Like many returned Peace Corps volunteers, Geography doctoral candidate Leif Brottem is looking forward to Peace Corps and Africa: Fifty Years, an event in March 2011 in Madison, WI to honor half a century of volunteer service.
Since Peace Corps was founded in 1961, more than 2,900 UW-Madison alumni have served, making it the No. 2 all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers among universities nationwide.
On March 24-26, 2011, returned Peace Corps volunteers, musicians, artists, storytellers and some of the Peace Corps’ early founders and present-day leaders will come together in Madison to celebrate, reflect, and debate the legacy of the Peace Corps in Africa and beyond.
Experiences in the Peace Corps have shaped generations of American scholars engaged in all fields and disciplines, and many current UW graduate students are returned volunteers who have been inspired to study the regions where they served.
The event will give Brottem and other graduate students a chance to network with other returned volunteers, and to hear the current Peace Corps Director Aaron Williams and some of the early founders of the Peace Corps discuss the ideals and commitment that drove the formation of a U.S. government agency promoting international peace and friendship through service and cultural exchange.
Brottem is looking forward to exchanging experiences with other returned volunteers, and having the opportunity to critically debate and reflect on the impact of volunteerism in Africa and beyond.
"Peace Corps is highly effective for increasing cross-cultural understanding, but like so many other development organizations, it undergoes constant improvements," Brottem says. "I am excited to have the opportunity to discuss with others how organizations like Peace Corps can move forward during the coming century, and how we can build new links with our former Peace Corps communities."
During his doctoral fieldwork earlier this year, Brottem learned to question the assumptions that we often accept uncritically when we are new to a culture. Bringing a more analytical eye to working in Africa, he feels, can help improve the way development programs operate.
"Understanding that every project you undertake, every person you befriend, is ultimately a political action, really changes the way you participate in the culture," says Brottem.
The Peace Corps and Africa will feature a full schedule of panels, plenary sessions, story-telling, workshops and films, and will culminate in a dance and music performance.
The event is open to the public, but participants are asked to register in advance.
Visit http://africa.wisc.edu/peacecorps for a schedule, registration information and other details.