Kehl M.

1. What got you interested in the Peace Corps, specifically the Virtual Service Pilot?

After serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in my twenties, I returned home and happily looked back on my time. Ultimately with my family and career, I never felt like I could go back to the Peace Corps. When I stayed at home with my son after he was born, I had a lack of interactions with people and felt inconsequential over time. Looking for an outlet that would help me personally and professionally while caring for my son, I heard about Virtual Service through the National Peace Corps Association email newsletter. When I saw there was a project working with Ukrainian students and teachers remotely, I became very interested.

2. What projects are you working on?

I am currently collaborating with my counterpart, Svitlana, at a lyceum in Ukraine. We started with a weekly virtual English club and have since added a monthly virtual teacher training as well. Students have requested lots of information about American culture, so I invited some local American students to share about their lives. The teachers have had more specific questions about teaching; we have covered practice debate sessions, artificial intelligence (AI) in schools, and how to support struggling learners. We also incorporated activities that compared education in America and Ukraine.

3. What is a highlight of your VSP engagement so far?

There are so many highlights. At the end of my first VSP activity the students produced and sent me a video of an average school day, including frequent trips to and from a school bomb shelter because of the war. The video helped me better understand their reality. As a relatively new parent (my son is 3), I try to do what is best for my child and I can’t imagine having to also worry about air raid attacks on civilian targets. I know my impact is limited, but if they can show such resilience through a war, I can wake up a little earlier to help them.

Another highlight was observing Ukrainian and American students interact. Ukrainian students found it interesting that American students learn to drive and work part-time jobs while in high school. While the American students appreciated learning the testing process to get into school, how they navigated black out conditions, and how schools supported the front lines with camouflage netting and care packages. I purchased American and Ukrainian flag pins for the students to put on their backpacks with the remaining funds from the one-time Peace Corps stipend; the rest I used for external batteries and memory storage devices that would enable the teachers to complete online activities even during blackouts.

Finally, I enjoyed touring D.C.’s Ukrainian house and virtually sharing it with the Ukrainian students. The students learned about diplomatic service, and they were excited to learn that our tour had once been in their town. The students were inspired to write and send thank you cards to the Ukraine House.

4. What strategies have you used to meet the challenges of a short-term, remote experience?

Flexibility is a huge part of the Volunteer experience and virtual service is no different. The school has had air raid drills during class, causing us to postpone our meeting. I have also had family medical emergencies, and we all have had to navigate technical issues. But we handle it all with a shrug and a smile. My counterpart, Svitlana, always tells me you can only control what you can control. I love her positive attitude—it frequently reminds me just how fortunate I am.

When I was a Volunteer in the Philippines and China in the 2000s, I was younger and less experienced with less resources and less definitions of what my job was supposed to be. This service is a lot easier to define as you are given a specific task to complete, and you have all the resources that you need from the internet to a local support network. It is special for me, because I would never be able to do a Peace Corps service with my wife and son. Being a VSP Participant allows me to serve in a way that I love and share it with my community while doing it.  I love being able to share my weekly success and struggles with my wife, whereas before my service stories were from years ago and ones that she didn’t fully understand. I’ve invited my neighbor’s kids to join me on calls and they loved interacting with the Ukrainian students. The engagement has involved my whole community!

5. What benefits are you gaining from your participation?

I am gaining a lot from this experience. To start, it has provided professional experience for my resume at a time when I am staying at home to care for my son. More schools seem interested in interviewing and hiring me now.

Second, the topics the Ukrainians want to discuss and learn about are encouraging me to stay current in my teaching. For example, I was asked to talk about special education inclusion and scaffolding, as well as artificial intelligence. Learning about these topics absolutely helped my recent job interviews. Finally, I feel personally enriched by the people I interact with and work with daily. Svitlana and the other English teachers are constantly on my mind, and during our training their input has helped me gain perspective in my daily life and strengthened my teaching skills.

6. How has your previous Peace Corps and/or professional experience enriched your VSP engagement?

My previous Peace Corps service and teaching experiences have supported my VSP engagement in many ways.  My Peace Corps experience showed me the importance of having an engaged, enthusiastic, and involved country counterpart. Svitlana has been amazing. She had a Peace Corps Volunteer teacher when she was younger and previously collaborated with in-person Volunteers before the war, so she was ready, excited, and very helpful. Being a teacher can be very challenging, but working with people who are eager for your help is the true highlight.

As a special education teacher during the pandemic, I learned the importance of getting input from students to help them realize what they did mattered. I didn’t anticipate that approach would be equally important in my virtual engagement, as Ukrainians are aware of and grateful for the American assistance, but in the last few months, I have done my best to show the Ukrainians I engage with that they are valued and not forgotten.

7. What will you bring away from your VSP engagement?

I have supported two virtual engagements now and requested to continue my current engagement beyond the initial end date. As a VSP Participant with Ukraine, I have gained a lot of knowledge and perspective as to what is happening within their country. It has inspired me to get involved with the RPCV Alliance for Ukraine and with Ukraine House in Washington, D.C. I have used my new awareness to advocate for Ukraine within my community at home and abroad.

I am walking away with a desire to one day visit Ukraine to meet the people I have worked with and experience all the wonderful things that they’ve shared about their country. Finally, and most importantly, I am left with the feeling that all people are the same; we all want peace and to make things better.