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Connect with the Peace Corps
If you're ready for something bigger, we have a place where you belong.
Apply to the Peace Corps
The application process begins by selecting a service model and finding an open position.
Let us help you find the right position.
If you are flexible in where you serve for the two-year Peace Corps Volunteer program, our experts can match you with a position and country based on your experience and preferences.
Serve where you’re needed mostYouth Leadership Development Teacher
Youth in Development
Job highlights
- Gain hands-on experience with youth development, facilitation, and curriculum design.
- Build Spanish language, project management, and intercultural communication skills by collaborating with schools and other local organizations.
- Form lasting connections while immersing yourself in Panama’s vibrant culture.
Panama • North America
In partnership with: Local schools, community internet centers, youth service organizations
Get answers live — every weekday at .
Apply by
November 15, 2026Know by
January 1, 2027Depart on
June 19, 2027Duration
2 years, plus 3 months trainingAbout the project
Are you passionate about helping young people unlock their potential? Support Panamanian youth as they develop the skills and confidence to succeed academically, professionally, and personally.
Many young people in Panama are navigating socio-economic instability, limited access to structured growth opportunities, and low engagement in school and civic life. These challenges can make it difficult for the youth to imagine and pursue rewarding futures. While the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Social Development have introduced several initiatives to increase youth leadership, employability, and civic participation, schools and communities need extra support to strengthen the country’s long-term investment in its young people.
As a Youth Leadership Development Teacher, you will collaborate with teachers and youth service providers to support the youth to develop leadership and communication skills as well as explore pathways to future employment and civic engagement. Your impact will go beyond the individual youth you will work with; communities will benefit from engaged, motivated young leaders who are positioned to contribute to local initiatives and build a more resilient future for Panama.
Learn more about what Volunteers do in country by visiting our Panama project page.
Required skills
Qualified candidates will have one or more of the following criteria:
Associate degree in any field and at least two years of full-time, post-high school work experience (from any combination of roles).
OR
Bachelor's degree in any field.
OR
High school diploma or GED and four years of full-time, post-high school work (from any combination of roles).
Language: Spanish
A. Completed 4 years of high school Spanish coursework in the past 8 years
B. Completed college-level Elementary II Spanish semester (Elementary III in quarter system) within the past 6 years
C. Score between 50-62 on the Spanish College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam in the past 6 years
D. Score Novice-High or Intermediate-Low on official American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) in Spanish within the past 6 years
Required behavioral competencies
These competencies are essential for all service assignments and are assessed in the application and interview process:
Motivation for and commitment to service
Adaptability and open-mindedness
Problem solving and resourcefulness
Behavioral maturity and professionalism
Photos from Panama
How you and the community will make an impact together:
Plan and facilitate youth clubs, camps, and group activities that integrate life skills and leadership development.
Facilitate extracurricular activities that promote positive youth development, such as sports, and the performing arts.
Teach life skills and employability curricula alongside school counselors, psychologists, and teachers.
Plan and facilitate youth participation in awareness day activities (e.g., World AIDS Day, International Youth Day).
Plan and facilitate youth service-learning projects through schools, clubs, or community programs.
Design and implement digital literacy workshops for youth.
Mentor youth to develop life skills, leadership capacity, and employability skills.
You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as English conversation clubs and after-school sports.
Volunteers live in rural and semi-urban areas, ranging from 150 to 5,000 community members. For the first 3–4 months, Volunteers live with a host family—often a large multigenerational household—and may elect to later move to independent housing. Most homes are constructed from concrete blocks with tiled floors and corrugated tin roofs. Communities generally have basic utilities with varying reliability, including cell signal, treatable water.
Learn more about the living conditions, including detailed information on culture, communications, housing, and health/crime statistics on our Panama country page. You can also delve into stories about local communities by reading our blog or Volunteer stories.
Meet a Volunteer in Panama
Yadariselt R.
Sustainable Agriculture Extension Promoter
"This experience has been so transformative because there is so much power and joy in the collective. After 10 months at my site, I can confidently say that I have formed lifelong friendships."
See full Volunteer profile
As a Youth Leadership Development Teacher, you will be trained in participatory community analysis, intercultural engagement, and positive youth development. Peace Corps/Panama will teach you Spanish to help you comfortably live in and connect with the community.
After 10 weeks of training, you will move to a rural or semi-urban community where you will collaborate with schools, local internet centers, and other community groups. You will work with the community to assess the local needs and develop solutions based on youth priorities and shared goals.
Only heterosexual couples can be accepted for this program. Each person must apply separately and must qualify for a position in either the same or a different sector than their partner. Cross-sector couples will live with different host families who may reside in different communities during training. Cross-sector couples may see each other for joint-sector training days or on the weekends but neither are guaranteed. Couples who are selected for the same sector will live together but work with different local partners which may be in the same community or in neighboring communities (not more than 30 minutes apart).
To learn more about serving as a couple in Panama, visit the country page.
Application process
From application to departure takes around nine months. Learn about the application process for Volunteer opportunities.
Medical/legal clearance
You will need to be cleared medically and legally in order to serve in Panama. Review information on medical clearance and legal clearance to learn about the process.
