WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000 Music 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:09.000 Hello everyone welcome to the Careers With A Cause event. 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:13.000 Thank you everyone for being here, for taking the time out and being apart of this event. 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.000 Again I also want to thank our wonderful guests for attending this event. 00:00:16.000 --> 00:00:21.000 We have some very excited guests who present some of their gap year experience with you guy. 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:27.000 Let's start with some introductions. So first we have Alexandra from AmeriCorps. 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:32.000 We have Ali from AmeriCorps as well and we have Scot from PeaceCorps as well. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:39.000 The overview for this event, It'll be about an hour long give or take depending on how the questioning goes at the very end. 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:44.000 Each guest will share their experiences in gap year with you guys 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:50.000 and once they're finished we'll begin our Q and A session with you guys so you guys will be able to ask questions to them. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.000 With that we'll start with Alexandra and she'll introduce us to herself 00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:60.000 to get to know a little bit more about her and her experiences at AmeriCorp and then we'll go to Ali and then Scot at the end. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.000 and they'll again share their experiences and background later on as well. 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:07.000 So yes, lets start with Alexandra. Alright. 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:13.000 If it's okay Ali and I might end up bouncing off each other just because were doing the same program right now. Oh yes. 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:21.000 So I'll start off. Again my name is Alexandra Ferrara. I'm doing an AmeriCorps program called resource assistance in rural environments 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:28.000 We use the acronym RARE so you'll hear that. Just know that it stands for resource assistants in rural environments. 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:34.000 And I'll start off talking a little bit about what AmeriCorps is and then I think Ali can talk more specifically about what RARE is. 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:40.000 So AmeriCorps is, well how many of you guys have heard of AmeriCorps? 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:43.000 Anyone? Okay so only a few but, so I'll explain it. 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:50.000 So its pretty much a national network of hundreds of different service programs throughout the United States. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:55.000 There is approximately 80 thousand members a year that participate in AmeriCorps programs. 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:61.000 Its often times referred to as the domestic PeaceCorps so Scot will talk a little more about PeaceCorps. 00:02:01.000 --> 00:02:06.000 For us its a very similar concept just here in the United States. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:10.000 There's lot of different types of AmeriCorps programs. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:16.000 Like I mentioned theres hundreds of different ones throughout the United States but they're kind of categorized into four different programs 00:02:16.000 --> 00:02:22.000 So the program that RARE is, is a stat AmeriCorps program. There's state programs and national programs 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:29.000 that kind of just focus in on a certain community need and then place a volunteer there 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:37.000 and then theres vista programs which focus is primarily on brining low income individuals out of poverty and communities 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:43.000 and then theres also the NACC program which stands for National Civilian Community Court 00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:48.000 and that program is more of a full time sort of residential volunteer program and that program is more of a full time sort of residential volunteer program 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:54.000 where you volunteer in a community for a couple months then you bounce around for a year 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:60.000 and you work with a team of individuals and do a variety of different projects throughout your term. 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.000 And then all the programs range from three months to one year. 00:03:04.000 --> 00:03:08.000 So that kind of is just is a good overview of what AmeriCorps is 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:14.000 there isn't really age limits, it depends on what program. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:18.000 Theres also something called SeniorCorps which is for mostly retired folks. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:26.000 But a lot of times it really is for people who are coming out of college and looking for some different professional growth experiences. 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:31.000 It can also be people that are looking for a career change or other experiences like that. 00:03:31.000 --> 00:03:35.000 Do you want to talk a little bit more about what RARE is? Yeah! 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:43.000 So the AmeriCorps programs vary a lot and RARE is just one example of one. 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:49.000 So if you're interested in this type of thing just know that theres definitely a lot of other options as well. 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:58.000 But the RARE program is just in Oregon and it brings in members like us from all over the country. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:03:63.000 So I'm originally from Arizona and I graduated from the University of Arizona. 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:09.000 Alexandra is from Illinois. She went to Illinois State University and we both ended up here in Oregon. 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:19.000 And the program lasts for 11 months. So we started in September and we're about halfway through now and we'll be done at the end of July. 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:28.000 They have a range of different topics of things that we can work on. The overall theme is community development. 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:32.000 And then there are different categories within that. So I'm working on rural tourism. 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:42.000 So I'm with Polk County, here, and working on projects to promote tourism in this agricultural area. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:46.000 Alexandra is working on downtown development in downtown Independence. 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:54.000 There are also members of the RARE program working on topics like disaster preparedness, city planning, 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:60.000 food systems and like food security for different communities. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:07.000 And things like that. So there's a range of different topics that you can do. 00:05:07.000 --> 00:05:15.000 You get paid a monthly living stipend. So thats true for all AmeriCorps programs and it varies depending on the program 00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:22.000 You don't really get paid a salary as you're not an official employee but you get enough money to live for your term of service. 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:30.000 The other thing about AmeriCorps and Rare is that if you stick with it and you put in your hours that are required 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:37.000 and you do your projects for the term you get and education award at the end of the year. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:43.000 So thats an extra amount of money that you can put towards graduate school or you can pay off student loans with it. 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:47.000 Or you can pay for other educational expenses in the future. 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:50.000 So thats another good benefit of participating. 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:57.000 And a couple other benefits. Most AmeriCorps programs, I think all, provide health insurance. 00:05:57.000 --> 00:05:64.000 Thats helpful along with that living stipend just to make sure you're living safely in your new community. 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:12.000 And also with the RARE program specifically it's administered through the University of Oregon's community center 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:19.000 So its partnered with AmeriCorps and because of that once you complete the program if you're interested in going to graduate school 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:25.000 afterwards you can get nine credit hours towards nonprofit management, 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:31.000 public administration or the community and regional planing program at the U of O 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:34.000 So thats just another perk about this program in specific. 