oftentimes, it can be difficult to realize one’s objectives in life. In her twenties, Yilan Cai was researching at a local institute in Wisconsin. It was a far cry from her roots in agricultural China, but it still was not quite the objective for which she was searching. Since the work was monotonous and unfulfilling, she was inspired to join the Peace Corps. There, she found laborious tasks and stressful situations, but she also served the world more in two years than many do in their entire life. Yilan was, in a sense, the essence of a volunteer. She found her purpose in helping others through the Peace Corps, a venerable organization that has served to greatly improve the lives of people outside of the United States. This group of people …show more content…
Kennedy. . . called young Americans to offer their talents. . . to the world,” and this initiative grew into the Peace Corps of the modern era (“Fifty Years of Peace Corps”). From the beginning, the Peace Corps has sent volunteers into underdeveloped areas. There, they would pour their hearts into improving the quality of life of those communities. The conditions in these areas were often “dismal. . . lacking basic necessities” that citizens in more developed nations take for granted (“Fifty Years of Peace Corps”). These heartbreaking facts, aided in their spread by increasing globalization after World War II, furthered sentiments favoring the establishment of the Peace Corps. While the movement was mostly met with popular support, there was “some opposition from various” factions within the United States (“Fifty Years of Peace Corps”). One of America’s major political parties initially opposed the proposal, as the platform favored focusing on domestic reform before widening efforts to reach out to other sovereign states. Additionally, the idea of losing a portion of America’s younger population, even for a brief time, was unpopular at first. Despite these challenges, the supporters of the Peace Corps persevered, and the