Upon my arrival I was greeted by a driver sent by the organization who was very nice. We drove about 50 minutes to the most beautiful campground called Ukuivita. It was around 4:00 when I arrived. I was shown to my sleeping quarters, which was a cottage that slept 3 to a room. I was then escorted to the main dining room where I met the loveliest people from all over the country.
In 1982, amidst the increasingly confrontational nuclear brinksmanship of the second Cold War, the ongoing Soviet invasion in Afghanistan, and the rise of neoconservatism under President Reagan, Peter Coldwell and friends started Volunteers For Peace in Mt. Holly, VT to “generate a stronger and more enduring peace than one maintained by force or threats of force” through the international exchange of volunteers.
After the project, we get emails and calls – and on the rare occasion, a visit to the office – from returned volunteers. There’s always an air of confidence that wasn’t there before, a sense of horizons broadened and lessons learned – not only about themselves but about the world we live in…
I’m the newest addition to the VFP team here in Burlington. My name is Dillon, and as an intern I am excited to be working on an historical research project with VFP for our 30th anniversary. Over the next few months I will be posting in this new section of the Peace Blog some of the incredible moments from the past thirty years, as well as
videos, interviews, and audio from VFP members past and present. This is a project that will be looking backwards, but with an eye on the future…after all of this, what might happen in the next thirty years of VFP?
“… I have realized that in this life there are too many misunderstandings, straying intents, and old wounds around the world to see a lasting peace among nations in our lifetime. Just as clear, however, is the far-reaching and truly lasting value in working for this ideal. May peace prevail.”
” I threw my head back to let out another shrill cry as I madly stamped my feet on the ground. We doubled over, our throats unleashing ungodly sounds, and we spend the hours of the night unsuccessfully gasping for more air. I saw the sting of breathlessness come over everyone, and our cheeks kept rising to scrunch our glossy eyes into crescent moons. My core burned, and my eyes filled up with tears, which involuntarily leaked down the side of my face in moments of unadulterated delight.”
“I see a lot of NGO organizations who use logo to show their spirit. What I think about International WorkCamp is a universal family – the people – who are willing to change themselves, consider deeply about the future of human society, and embrace the world kindly….”
By Chelsea Frisbee, VFP International Placement Coordinator
Happy February! VFP is proud to announce that today, February 1st, we will begin accepting scholarship applications. The deadline for submission is March 19th at 9 AM and winners will be announced March 30th.
Photo Credit: L. Smolic, 2011 Scholarship Recipient, Kenya
Volunteers For Peace, Inc., 7 Kilburn Street, Suite 316, Burlington, Vermont 05401, USA
Telephone: 802-540-3060 | Email: infoREMOVETHISBEFORESENDING@vfp.org
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