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:41.000 A lot of AmeriCorps programs you can end up working with a graduate school to get some credit for the work that you did. 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:46.000 Yeah, so it's a really great stepping stone between college and grad school if that's one of your goals. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:52.000 Or as just something to do for a year before you jump into a career. Right. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:60.000 Yeah. So I guess maybe I can start talking about kind of personally how I got into doing RARE. 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:08.000 So like Ali mentioned I grew up in central Illinois and then ended up staying for college and I went to Illinois State University. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:13.000 I majored in interior design and I also had an urban studies minor. 00:07:13.000 --> 00:07:18.000 Through that urban studies minor I had a couple internships with our local city government. 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:22.000 Both on just the city level and then also the county and their planning departments. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:28.000 So I really wanted to kind of expand that experience but it was difficult. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:33.000 Or I wasn't sure if getting just a job right out of college is what I was interested in. 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:39.000 Especially with that design background as well. I wanted something sort of more transitional I guess. 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:44.000 So I stumbled upon the RARE program and that kind of just happened. 00:07:44.000 --> 00:07:50.000 I think I was looking at graduate school and I was looking at the U of O's website and then I saw this and I was like, thats super cool. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:55.000 Then I just like looked at a lot of AmeriCorps programs. Their websites really helpful. 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:58.000 Theres a good search thing where you can just say what you're interested in. 00:07:58.000 --> 00:07:61.000 Then it shows your programs from all over the United States. 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:05.000 But I ended up being really interested in RARE. 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:12.000 I ended up applying and kind of the process that RARE does, theres an initial application 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:20.000 And all this information, we have a good sheet for you guys. So if you're interested you can grab that. 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:24.000 So if you forget all this stuff that I'm babbling off to you. 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:30.000 Anyway you fill out that original application then once you get accepted you end up interviewing with different communities. 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:39.000 Like Ali mentioned theres a bunch of different kind of sub fields within the community development and planning arena. 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:45.000 I was really interested in downtown development so thats kind of the communities that I interviewed with. 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:50.000 Then they place you with kind of a mutual match. So that's what I ended up doing. 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:55.000 I got placed with the Independence downtown association. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:60.000 Another point about RARE is that it typically places you in rural communities. 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:08.000 Independence is on the scale of rural, not super rural just because it's so close to some good like city centers. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:14.000 You can also be placed like all the way out in Eastern Oregon like three hours away from anything. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:19.000 So if that's something you're interested in, like exploring a new part of Oregon, thats definitely an option. 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:26.000 So yeah, my official title with the Independence downtown association is their downtown manager. 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:32.000 Mostly I am kind of an organizer, a coordinator and kind of the communicator within the group. 00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:41.000 Its a nonprofit so mostly I'm only working with volunteers and I work closely with the city as well but thats a little separate. 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:49.000 Basically what my job is to kind of help build the organizational capacity of the group. 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:55.000 So that after I leave, after this year because I'm only here for 11 months, that they can continue their work 00:09:55.000 --> 00:09:60.000 and really help just grow the organization. 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:07.000 Especially with Independence, theres a lot of stuff happening with the hotel and businesses coming in. 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:11.000 So I think at this point IDA, which is the Independence downtown association 00:10:11.000 --> 00:10:17.000 they really have realized they need to grow and having me there is really helpful for them just as a resource 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:23.000 to kind of start working on like getting in the habit of filling out work plans and setting realistic goals 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:28.000 just things like that, that I'm kind of there as a nagger 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:33.000 to remind them that you guys are in a good direction but you need to keep doing this. 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:40.000 Its been really helpful for me personally. One of my goals with working in the downtown development arena was 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:42.000 was kind of to work on my people skills. 00:10:42.000 --> 00:10:46.000 That wasn't something that I was super used to because I had just been working in mostly just offices 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:50.000 kind of just sitting at a desk like working on plans or a map. 00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:57.000 So its been really interesting and really helpful for me to be sitting in on meetings and facilitating 00:10:57.000 --> 00:10:64.000 kind of these conversations and with like the community itself. 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:08.000 So let see here. 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:14.000 Yeah so basically even though we are still in our experience, our gap year experience, 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:20.000 it's really helped me kind of define what I'm interested in looking for in my next step. 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:23.000 I think during college I was like, this is what I'm going to do, you know 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:27.000 Like I'm going to move to Chicago and then I'm going to work for this design firm 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:32.000 and then I'm just going to live there for the rest of my life and make a lot of money and it'll be great. 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:40.000 And then I like found this and it really taught that kind of planning out your life in this straight path isn't necessarily the best option. 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:47.000 Because life doesn't work like that. So it's really helpful to be open to these new experiences 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:54.000 and just let them, I don't, like just let them allow you to like soak in all this new information 00:11:54.000 --> 00:11:60.000 and it really opens your eyes to things you might not have realized that you would be interested in working on. 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:05.000 So yeah. I think that sort of sums it up. 00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:13.000 Perfect. You want to head off to Scot and let him talk about PeaceCorps a little bit more and his background as well. Yes. 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:20.000 They're in their gap year, I'm not but I can talk about gap year. 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:26.000 So I'm one of the folks in the NorthWest, we have several, who do recruitment for the PeaceCorps 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:28.000 and PeaceCorps is a federal government program. 