SEAPAX Board Election Results

Our annual Board election results are in! We would like to thank all those who participated and voted. Voting is officially over, and by acclamation, we would like to congratulate the following Board members-elect whose terms begin January 1, 2022:

President: Kathleen Sebastian

Secretary: Erin Collins

Treasurer: Lee Daneker

Director-At-Large-Service: John Berry

Director-At-Large-Events: Carolee Walters

Open Non-Elected Board Positions

Would you like to get more involved with SEAPAX and our local RPCV community?

There is no better way to do so than to serve on our Board. We are looking for dependable individuals who can commit at least one year to serve in the following roles:

Regular Events Chair

• Leads Regular Events Committee, which is responsible for the planning and execution of regularly occurring events (i.e. happy hours, eats-out, book club, etc.)

Membership Chair

• Updates, manages, and communicates membership policy as needed
• Monitors SEAPAX email
• Manages and operates monthly Member Spotlight
• Leads Membership Committee
• Works to improve membership engagement

If you are interested and/or would like to learn more, please email us.

Happy Hour

Come join us for October happy hour! This month we will be meeting at Bang Bang Kitchen in Rainier Valley on Wednesday October 20th from 4:30 to 7:30 pm. Grab a margarita and burrito and join the fun!  

Email Garrett at gmorkill@gmail.com with any questions.

Support Local Refugees

As part of our efforts to support Lutheran Community Services NW we are putting together “starter kits” to welcome refugees to Seattle. We are accepting donations of new, full size items from the personal care, baby, or bathroom categories on this list. We also welcome gift cards, welcome notes, and plastic tubs.

Set up a drop-off with Ellen in Capitol Hill, Beth in Tacoma, or Alex in Lake City. We also have a Target registry! And we can accept financial donations on the SEAPAX page. Make sure to put “Refugees” in the “In Honor Of” field.

Other needs include English tutoring, translation and interpretation, and housing. Read more about LCSNW volunteer needs or contact Sheridan Moore at LCSNW for more information. And as always, you can donate directly to LCSNW.

SEAPAX Holiday Party

Stay tuned for December holiday party details! This party may not be the same as ones before but we are collaborating to figure out a safe option that allows RPCVs to share holiday spirit. Until then - have a healthy, happy Halloween and Thanksgiving!

Advocacy

Thank you to everyone who participated in the NPCA's Peace Corps Act Day on September 22, celebrating the creation of Peace Corps 60 years ago. It was wonderful having a tremendous turn out of RPCVs and Peace Corps supporters from around the PNW at this event! We hope to carry this momentum into the winter and 2022. 

On September 15 the SEAPAX Advocacy Team met virtually with the Legislative Director for Rep. Rick Larsen (WA District 2), accompanied by RPCVs from Bellingham, Mukilteo, and Lynnwood, to promote Peace Corps legislation. After hearing the compelling stories from Washington State RPCVs, Rep. Larsen agreed to co-sponsor HR 1456, The PC Reauthorization Act, which is scheduled to be debated in early October in the House. You can easily urge your representative to support this bill!

Peace Corps Recruitment

Please read the below note from UW Peace Corps Recruiter about connecting with prospective PCVs!

Greetings, SEAPAX! My name is Jessica Phares, and I am the incoming Peace Corps Recruiter for the University of Washington-Seattle. We would like to connect RPCVs with prospective volunteers who may have questions about different sectors or countries. We’re also interested in facilitating conversations between recruits and RPCVs who share like identities (e.g., female, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC.). Please fill out this brief survey to participate, and if you have any questions, email me at pcorps@uw.edu. 

Peace Corps Moving Forward Events

RPCV/W, BARPCV, and @PeaceCorpsHR will be hosting a series of four town hall meetings for survivors to come together as a community, discuss sex- and gender-based violence (SGBV)* during service, and make recommendations for the Peace Corps moving forward.

Register to receive a Zoom link >>

• Wednesday 13 October 5:30-7 pm PDT
  Community building; sharing; storytelling
• Thursday 21 October 2:30-4 pm PDT
  Safe space for BIPOC Volunteers only
• Wednesday 27 October 4:30-6 pm PDT
  Formulate and discuss demands
• Saturday 6 November 9:30-11 am PDT
  Finalize demands

 are still actively seeking facilitators for the first two meetings, so please reach out to peacecorpshr@gmail.com if you are interested in taking a leadership role.

*SGBV includes any harm (physical, sexual, psychological, economic) committed because of the survivor's sex or gender, and the events are open to anyone who identifies as a survivor or an ally. SGBV could be catcalling, harassment, stalking, homophobic slurs, gaslighting, abusive relationships, or assault. The organizers hope all who are interested will feel welcome to attend.

Peace Corps Recruiter Positions

Peace Corps will be hiring very soon for Recruiter positions in multiple locations across the United States:

• Midwest
• Mountain West
• Northeast
• Pacific Northwest
• Southeast
• Potentially others as well!

To be considered for these positions, you must 1) be an RPCV with active noncompetitive eligibility (NCE) and 2) have already submitted an application to the NCE job posting on USAJobs, indicating “Volunteer Recruitment” as a job category for consideration. Once you are added to the RPCV/RPCRV Non-Competitive certificate, you will receive notifications from hiring managers for open positions when they become available – with specific duty station cities and states (final locations negotiated upon selection). All of these positions will be field-based locations; meaning the incumbent will work from their home office. You may also get contacted about openings outside of Recruitment in our agency headquarters in Washington, DC.

Apply ASAP to be considered for upcoming openings. Peace Corps is currently in maximum telework flexibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a selected candidate will not be required to move to their official duty station until the agency returns to full operations.

Apply here >>

Book Club

New Members

2022 RPCV International Calendars are here!

These calendars keep us connected to the countries and people with whom we served, support our SEAPAX Small Grants program, and work towards the Third Goal: bringing the world back home.

Follow the directions below to get $1 off the regular price of $15, and 40% of the proceeds support our SEAPAX Small Grants program!

This year, we are partnering with the RPCVs of Wisconsin-Madison, who created this beautiful calendar, to provide contactless delivery. To order:

1. Go to rpcvcalendar.org

2. Fill out the form to order your calendar(s).

3. Use our code: PC4SEAPAX

4. Calendars will ship to your address of choice!

SEAPAX's Mentorship Program is open to newly Returned PCVs AND not-so-newly Returned PCVs! How we can offer support:

• Finding housing
• Job/career/professional development
• Social networking events
• Reintegration and readjustment
• Graduate school
• Service/volunteer opportunities
• Navigating Seattle
• Talking about the Peace Corps experience

If you are interested in participating as a mentee, sign up here.

Interested in being a mentor? Find details and sign up here.

Graduate School

SEAPAX Merchandise

Apply to an English Coordinator contract role with Migration and Refugee Services through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The ideal candidate will start immediately and work for 1-3 months, receiving $200/day + expenses (including accommodation, travel, and food) as compensation. Find more information here.

Send your application to hyanay@gmail.com.