a different PC -host country relationship and working organization for me to experience (if my selection process continues successfully in Mexico)
© 2012 Peace Corps. (selected portions from PC Mexico; general and environment-specific)
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Coming from different regions of the United States and representing the great diversity of the country; the Volunteers in Mexico currently have an average age of 48. Of these Volunteers, most have Masters or Doctorate degrees and a minimum of three years of professional experience, many with over 30 years of experience.
The support they provide to their host institutions is also diverse and ranges from helping a small community to develop a useful project, to promoting environmental education, or working with a center for scientific and technological development.
Volunteering: Working Conditions
All Volunteers will be assigned one or more counterparts. A counterpart's role, in addition to being the primary person with whom a Volunteer works, is to help the Volunteer to become oriented to his/her new environment and to get acquainted with office staff and the community. The counterpart and/or supervisor may also mentor the Volunteer on specific topics.
Depending on your skill level, you might also be expected to work closely with, mentor, share, and provide training to your counterpart. Gradually you will promote, contribute to, and reinforce your Agency's network, as well as create your own network of contacts and resources for personal and professional support, including collaborations with other Peace Corps Volunteers.
Your fellow Volunteers will frequently be your best resources. Most Volunteers will be working closely with other Volunteers, in the same office, same projects, and/or in nearby communities. Larger cities may have up to ten Volunteers working in two to four offices. This is what Peace Corps Mexico calls "clustering", an important strategy that is used to ensure safety and support networks in a country that is very large. Clusters do not necessarily mean that Volunteers work together on a daily basis or in the same technical or project area, even when they work out of the same office. On rare occasions, however, they do. In the case of a rural assignment, a Volunteer may be placed in a small community, but he/she will communicate regularly with the "central" office, or with nearby communities, in which there are other Volunteers working.
Programs: Environment
Mexico is faced with a tremendous challenge to manage and conserve globally important natural resources in a country where almost 50% of the country lives in poverty and pressure increasing on all natural resources. SEMARNAT, the Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, is made up of a number of smaller agencies that are charged with all aspects of this work, including protection, regulation, protected area management (national parks), wildlife conservation and monitoring, biodiversity, and sustainable income generation. They have few human and financial resources, and Peace Corps has played an important role in strengthening three agencies, CONANP (National Park Service/USFWS equivalent), the state delegations, and CONAFOR (Forest Service).
In its second year of implementation, we conducted a Project review, which has resulted on a focus in building technical and organizational capacity in the planning, management and evaluation processes for projects in four key areas: Environmental Education, Sustainable Livelihoods, Natural Resource and Environment Management and Administration, Information, Communication and Technology.
We continue to refine our site placement and development processes with these organizations and anticipate increasing our numbers in particular with CONANP where most community projects are implemented. This project is the major growth area for Peace Corps Mexico. Our Environment Project's purpose statement is: "Mexican organizations and communities will improve their capacity to advance the sustainable management of Mexico's environment through strengthened environmental education, sustainable livelihoods and protected areas management programs".
Program Goals:
Environmental Education: Organizations and communities will strengthen their performance, planning and implementation of environmental education and awareness programs
Sustainable Livelihoods: Organizations, CBOs and small businesses will strengthen their performance, planning and implementation of sustainable livelihood programs
Natural Resource & Environment Management: Organizations, CBOs and communities will strengthen their performance, planning and implementation of recommended protected area, natural resources and environment management programs
Administration, Information, Communication & Technology: Organizations will improve their performance, planning, implementation of administrative, information, and communication processes, tools and technology to manage Mexico's environment
How is the recruitment/placement process for Mexico different?
For applicants who meet a "unique skill" request from the Mexican government, yes.
Applicants who have been interviewed by a Peace Corps recruiter and assessed to have skills that may match the Mexico program have their resume forwarded to the Mexico staff for review. If there is a potential fit, the Peace Corps Mexico staff will call the applicant and set up a 30 minute telephone interview. Following this interview, if Peace Corps Mexico feel there is a good match of an applicants skills with a specific job assignment, the applicants resume and bio is sent to the Mexican Host Country Agencies. The Mexican Host Country Agencies must issue an invitation and request directly for each applicant in order for them to serve in Peace Corps.
In addition to approval from the Mexican government, all applicants must receive medical clearance from the Office of Medical Services in Washington DC and pass a final suitability and legal review.
All applicants will be advised within 2-4 weeks of their resume submission to Peace Corps Mexico is their application was accepted, applicants not accepted to the Mexico program are returned to the larger pool of Peace Corps candidates and undergo the normal application and recruitment process. This process does not include receiving prior information about or from potential countries, any specific work assignments, nor holding interviews.
What is the average age range of a PC-Mexico volunteer?
Mexico's program is made up largely of mid to late career professionals or retirees. Approximately 50% of the Volunteers are over 50 in Peace Corps Mexico, and include many couples.
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