00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:34.000 It has an interesting story because it was started back by Kennedy when he was on the campaign trail 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:40.000 and this was back in the early 60's about seven or eight weeks before he was elected 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:46.000 and he was going to give a speech at the University of Michigan on the front steps of the student union 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:51.000 and back then he was traveling by train, his train was late and he arrived about midnight 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:56.000 and what a lot of people don't realize is a lot of the student unions in the mid west are also hotels. 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:61.000 So they actually have hotel rooms and he was staying at the student union at the University of Michigan. 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:05.000 So his train was late, it was midnight and he came in and he came around the corner 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:10.000 and there were a thousand students that were sitting on the front steps of the student union of the University of Michigan 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:16.000 and you know the consignment politician he wasn't going to let a thousand students go by even though he wasn't planning talking until the next day 00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:20.000 They wanted to hear what he had to say early and they were waiting for his arrival. 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.000 So he gave a talk on those front steps and thats where he threw out the question 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:33.000 He said would you be willing to give a couple of years of your life to go bring your skill to another country thats invited us 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:37.000 that may either not have enough of those skills or may no have any of those skills at all. 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:43.000 Would you be willing to do that if the government was willing to pay your way to go do it so anybody could do it? 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:47.000 You didn't have to be a person of means to be able to do it, anybody could afford to do it, 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:51.000 but you'd have to give up your two years of your life to go do it. Would you be willing to? 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:56.000 And what I love about this story is that it is so fascinating 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:60.000 because this is before the days of internet and social media and everything else 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:06.000 but that talk at midnight on the front steps of the student union went viral in a matter of a week and a half. 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:13.000 College campuses around the country were talking about this concepts of the PeaceCorps that Kennedy had brought up on those front steps. 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:19.000 And phones were ringing right and left into the Democratic national party saying that PeaceCorps thing, we want that. 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:23.000 So they contacted the Kennedy campaign and said, look that PeaceCorps thing that you talked about 00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:29.000 you need to make sure that happens if you're elected, make sure it happens fast and by the way keep talking about it because it's resinating with young people. 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:36.000 and thats how the thing got started. So he was elected and within the first month after he was inaugurated 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:41.000 he named Sargent Shriver to start the PeaceCorps and we've been around ever since with the same commitment. 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:47.000 So what we do is, we're in right now sixty different countries we're there at the invitation of those governments. 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:52.000 They identify the kinds of skills that they're looking for and we go out and find people who have those skills. 00:14:52.000 --> 00:14:56.000 And its very skills based. It's all about the skills. 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:64.000 So people will say to me, you know I went and studied a broad or I have a real interest in a lot of foreign countries and I've taken international affairs and all of that. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:08.000 We think thats all great but when we're looking for applicants for the PeaceCorps 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:11.000 we're looking for the skills that match up with what these countries need 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:18.000 because they've come to us and said we need it and we've said we'll go find it and we'll go pay for it and thats basically what we do. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:22.000 So the work that we do kind of falls under six broad categories. We're doing work in: 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:28.000 environmental science, agriculture, agriculture was the bedrock of the PeaceCorps that we we're founded upon. 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:33.000 We do a lot of teaching. We do a lot of english teaching, we do more teaching then anything else. 00:15:33.000 --> 00:15:36.000 We also do science and math teaching particularly in Africa. 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:46.000 We do a lot of business volunteering, the business work we do especially is we're working with a lot of non-profits 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:49.000 and helping them put together marketing plans and business plans 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:55.000 and helping them learn how to do excel and do power point presentations and budgeting and things like that. 00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:60.000 Because a lot of these non-profits have people who are really good in that thing that the non-profit does 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:06.000 but they don't necessarily have a lot of business skills so we bring in somebody to help them out with the business side. 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:13.000 We do a lot of community and youth development work in the PeaceCorps and that is out smallest sector. 00:16:13.000 --> 00:16:20.000 We have fewer openings for that and we have more applications for community and youth and development then anything else. 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:25.000 I like in that to the fact that the people that want to come and serve in the PeaceCorps, they're helper people. 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:28.000 They're people who have a background of helping other people. 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:33.000 And so it's a natural transition for those people to want to do community and youth development work. 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:37.000 We don't get as many business volunteers saying, you know I was going to go out and make a million 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:41.000 in the fist five years but I think I'd like to go work in the peace corps first. 00:16:41.000 --> 00:16:44.000 You know we get those people but not as many of them. 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:50.000 And we don't get as many people with agriculture degrees saying, you know I don't want to go home and work on the farm just yet. I think I want to go in the PeaceCorps. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:55.000 We get them, we just don't get as many, but the helper people we get those folks 00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:59.000 and they all want to come into community and youth development work and of corse thats our smallest sector. 00:16:59.000 --> 00:16:66.000 Every year we have about 3,500 volunteers, rather volunteer openings 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:12.000 and we get about 25 thousand applications for those 35 hundred openings. It has become more competitive. 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:16.000 I used to work for the PeaceCorps from 2001 to 2007 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:21.000 and back then we had about 35 hundred openings and we were getting about ten thousand applications per year. 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:25.000 So that just gives you a sense of how its grown from the early 2000's to what we have right now 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:29.000 and it just seems to continue to grow a little bit every single year. 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:36.000 But it's not impossible to get into and there are certain sectors within the PeaceCorps that are much easier to get into then others. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:40.000 We have a two tiered system for all of our volunteer openings. 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:45.000 So we have volunteer openings where you have to have a degree that lines up with one of those areas. 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:50.000 So you have to have an agriculture degree, environmental science degree, teaching degree, 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:55.000 social work degree for the community and youth development, business degree, public health degree or health education degree. 