Gaia University associates seeking international project opportunities will soon be able to apply their action learning goals towards service in the  Peace Corps. A new collaboration between Gaia University and the Peace Corps will enable students to earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Integrative Ecosocial Design with the standard two-year Peace Corps commitment serving as their capstone (final) year. Associates will engage in projects that address food insecurity and global climate change through permaculture design, organic farming, health education and community organizing.

The Peace Corps traces its roots back to 1961, when President John F. Kennedy challenged university students to commit two years of their lives to live in developing countries and work with local community members in the fields of education, community development, social and environmental justice and sustainable agriculture. Today, volunteers serve the Peace Corps mission of world-peace through projects in 74 countries across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe and the Middle East.

In 2008, the Peace Corps formed the Worldwide Food Security Task Force, which provides its host country partners with volunteers equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to address the devastating impacts of food insecurity. Having recognized the immense strategic value of the new field of ecosocial design, and the high level of competence and commitment that Gaia University associates bring to this discipline, the Peace Corps recently sought out a collaboration with Gaia U that would make it possible for Peace Corps volunteers to apply ecosocial design strategies to food security issues at a local level. Associates who are aspiring ecosocial designers will now have the invaluable opportunity to design and implement food security solutions around the world with the support of both the Peace Corps and Gaia University program structures.

Associates with practical knowledge in permaculture design, organic farming and gardening, health advocacy, sustainable business management or community development will live as members of a rural, underserved community in the “two-thirds world” for two years, working alongside local farmers, organizers and educators to help them meet their communities’ food and nutritional needs, and to build partnerships that further empower them to make decisions at a local level.

Some specific examples of projects possibilities are school and community garden development; land-use design for low-impact, high-yield food production; education about natural fertilization and pest management; business planning for agricultural micro-enterprises; workshops for food and nutrition education; and regenerative farming and gardening demonstration. Associates will also have the opportunity to build skills in community organizing by introducing groups that represent diverse interests to various participatory decision-making processes practiced within Gaia University. As with any Gaia University IESD degree pathway, the Peace Corps option will require in-depth process and project documentation in addition to vigorous project work.

Both the Peace Corps and Gaia University recognize the importance of creating tangible, lasting change through projects that are culturally sensitive. As such, associates will receive strong support in designing projects that are well integrated with the local customs and circumstances of the communities they serve.

Peace Corps volunteers receive full medical coverage during their service, and generous funds for transition when the full 27-month term of service has been completed. Additionally, the Peace Corps provides its volunteers with an allowance that enables them to live in a manner similar to the local people in the community where they serve, so no debts for living expenses are incurred while in the filed.