Premieres April 3 at 7:30 p.m. on WPBT2
The Peace Corps traces its roots and mission to 1960, when then-Senator John F. Kennedy challenged students at the University of Michigan to serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries.
From that inspiration grew a federal government agency devoted to world peace and friendship. Within weeks of his inauguration, President Kennedy signed Executive Order 10924, establishing the Peace Corps on a temporary pilot basis.
By June 30, 1962, there are 2,816 volunteers in the field in 28 host countries: Afghanistan, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, Iran, Jamaica, Liberia, Malaysia, Nepal, Niger, Peru, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Senegal, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, and Venezuela.
The Peace Corps' mission has had three simple goals since its inception:
- Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
- Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
- Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
The Peace Corps, a WPBT2 original documentary, highlights the experiences of South Floridians such as the University of Miami's President Donna Shalala and The Miami Herald's Alberto Ibargüen (pictured), who both served in the first decade of the Peace Corps. Through a mix of archival film and photographs with personal stories from these retired volunteers, The Peace Corps tells a story of service and idealism while tracing the history and heritage of an organization has inspired more than 200,000 Americans to work for peace in 139 countries.
View Preview
Webcast Preview - Thursday, March 29, 7:30 p.m
In addition to the broadcast, WPBT2 will host an online webcast of the documentary on Thursday, March 29, 7:30 p.m. at http://www.wpbt2.org/webcast. During the webcast, visitors can watch the program, chat with each other, and ask questions to the Executive Producer, Jack Kelly.
Join the discussion on Twitter
Hashtag: #servingamerica
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