00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:62.000 But then in each of those categories we also have positions where we say, okay we will take a person who has a four year degree in anything. 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:08.000 So thats were the people with the theater degrees, political science degrees, international affairs, philosophy, you name it. 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:12.000 Those people come in but, and it's a big but because we'er all abut the skills, 00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:18.000 is you need to have some volunteer and or work experience that aligns with one of those areas. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:26.000 So let's say you have that political science degree but you want to do agricultural work then I'm going to come to you and say, have you got any expense working on a farm? 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:30.000 Have you ever worked in a nursery? Have you worked in a botanic garden before? 00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:34.000 And if not go out and get some of that experience under your belt because that will qualify you. 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:40.000 That's one of the reasons why I'm always saying to people if you talk to me early, you don't have to be a senior ready to apply, 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:47.000 let me talk to you when you're a freshman or sophomore because I can kind of look at a strategy to say if going into the PeaceCorps something you want to do 00:18:47.000 --> 00:18:52.000 here are the steps you can take to make sure you're a real competitive candidate when you come to apply. 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:58.000 So again let's say you got the political science degree but you want to english teaching in the PeaceCorps, 00:18:58.000 --> 00:18:64.000 then I'm going to ask, have you ever worked with non native english speakers before because we're going to be looking for that. 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:10.000 And if you haven't I can tell you these are the kinds of things you can do to get that experience under your belt that'll make you a competitive candidate. 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:13.000 So its kind of a two tiered thing, openings where you have to have the degree, 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:17.000 openings where you don't have to have the degree but you definitely have to have the experience 00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:23.000 and a lot of what I do as a recruiter is just talk to people and coach them and you end up doing a lot of career concealing too. 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:28.000 Just because I'm trying to help people see, okay let's say you're going into the PeaceCorps and you do this, 00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:34.000 here's what you can do afterwards when you come out with what you've done in the PeaceCorps 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:41.000 And there's a coupe of good benefits to it when you come out. For one year you have enhanced hiring status for any federal government jobs. 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:45.000 Its kind of like being a veteran, it gives you additional points that go on your application. 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:54.000 So you know let's say you're coming out of the sciences, you know you can use that and apply for jobs at the center for disease control, national institutes of health. 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:61.000 Let's say you're coming out of math or physics or something like that, you can use that to apply at NASA or the jet propulsion laboratory 00:20:01.000 --> 00:20:08.000 or any department of energies research laboratories of which they have a bunch of them. 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:13.000 Or let's say you're coming out with and environmental degree you can use that to work for national parks 00:20:13.000 --> 00:20:20.000 or you can use that to try to work for bureau of land management or US forest service that type of thing. 00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.000 So you got that thing that helps you career wise when you come out. 00:20:24.000 --> 00:20:34.000 In addition there are about right now 212 different colleges and universities that are offering graduate school fellowships just for return PeaceCorps volunteers. 00:20:34.000 --> 00:20:38.000 The nice thing about that is that you don't have a lot of competition for that. 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:42.000 Remember there are only 35 hundred people going into the PeaceCorps every year 35 hundred people coming out. 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:49.000 They're not all going to grad school and they all don't want to get a graduate degree in whatever it is you want to get. 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:53.000 So you got these 212 different schools around the country that are offering graduate school fellowships 00:20:53.000 --> 00:20:59.000 just for return PeaceCorps volunteers in a wide variety of majors and it varies in terms of what they're offering. 00:20:59.000 --> 00:20:67.000 Some of totally writing off the tuition, some are writing off the tuition and giving you living expenses, others just give you a discount on the tuition. 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:11.000 You can actually go on our website and see what shcool's are offering these fellowships. 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:17.000 That's another nice perk for people if they decide they want to do graduate school work after they come out of the PeaceCorps. 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:20.000 So that kind of in a nutshell is what we're all about. 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:30.000 It sounds trite to say it's a transformational experience but it is. It just gives you a different perspective on yourself, your capabilities, 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:36.000 it gives you a different perspective on poverty, on your own country, 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:42.000 you can just go down the list. It just gives you a different lenses to look at things through when you've served in the PeaceCorps. 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:49.000 And ultimately people have to want to help other people you know because that's the bottom line. You can't just go into it just for yourself 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:56.000 and your own self growth or whatever it can do for you career wise. You have to want to help people. And that's kind of what we're about. 00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:62.000 Awesome, perfect. Again thank you guys for providing your information and kind of the background experiences you guys had with AmeriCorps and PeaceCorps 00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:08.000 And again I know you talked about RARE as one that was honestly really beneficial for our students to learn about. 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:19.000 We're going to kick it off here with a Q and A session for our students to kind of ask a few questions to you guys. I'll kick it off here with kind of a sample question here 00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:24.000 How did your experience help guide you in your career path? I know you guys kind of touched on that a little bit 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:29.000 throughout the time but again do you guys want to go into more detail and we'll start off with Alexandra here. 00:22:29.000 --> 00:22:37.000 Right so like I mentioned it kind of just has been teaching me what I'm interested in, what I can see myself continuing to do. 00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:43.000 I've learned what I don't want to do you know and thats valuable to know. 00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:48.000 And I've also learned just like what I want to be looking for in my next steps. 00:22:48.000 --> 00:22:54.000 What I enjoy in a job, what I enjoy with working with people and all along that line. 00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:62.000 So really it just it's a great experience to not only kind of find that own personal growth and 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:09.000 help, this is super cheesy, but find yourself what you're interested n but also ding that while helping a community is really great. 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:14.000 Well I would definitely echo the main point of what Alexandra said. 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:24.000 That it really does teach you a lot about yourself to do this type of work immerced in a new community for this whole year. 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:32.000 You show up and you really like don't know where you're going, you don't know any of the people, you don't know what to expect. 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:37.000 You just try to start by meeting everyone and figuring out what you're doing. 