Manuals and Guides

A Few Minor Adjustments (M0099)

The subject of this book—cultural adjustment—is a daily necessity and, arguably, the central reality of the Peace Corps experience. While Volunteers work in a wide range of programs and hold down a variety of jobs, the key challenge for you and every other Volunteer—and the cornerstone of effective service—is the ability to adjust successfully to the host country and its culture. This book identifies some of the kinds of adjustments Volunteers make overseas and outlines strategies for successful adjustment. There is no foolproof formula for successful adjustment.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

A Volunteer's Guide to Community Entry: Learning Local Environmental Knowledge (M0071)

The purpose of this guide, therefore, is to provide you with a simple way to learn about the biophysical, economic, and social aspects of your host community during your first several months of service. The method will help you explore and discover how community members perceive and relate to their local natural resource base. As you learn about your host community’s relationship with the local environment, you will find yourself increasingly “community-literate” about local practices and livelihood strategies. In other words, you will become a more valuable community asset for development.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Beyond the Classroom: Empowering Girls Idea Book (M0080)

Dreaming, discovering, and growing is a life-long process. Volunteers can provide opportunities and serve as catalysts for this growth. Whether interacting with young women through schools, in communities, or in day-to-day exchanges, Volunteers have the potential to help girls change their lives for the better. This booklet provides a collection of ideas and activities from Volunteers around the world to be used as a resource in the valuable work of empowering young women.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Creating Safe Spaces for Sensitive Conversations (M0134)

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One of the most critical considerations for engaging communities around sensitive topics such as gender-based violence or harmful norms is creating a safe space for these discussions. This brief focuses mainly on emotional safe spaces, but also recognizes that the physical environment-- including the setup of the room or venue-- can greatly affect someone's comfort. This brief discusses what a safe space is really like and how to create one.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Culture Matters (T0087) (T0120)

This workbook is a map to guide you through your cross-cultural experience and also a way for you to record your thoughts and feelings as you live and work in your host country. It contains a variety of exercises, as well as stories and quotations from Volunteers who have served before you, from experts on cross-cultural training, and from the kind of people you might expect to meet in your new country.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Culture Matters Trainers Guide (T0103)

Peace Corps published Culture Matters in 1997. As a self-study workbook, it was intended for use by trainees and Volunteers to teach themselves some of the keyc oncepts in intercultural communication. It was meant to complement and add to country-specific cross-cultural training usually done as part of the Peace Corps pre-service training.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Diversity Training Modules for Pre-Service Training (T0129K)

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Although diversity training is distinct from cross-cultural training, they do have some core concepts and methods in common. Diversity training in pre-service training focuses on understanding diverse groups within American society and how that diversity impacts Volunteer success and satisfaction. It increases understanding among diverse groups within the United States and helps Volunteers build respectful and effective relationships with each other, with Peace Corps staff, and with host country nationals (HCNs).

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Engaging Men and Boys Around Positive Masculinities: A Guide for Peace Corps Volunteers (M0133)

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Volunteers have a wide range of opportunities to engage with host families, counterparts, colleagues, and other community members around the role and impact of gender norms and expectations in their lives. One unique and important opportunity is engaging men and boys in discussions around positive masculine norms.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Gender and Development Training and Girls Education (M0054)

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There are eight booklets in the Gender and Development Training manual. They provide the background and development of the project; training designs for various participants; session plans and handouts; and insights from the field. They are organized so that only the booklets needed can be taken out for any particular purpose. Each booklet is short enough to make copying of pages manageable. The booklets are numbered so that they can be returned for future use.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Host Families Matter: The Homestay Manual (T0106)

This manual was developed using information from around the PC world. Quotations throughout the manual are taken from PC Trainees and Volunteers. Additionally, information was used from other international organizations with expertise in placing Americans with host families.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Learning Local Environmental Knowledge Training Manual (T0126)

Newly posted Peace Corps Volunteers are usually advised to focus on learning local language and culture during their first several months of service, in addition to working themselves into their assigned jobs. One of their initial goals is to adjust to their new surroundings and become familiar with community life. This is known as "community entry." Yet many Volunteers remain unsure of what to do in their first months in their community. Some may even feel excessively pressured to identify areas for development activity as quickly as possible.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

On-Going Language Learning Manual (M0064)

To many of us, it may seem that some people are born with a gift for learning languages, while others seem burdened with a poor memory. But fortunately or not, those descrip tions apply to only a tiny percentage of adults tackling a new language. Although language learning sometimes seems like a long and complex task, nearly everyone can do it and most find it enjoyable and rewarding. Thousands of Peace Corps Volunteers will tell you the same thing.

Languages

Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) Training Manual (M0053)

Participatory analysis for community action (PACA) was developed to provide a set of gender-sensitive tools which could facilitate the implementation of this participatory development approach. It grew out of the many requests for materials which could address, simultaneously, the needs for tools to use in community development, urban and rural appraisal, gender and socioeconomic analysis, and other participatory methodologies. These materials, for the most part, are gender-sensitive adaptations of tools which have been used in PRA and rapid rural appraisal for many years.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

The PACA Field Guide for Volunteers (M0127)

Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) is Peace Corps' unique approach to appreciative, participatory, gender-sensitive, inclusive, sustainable development.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Using Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) Idea Book (M0086)

This idea book addresses key concepts in two earlier Peace Corps’ publications, Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) Manual [ICE No. M0053], and the Gender and Development Training Manual [ICE No. M0054]. These previous resources were large training manuals that introduced PACA to staff and Volunteers in the context of the Peace Corps’ approach to development.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Working with CCBI: Volunteer Workbook (M0073)

This workbook is a complement to the training you receive as part of your pre-service training (PST) and in-service training (IST). Although we usually think of CCBI in the context of the classroom, this workbook can help you incorporate CCBI in your activities in any sector.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

Working with Supervisors & Counterparts (T0121)

This manual combines best practices for involvement of supervisors and counterparts in programming, training, and Volunteer activities from the three regions (Africa; Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia; Inter-America and the Pacific) of the Peace Corps. The intent of the manual is to offer ideas for participatory development to supplement the already fine work being done with partners at posts. This manual will help associate Peace Corps directors (APCDs), program managers, directors of programming and training (DPTs), and training staff identify, learn from, train, and support their counterparts and supervisors.

Intercultural Competence, Diversity, & Inclusion (ICD&I)

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