What will I be doing?

April Update!

Hello, friends, and добар ден! Good day to you all :) Seattle is finally a bit sunny, and I am almost halfway through my last quarter of graduate school. I haven't yet seen any movement on the status of my medical paperwork, but I did submit it all on time -- so now it's just the waiting game on clearance. In the meantime, I thought to share a bit what I'll be doing in Macedonia! I get to let the anticipation build a bit more about where I'll be going exactly, as Volunteers don't find out their placements until they are in country for what's called Pre-Service Training. However, I do have an idea of what I'll be doing, since that description is tied to the position to which I applied and accepted an invitation.

I'll be working as a Community Development Volunteer. I'll provide an overview below, but I applied to this particular position because it seemed to be a great fit for my skills, interests, and experiences -- a great fit for someone finishing a Master's in Public Administration, like me!

As described by the Peace Corps, a Community Development volunteer "will focus on supporting local communities and organizations to effectively manage sustainable community development. You could be working at a local NGO, a government municipality or other local organizations and you will be working on three objectives: 

1. Improve the contribution of organizations and community groups to identified community needs 
2. Increase community engagement and develop skills of community members, especially youth 
3. Strengthen capacities of organizations to improve quality of life for people with disabilities 

Volunteers in this project participate in a range of activities that include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Assisting organizations in assessing community needs 
• Assisting organizations in developing and implementing community programs and building partnerships to meet the identified needs 
• Supporting organizations’ staff capacity development by providing ongoing training and skills transfer 
• Supporting organizations and community groups with planning, grant writing, fundraising, use of information technology, volunteer management, and day to day tasks 
• Providing non-formal education activities for community members, especially youth, aimed at developing their life skills 
• Planning and organizing activities for increasing intercultural awareness for community members, especially youth 
• Assisting with planning and implementing community engagement and service learning activities with community members, especially youth, aimed at their development as active social citizens 
• Supporting youth councils, youth organizations and informal groups of young people to increase youth participation and civic engagement 
• Supporting community members in the areas of employability and entrepreneurship"

I went to a business in my neighborhood and they had a map on the wall, so I found Macedonia!

I'm excited to not only put my skills to use and gain some professional experience in the field I wish to work in, but to do so in the context of the Balkans and support local organizations. 

That's it for today -- Seattleites, go enjoy the sun, and I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday! All the best / се најдобро!