00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:43.000 And you know then you get into this and you're suddenly immersed in this whole other environment and ding this work that you 00:23:43.000 --> 00:23:52.000 It's totally different then college and you have a totally different schedule a totally different network, you have a different day to day routine. 00:23:52.000 --> 00:23:59.000 And it really encourages a lot of self reflection on what type if work I really get satisfaction from. 00:23:59.000 --> 00:23:66.000 What type of day to day things I enjoy doing and what things make me want to give up on everything. 00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:11.000 And what things are really exciting to me. 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:19.000 Its great because it's a win win. You are there making a difference and you're helping a community that needs a person there to help them. 00:24:19.000 --> 00:24:29.000 But at the same time it really is about gaining skills that you didn't hav and doing a ton of self reflection about where you want to go from there 00:24:29.000 --> 00:24:40.000 So it's a really great thing to do if you're questioning what you should be doing with yourself for the future after college. 00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:44.000 Sweet thank you guys for that and on to Scot with that. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:50.000 Well because I'm not doing a gap year what I'm going to do is say what I've seen from people who are serving in the PeaceCorps. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:56.000 The question frequently comes, up should I do it after an undergraduate degree or should I do it after a graduate degree? 00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:62.000 I cannot tell you the number of people who come out of the PeaceCorps who say wow 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:11.000 I went in thinking I want to this XYZ with my life and then I went into the PeaceCorps and now I want to do ABC instead. 00:25:11.000 --> 00:25:17.000 So having these epiphanies is a real, people do they have epiphanies about what they want to do. 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:21.000 And it usually, I mean it relates to something that they ended up doing in the PeaceCorps that they were 00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:27.000 exposed to there that they find out wow I really like that. 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:31.000 And I like that enough that I want to make that apart of what I'm doing you know later on. 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:38.000 So I always tell people that because of these epiphanies, the same thing happens people go in and they do masters degrees, 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:47.000 and they come out and they go into the PeaceCorps. And then they come out and say wow I thought I wanted to do but now I want to do that. 00:25:47.000 --> 00:25:55.000 And its one thing to have that epiphany after your undergraduate degree because it's easier to turn around and compensate for it as you do your masters. 00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:64.000 But I feel for the people because they happen they come out after their masters and say wow now I'm going to go back to school because I want to do this instead. 00:26:04.000 --> 00:26:11.000 So it really does, I can't tell you, it just gives you some clarity. A lot of people, a lot of people clarity abut what they want to do. 00:26:11.000 --> 00:26:20.000 And that clarity often times could be a 180 or you know maybe a 100. It's a little askew from what they thought it was going in. 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:26.000 So I think it's a great opportunity just to give you experiences and exposure 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:33.000 to things that clarify what it is you want to do because we all have to figure out what we want to do when we grow up. 00:26:33.000 --> 00:26:40.000 Very true. Awesome so again thank you for that response Scot. Now we go to the audience here. 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:43.000 Does the audience have any questions for the panelists here by chance? 00:26:43.000 --> 00:26:53.000 Your loans deferred during the time you're in the program and maybe a little after. Can you say a little about student loans how they get deferred or not. 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:58.000 Yeah I can speak to that a little bit for our program at least and its pretty similar. 00:26:58.000 --> 00:26:66.000 Actually, yeah our program, it is the same for all AmeriCorps programs. You're able to defer your loans for the time that you're serving. 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:13.000 Which means that so the loans that I have I don't have to start paying on them until I am done my service term. 00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:22.000 And then you also, after you finish an AmeriCorps term of service you receive an almost 6,000 dollar education stipend. 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:30.000 Which can be used to pay back loans or be used for future schooling. So thats definitely a benefit from the program. 00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:37.000 And you don't have to pay any interest that accumulates on your loans during the year of service either. 00:27:37.000 --> 00:27:41.000 You just, you just like pause on those and start paying them when you're done. 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:48.000 And Scot? Yes, and thats true. It is the same thing with the PeaceCorps. 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:57.000 So you can defer your loans typically. There are a few lenders that will not defer the loans or require just a little bit of interest paid while you're in service. 00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:64.000 Not very many and frankly I've never run into anybody yet who has had this but I hear it occurs. 00:28:04.000 --> 00:28:10.000 You get a 9,450 dollar readjustment allowance when you come out of the PeaceCorps. 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:16.000 We open up an account in a local bank in the local currency and put money in there on a monthly basis for you to live off of. 00:28:16.000 --> 00:28:22.000 But you get that 9,450 in addition to at the end if you have a lender that is requiring 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:28.000 any interest paid you can actually draw in advance from that 9,450 to pay that interest. 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:34.000 And on terms of deferment theres a federal program for people who work in public service 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:43.000 that gives some loan forgiveness as long as you pay on your loans, gives you some loan forgiveness at the end of ten years of doing that. 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:52.000 So PeaceCorps service can be included in those ten years of service but obviously you have to know I'm going into public service kind of work. 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:57.000 working for a county, non-profit organization, school that type of thing. 00:28:57.000 --> 00:28:61.000 And you have to know you're going to do that and you pay on your loan for ten years 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:06.000 presumably you pay the minimum because then you start getting forgiveness at the end of the ten years. 00:29:06.000 --> 00:29:09.000 So your PeaceCorps service can do that. 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:16.000 And then if you have Perkins Loans, which very few people do, Perkins loans you get a fifteen percent 00:29:16.000 --> 00:29:22.000 forgiveness for every year served in the PeaceCorps but the rest of them they just defer. 00:29:22.000 --> 00:29:26.000 Awesome thank you for that response. Any one else from the audience. 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:30.000 What has been the most fun part of your experience? 00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:33.000 So I guess I can start off. Mine is just moving to Oregon. 00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:42.000 So I grew up in central Illinois which is super exciting and fun being surround by cornfields and flat lands. 00:29:42.000 --> 00:29:47.000 So for me it was coming out here and experiencing, and I have never been any further west then Colorado, 00:29:47.000 --> 00:29:56.000 so a big part of my experiences was just being able to see this new area of the same country I that I grew up in but something that I'd never experienced before 00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:62.000 And also with RARE, with our program it's really nice because you're automatically plugged into 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:08.000 a group of people that are experiencing the exact same thing as you just throughout the state. 00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:13.000 And I got really really lucky to be able to be placed here in Independence with Ali. 00:30:13.000 --> 00:30:19.000 So just being able to come out here and kind of already have a group of friends 00:30:19.000 --> 00:30:25.000 and be ale to explore the pacific northwest with them has been really awesome. 00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:32.000 Yeah. To me two really great things about the RARE program that are really fun. 