Flexibility and leaving expectations behind are two things that Peace Corps stresses. Previously, I worked for years for a globalized company and then taught college courses in a minority community college where students came from far corners of the world. I have traveled, read and studied other cultures. Still, I was surprised at the cultural norms that dictated how people viewed me as a volunteer and Peace Corps as an organization. Hence, the words 'flexibility and expectations' continue to add meaning.
It doesn’t seem long ago that I was standing in Miami International Airport with my allotted eighty pounds of luggage, looking around at the other thirty-nine people that would land with me in the Eastern Caribbean island of Saint Lucia.
I remember almost each step I took off the airplane and onto Saint Lucia’s soil in the heat of the day and asking myself “what have I done?” Within a few minutes we were in the parking lot talking with the volunteers who were excited to meet us. Finally, we slowly took cover from the rain inside the bus that would take us to the Pastoral Center for our orientation. I remember thinking “this is so right for me”. After a few days we were sent 'home' with our host families, training began and seven weeks later we were sworn in as Peace Corps Volunteers.
I have worked with two IPPs (Institutional Point Person which means the person with which a volunteer is assigned) and most clearly remember my first meeting with Brenda. During my time on the island, I have discovered three characteristics that both the IPP and volunteer must have to achieve success.
- The IPP and PCV are in it for the right reasons. Both are respected leaders in the community and there is a willing following. The people working along side the IPP and Peace Corps Volunteer are motivated and committed - or at least have the potential to be motivated and committed.
- Leave expectations behind and practice flexibility. The PCV and IPP want to collaborate. Together the volunteer and IPP discover diverse ways to do new things, to motivate the people around them and to achieve success in their projects.
- Relationships are important and built. Good listening skills, shared leadership, building off each others ideas and giving credit where it is due are just a few things that spawn great relationships.
Intellectually, this is easily understood but in practice when two people from two cultures come together it can be a challenge. If these characteristics are not present it's a waste of time.
For the most part, Peace Corps Volunteers don't have the answers, but we offer fresh perspective and add a new dimension of thinking diversity. Maximizing collaboration, sharing openly to discover new paths to success, and practicing good communication skills to create understanding, and yes, sometimes tolerance, can be found when an IPP and the Volunteer are chasing the same result: success.
I have had both successful and unsuccessful experience with IPPs. The most difficult thing for most people to accept is change, and change is not only important for the IPP, but also for the volunteer. The ability of the IPP and volunteer to work together to create meaningful work is dependent on these characteristics. Volunteers are here not just here to teach, but to learn.
The moment I met Brenda, we clicked. She is a collaborator. We are working on an after-school program together. This is a picture of Brenda and her son Lyle. I've been following her around for a couple of weeks to get a good picture of her. I was never successful so I went to her Facebook page and stole this photo.
I created a workshop a few months ago for the facilitators. During the workshop we talked about how our perceptions become reality. We discussed a child who was labeled as a “trouble-maker” and they were ready to dismiss him from the program. Although he is only ten, he has the label firmly fastened to his chest. He brought it with him to the program, he brings it with him to school and in the community.
Together we urged the facilitators of the program to give the boy another chance by changing their expectations of him, thereby allowing him to react in a positive manner. The boy has improved dramatically. After a vacation off-island, I returned to find a message waiting for me from Brenda. It appears his teachers are also marveling at the behavior progress he has shown. She said, “We are making a difference!”
Success is measured in small and sustainable change. Small change will eventually add up to big change, but not likely pointed at one person. I've concluded it is the team of volunteers, IPPs and the people living in the villages that, over time, achieve real lasting success. It starts with two people from two different cultures working together, being flexible, leaving expectations behind and moving together toward common goals and vision.