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:43.000 One is what Alexandra just said which is our cohort. So each year there's a group of the members who come into the different placement across the state 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:50.000 This year I thin theres about 25 of us and were all sprinkled across Oregon but we get together a few times throughout the years. 00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:59.000 So we all come together for orientation at the beginning before we start and we meet each other and usually most of us don't know anyone else. 00:30:59.000 --> 00:30:66.000 And then we have other trainings throughout the year where we get together again and then people travel to see each other and stay with each other 00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:13.000 and plan trips together and we just did a big trip to Sun River as a group in January. 00:31:13.000 --> 00:31:20.000 So thats really fun because you've got people who are going through the same experience with you in different places across the state. 00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:29.000 And the other thing that really fun about RARE is they really value professional development for everyone who is apart of it 00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:38.000 so they encourage you to go to as many things as you can during this eleven months so they pay for you to go to conferences and to travel 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:49.000 and like for example, I went to a conference on outdoor recreation in Corvallis and I went to and agritourism conference in Silverton. 00:31:49.000 --> 00:31:56.000 and we went to a training up in the Gorge and we went to a training in Roseburg and we went to 00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:64.000 just so many things, theres always something going on they encourage you to go to and pay for it. 00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:08.000 You get to experience so much being able to travel a lot to which is really fun. 00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:10.000 Nice, and Scot? 00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:18.000 Sure. I think, trying to speak for the PeaceCorps volunteers, I'll tell you the most common themes of what they enjoy 00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:26.000 is coming out, is the hospitality they experience in the countries they're in. 00:32:26.000 --> 00:32:36.000 It doesn't matter which county they serve in they come back and they're, what do I want to say? It's almost overwhelming 00:32:36.000 --> 00:32:40.000 in a good way, not in a bad way because you can be overwhelmed badly, 00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:46.000 but they're just overwhelmed at the hospitality that they have benefited from in these countries. 00:32:46.000 --> 00:32:53.000 In the United States we don't know hospitality the way that most of the other countries around the world know hospitality. 00:32:53.000 --> 00:32:63.000 And so just every time you know people are cooking for them and inviting them over to their homes and really incorporating them into their families. 00:33:03.000 --> 00:33:14.000 And you know truly giving the shirt off your back, it's that kind of experience that they experience in all these countries that we're going to. 00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:24.000 And that is such a common theme when they come back is like wow I just was so impressed with what the local people, did for us while we were there . 00:33:24.000 --> 00:33:30.000 Which is you know I mean its just incredibly gratifying and very humbling at the same time. 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:36.000 Nice. And again thank you guys for your responses. I actually had a question too its been like really itching with me. 00:33:36.000 --> 00:33:45.000 So one of the thing is you mentioned is traveling and how much traveling did you all do being a part of AmeriCorps and PeaceCorps 00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:51.000 and whats the most fun place you guys been to and again rewarding experiences you guys had 00:33:51.000 --> 00:33:55.000 I know you mentioned being in the PeaceCorps you guys serve many different countries 00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:58.000 and again you guys serving in AmeriCorps you know you guys serve the surrounding commutes. 00:33:58.000 --> 00:33:65.000 Again whats some of the most rewarding experiences you guys had while traveling and again what the most fun place you guys have visited? 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:07.000 So I guess we'll start wit Alexandra here. 00:34:07.000 --> 00:34:14.000 Yeah so like Ali mentioned a lot of our official trainings with the program are, they do them throughout the state. 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:21.000 So we get to really learn about Oregon which is awesome especially for the people that come from out of state. 00:34:21.000 --> 00:34:26.000 And even from the people that are instate and haven't really experienced all the parts of Oregon. 00:34:26.000 --> 00:34:34.000 I think one of the memories that sticks out the most is our fall training which was in the Gorge and that was right after all of the forest fires were happening 00:34:34.000 --> 00:34:43.000 and it was cool because we got to see the community and all of the groups that had come in to help serve that region and help with the fires. 00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:50.000 It was really heartwarming to see how the community came together during that hard time 00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:56.000 and it just was just really nice to see that while being in an absolutely beautiful area. 00:34:56.000 --> 00:34:60.000 Awesome thank you guys, and Ali? 00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:08.000 Well like I said there's so many chances to go on trips during RARE which is really great. 00:35:08.000 --> 00:35:22.000 One of the coolest things I've got to do so far is go with the other five tourism themed RARE members to this weekend in Portland in November. 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:30.000 So the six of us went up to Portland and met with everyone who works at the Travel Oregon office there 00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:39.000 and they took us on these tours of all these local like artisans basically in the city 00:35:39.000 --> 00:35:48.000 and thy took us out to dinner and we went on tours doing all these tastings or different culinary things as a way of promoting travel to the area. 00:35:48.000 --> 00:35:53.000 Experiencing what a you know tour operator who's planning a tour might experience. 00:35:53.000 --> 00:35:60.000 Just things that I never would of thought about having a change to do that just came up and you're invited to 00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:06.000 and its really fun to be doing things like that throughout the year. 00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:08.000 Perfect thank you and Scot? 00:36:08.000 --> 00:36:18.000 You know in the PeaceCorps people end up getting vacation time that accrues. You get two days of vacation for every month that you serve in the PeaceCorps. 00:36:18.000 --> 00:36:23.000 So very much like folks in AmeriCorps here in Oregon that are all part of this program 00:36:23.000 --> 00:36:27.000 we've got PeaceCorps volunteers in a certain country that are sprinkles throughout the country 00:36:27.000 --> 00:36:31.000 and because they've gone through, we go through three months of training all together, 00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:35.000 so the people who come in at the same time as you do you get to know them very well 00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:40.000 because it's very intense training and you're all living together and working together and that type of thing. 00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:44.000 So it's not at all uncommon that people go and they take their vacation time and weekends and go 00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:48.000 visit other PeaceCorps volunteers and see things within the country. 00:36:48.000 --> 00:36:56.000 I think that the most impactful stories come from the people who also end up, 00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:65.000 you know its one thing to see some kind of scenery you know like Victoria Falls and you know Zimbabwe or something like that 00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:10.000 but the things people really talk about are the intercultural experiences where 00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:16.000 they've gotten to be a part of something that as a tourist you would never be apart of 00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:29.000 and it may be a wedding, it may be a funeral, it may be some celebration of you know of all the young boys in the village reaching manhood. 00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:37.000 I mean you get these cultural experience that a tourist doesn't get to but because you're a part of the community. 00:37:37.000 --> 00:37:48.000 Or it may be some kind of a saints day or a festival and these are the things that, and you know again these celebrations they can go on for days and days you know. 00:37:48.000 --> 00:37:54.000 These are the things that people come back and just say you now i could have never had this experience as a tourist. 00:37:54.000 --> 00:37:60.000 Its always someone who's actually living and working in there where you get these kinds of intercultural experiences. 00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:06.000 Nice, awesome thank you. Thats really like heartwarming to hear. Any other questions from the audience here. 00:38:06.000 --> 00:38:13.000 Ali what encouraged you to apply? What was your undergraduate degree? How did that process go for you? 00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:19.000 I graduated from the University of Arizona in 2016 00:38:19.000 --> 00:38:25.000 and I had an undergraduate major in anthropology and a minor in evolutionary biology 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:37.000 and I really felt like I needed an experience that would take me out of school and put me into doing something that felt more real to me. 00:38:37.000 --> 00:38:42.000 because I really enjoyed school and I felt like I learned so much by the time I was graduating 00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:48.000 and I just had this need to take it out and do something with it. 00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:54.000 So I was really interested in AmeriCorps once I found out about what AmeriCorps was 00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:61.000 and I stumbled upon the RARE program similarly to Alexandra, I just found it while I was searching around online. 00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:08.000 And I decided to apply for it thinking well if I get accepted to this program I guess I'll move to Oregon and do this for a year. 00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:13.000 Which is what happened and I'm super glad that I did it 00:39:13.000 --> 00:39:22.000 and I feel like I can't believe I'm only half way through my term right now because so much has changed since I've come here. 00:39:22.000 --> 00:39:28.000 It's been really great and I definitely achieved my goal of 00:39:28.000 --> 00:39:34.000 applying everything that I've learned out with a community of real people and making some real change happen. 00:39:34.000 --> 00:39:39.000 Awesome thank you Ali. Any other questions from our audience here? 00:39:39.000 --> 00:39:45.000 What type of community involvement would you be doing in PeaceCorps like can you give examples? 00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:55.000 And then also like what type f experience would you recommend doing to prepare yourself for that? 00:39:55.000 --> 00:39:60.000 Community youth development, because it is our smallest sector and we have some many applicants for it, 00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:03.000 you need as much preparation as you can possibly get. 00:40:03.000 --> 00:40:09.000 So the kinds of things that are going to qualify, its a combination of thing kinds of things you folks are doing 00:40:09.000 --> 00:40:15.000 and then we bundle that together and then we've got youth things that people do 00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:20.000 and getting experience in either one or the other is going to help to qualify you. 00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:28.000 So very much the kinds of things that you are doing are the same kind of things that we do in community development in foreign countries 00:40:28.000 --> 00:40:35.000 and getting as much experience doing that kind of thing before you go is going to make you competitive when you apply. 00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:41.000 Going back to youth development kinds of work, the more work you can do with youth 00:40:41.000 --> 00:40:48.000 and you really have to stack it up. Especially if you can be working with at risk youth is going to help. 00:40:48.000 --> 00:40:57.000 So doing things like woking with Boy's and Girl's club, working with teens in say Planned Parenthood 00:40:57.000 --> 00:40:64.000 working in an outdoor school, working as camp councilors 00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:11.000 those are the kinds of experiences and the more you can put those things together the more competitive 00:41:11.000 --> 00:41:16.000 you'll be for getting either youth development or community development doing the kinds of things they are doing. 00:41:16.000 --> 00:41:21.000 Awesome thank you Scot. Any other questions from our audience here? 00:41:21.000 --> 00:41:27.000 Yeah just kind of had a practical question. So for Alexandra and Ali, when you came here did you have housing 00:41:27.000 --> 00:41:34.000 and everything kind of organized for you or did you have to kind of arrange for all of that and kind of set up housing? 00:41:34.000 --> 00:41:40.000 Yeah so for RARE you find housing on your own but they're very helpful 00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:44.000 with connecting you with people in your community to help you do that 00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:50.000 And Ali and I again we're really lucky that we're here in Independence which is not a super Rural area, like its easy to find apartments here. 00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:58.000 We were also able to look for a place together but for most of our other people they really relied on those community connections. 00:41:58.000 --> 00:41:65.000 You're talking to somebody you don't know so that requires a level of trust which can be nerve racking 00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:08.000 but its something that you just have to be open to 00:42:08.000 --> 00:42:16.000 and it always works out. Everyone always like comes out and typically has somewhere to live once they move out here. 00:42:16.000 --> 00:42:20.000 Yeah it kind of depends which community you're placed in. 00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:27.000 The RARE program will not like organize the housing for you but in some communities its easier then other. 00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:36.000 A couple people you know end up living sort of on someones couch 00:42:36.000 --> 00:42:40.000 they got connected with for a couple weeks until they can find something 00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:48.000 or you know someone is living in the guest house of one of the main members of the board of he non profit that they are working for. 00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:58.000 Last year someone stayed temporarily in the mayor of the towns house for a month until she got her own place. 00:42:58.000 --> 00:42:64.000 So theres a couple instances where it's a little tricky to find housing because you do find out where you are placed over the summer 00:43:04.000 --> 00:43:12.000 and then you're expected to show up in September so it's a quick turn around but everyone has somewhere and no ones homeless. 00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:21.000 And the community they're excited for you to be there so they're really open to helping you out 00:43:21.000 --> 00:43:29.000 and I guess just on a more technical note about our application process its not as in depth as the PeaceCorps 00:43:29.000 --> 00:43:36.000 So like I graduated last year in the spring and was going through the application process starting in that spring. 00:43:36.000 --> 00:43:43.000 So I think our paper applications are due in April and then after a month you hear if you got in and then like 00:43:43.000 --> 00:43:47.000 after another month in June you start having those interviews throughout the summer 00:43:47.000 --> 00:43:51.000 and then I think at the beginning of August you find out where you're placed 00:43:51.000 --> 00:43:57.000 and then you move out in like three weeks and get started at orientation and then in your communities. 00:43:57.000 --> 00:43:65.000 So it's definitely a fast paced and kind of I don't know what I'm going to be doing process but it's definitely worth it. 00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:10.000 For me I kind of mentioned earlier that I used to be this like super planner and this is what I'm gonna do 00:44:10.000 --> 00:44:18.000 and it taught me it's okay not to be like that and it works out if you are motivated and determined to make it happen 00:44:18.000 --> 00:44:21.000 Awesome and Scot did you have anything to add to that? 00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:27.000 Actually I was going to talk about housing because I live in a very rural community 00:44:27.000 --> 00:44:33.000 where we have had, up until this last year, were had AmeriCorps volunteers and theres only 4,000 people in the entire county. 00:44:33.000 --> 00:44:40.000 And you know the thing is when you're in really small communities like that you know nobody ever goes homeless 00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:43.000 even if theres not a whole lot of housing stock somebody is going to find a place for you. 00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:49.000 You know when you're in a small community thats when someone can get on the phone and say you know Joe 00:44:49.000 --> 00:44:54.000 you know you've got that motor home that your'e not using and its just sitting there on the property can some body crash there until we can find a place. 00:44:54.000 --> 00:44:61.000 I mean those are kinds of things that happen in very rural communities because everyone is so interconnected so its great. 00:45:01.000 --> 00:45:08.000 And we loved our AmeriCorps volunteer and we're very resentful our funding was taken away. 00:45:08.000 --> 00:45:12.000 Again thank you guys for the responses here about housing. Any one else have a question? 00:45:12.000 --> 00:45:17.000 Yes Scot I had a question in particular for you bing later in your career 00:45:17.000 --> 00:45:20.000 and not currently in your gap year experience, I know you have done PeaceCorps yourself. 00:45:20.000 --> 00:45:24.000 How have you seen that trajectory help you in this way? 00:45:24.000 --> 00:45:28.000 Well actually I didn't do PeaceCorps. Oh I'm Wrong I thought you did. No No. 00:45:28.000 --> 00:45:33.000 I'm one of two recruiters in the whole country who has never done PeaceCorps before and I came in through the back door 00:45:33.000 --> 00:45:44.000 So I did public relations work for six, five and a half years for the PeaceCorps and they would never hire anybody who hadn't served in the PeaceCorps 00:45:44.000 --> 00:45:47.000 and then finally they did and I thought if you've done it once you can do it a second time. 00:45:47.000 --> 00:45:51.000 So I convince them because I've worked with so many people who have gone in 00:45:51.000 --> 00:45:54.000 and I've been to so many PeaceCorps countries and all that kind of stuff that they hired me. 00:45:54.000 --> 00:45:61.000 But certainly working for the PeaceCorps has had a tremendous impact on my career 00:46:01.000 --> 00:46:08.000 And its made career so much more enjoyable because it's such a rewarding. 00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:13.000 You know I think life is short and you need to do something that you really feel good about doing 00:46:13.000 --> 00:46:20.000 and it makes a difference and it makes you feel at the end of the day that you know you're doing something to help humanity. 00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:25.000 You know anybody can go out there and make money and you know making money is good in and of its self 00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:30.000 but you know no matter what you're doing in your career you're going to have highs and lows 00:46:30.000 --> 00:46:39.000 and when you have those lows at least you can say you know what I'm doing in the whole scheme of things no matter what low is going on 00:46:39.000 --> 00:46:44.000 I am making a difference. There's a good reason for me bing here and doing things. 00:46:44.000 --> 00:46:47.000 So that has been phenomenal and I just feel very honored 00:46:47.000 --> 00:46:51.000 to even be able to work with people and talk to them about the PeaceCorps and be associated with the program. 00:46:51.000 --> 00:46:58.000 And my background is in public relations and marketing. I came to work for the PeaceCorps doing PR and marketing because I was so cynical 00:46:58.000 --> 00:46:63.000 after years of showing for other people doing PR and 00:47:03.000 --> 00:47:08.000 anybody who really has a conscious if you work in public relations you should feel that way by the end of your career. 00:47:08.000 --> 00:47:13.000 And I said you know I must work for somebody that I really believe in 00:47:13.000 --> 00:47:17.000 and it was a real short list and the PeaceCorps was it and I ended up getting a job with them 00:47:17.000 --> 00:47:21.000 which I didn't know how lucky I was and thats kind of how I gravitated to where I am today. 00:47:21.000 --> 00:47:27.000 Thank you. Anyone else have a question here in the audience? 00:47:27.000 --> 00:47:37.000 I do have one more question to add, again it was something that was kind of like itching behind me as well so this goes to all the panelists here. 00:47:37.000 --> 00:47:45.000 How much will benefit me for example if to say someone goes into a career in agriculture like you mentioned or just any career in general? 00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:51.000 How much will the benefit you, I'm talking about leveling here, will this you know put me toward that better spot? 00:47:51.000 --> 00:47:55.000 For example like you want to become a teacher will that make me a stand out candidate? 00:47:55.000 --> 00:47:60.000 Some of the skills you receive I understand its very skilled based in the PeaceCorps 00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:04.000 but as I was wondering like are there any added skills you might gain from AmeriCorps and PeaceCorps? 00:48:04.000 --> 00:48:09.000 So thats kind of my question again how much will it benefit me and I guess well start with Alexandra here. 00:48:09.000 --> 00:48:15.000 Yeah so for the RARE program specifically again, since its in a rural environment 00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:21.000 you're placed in a position that you normally wouldn't be placed in, in a larger city 00:48:21.000 --> 00:48:27.000 and you're really just getting that hands on experience that you wouldn't be able to do for example right out of college. 00:48:27.000 --> 00:48:34.000 And kind of being in that community development field and being involved in that grass roots change 00:48:34.000 --> 00:48:41.000 with the community itself teaches you so many valuable skills tat you would be able to talk about at interviews 00:48:41.000 --> 00:48:46.000 and like working with people relays to pretty much any career field 00:48:46.000 --> 00:48:55.000 and the kind of experiences that we are getting will be super valuable in pretty much any job you can think of. 00:48:55.000 --> 00:48:58.000 So that's one of the biggest things in my opinion. 00:48:58.000 --> 00:48:60.000 And Ali? 00:49:00.000 --> 00:49:10.000 Yeah with RARE if you are interested at all in a career working on any of those topics that RARE covers which is 00:49:10.000 --> 00:49:16.000 planning, working for a government or local government, 00:49:16.000 --> 00:49:25.000 working in tourism, working in renewable energy, food systems, or 00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:32.000 disaster preparedness and resilience. If you're interested in any of those this is amazing career preparation 00:49:32.000 --> 00:49:40.000 that just really puts you at like a high level and not only like gives you skills but introduces you to a ton of people. 00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:44.000 There are a ton of people who've done RARE and then stayed in the public sector 00:49:44.000 --> 00:49:52.000 and went to grad school or didn't but are around Oregon that you end up working with and it's all very connected 00:49:52.000 --> 00:49:60.000 you've got a great leg up on your career if you're interested in that stuff and if you're not its still extremely beneficial to go through this experience 00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:07.000 and you still learn so much that applicable so its a great career thing 00:50:07.000 --> 00:50:15.000 and I'll even add also the fact that the RARE programs staff are really amazing 00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:22.000 and they are very dedicated to making sure that everyone who goes through the program has a lot of like career support. 00:50:22.000 --> 00:50:31.000 The program staff work with you really closely and they get to know you and they put on these trainings for you and these trainings also include stuff like 00:50:31.000 --> 00:50:38.000 you know understanding how your personality influences how well you work in different career settings 00:50:38.000 --> 00:50:47.000 and all these other career based trainings that you go through throughout the year so thats another great thing regardless of which field you want to go into 00:50:47.000 --> 00:50:50.000 Awesome, thank you Ali and Alexandra. And Scot? 00:50:50.000 --> 00:50:54.000 I can just say ditto. It's kind of the same thing in the PeaceCorps. You end up 00:50:54.000 --> 00:50:57.000 theres so many different skills sets that you end up using 00:50:57.000 --> 00:50:66.000 that you often times you know if you're taking a job right out of school often times its gonna be more narrow or focused on just one kind of a thing 00:51:06.000 --> 00:51:09.000 but in the kinds of things that we're doing, just like you, we're doing it all. 00:51:09.000 --> 00:51:14.000 So you really get to get a lot of experience under your belt that you can throw on a resume and say yeah 00:51:14.000 --> 00:51:21.000 I budgeted and I managed and I pulled together volunteers and you know 00:51:21.000 --> 00:51:27.000 I did all these things that are going to have some kind of application for you know some future job hopefully. 00:51:27.000 --> 00:51:36.000 Thats very good to hear. Again thank you guys for your responses. Do we have any other questions from our audience here today? 00:51:36.000 --> 00:51:40.000 Last chance. 00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:45.000 Sweet. So I guess that'll kind of sum up our Q and A and our even as a whole. 00:51:45.000 --> 00:51:48.000 Again thank you guys for attending this event. 00:51:48.000 --> 00:51:54.000 And also thank you to our panelist Alexandra, Ali, and Scot for coming to speak to our students about gap year. 00:51:54.000 --> 00:51:59.000 I know I was excited about this event and hosting this event with my other members in the office as well. 00:51:59.000 --> 00:51:63.000 So I also want to thank Kathryn and Adry for being a really good support for this event. 00:52:03.000 --> 00:52:06.000 So lets give a little round of applause for our panelist here today. 00:52:06.000 --> 00:52:09.000 Applause. 00:52:09.000 --> 00:52:24.000 Music