Description of Peace Corps Service
Joseph R. Bridwell
Eastern Caribbean 2011-2013
After a competitive application process stressing technical
skills, motivation, adaptability, and cross-cultural understanding, Peace Corps
invited Joseph R. Bridwell to serve as a Youth Development Volunteer in the Eastern
Caribbean nation of Dominica.
Pre-service training
Mr. Bridwell began an intensive 8-week
pre-service training on January 28, 2011 in Roseau, the capital town in
Dominica located on the southwest coast of the country. The program consisted of training in language,
cross-cultural adaption, technical skills, personal health and safety,
technical skills, cross-cultural training, and HIV education. As part of the technical training, Mr.
Bridwell co-facilitated discussions with local Community Based Organizations
and implemented a health and fitness oriented day camp for youth in the
community where he was stationed. These
and other training activities were overseen and evaluated by Dominican and
American instructors and staff.
Training program included:
- 39 hours of technical training in community and youth development and HIV prevention.
- 29.5 hours of training in Working With Schools
- 23.5 hours of formal instruction in Kweyol.
- 24.5 hours of cross-cultural training.
- 22 hours of Participatory Analysis for Community Action training
- 14 hours of personal health training.
- 12 hours of personal safety training.
Assignment
On April 1, 2011, Mr. Bridwell
completed training and was sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. During the ceremony, he delivered the vote of
thanks speech in Kweyol to the invited dignitaries, Peace Corps staff, and
fellow Peace Corps Volunteers.
Mr. Bridwell was assigned to the
village of Castle Bruce which is a small, agricultural-based community located
on the east coast of Dominica. In this culturally
vibrant village, English is predominately spoken in formal settings while
Kweyol is most common among the citizens in their everyday lives. Castle Bruce community members were impressed
with Mr. Bridwell’s ability to converse with them in Kweyol. He assembled life-changing, deep
relationships with several locals.
Castle Bruce is a very active
community especially in athletics. Mr.
Bridwell was selected to join the village basketball team as they played
against other communities in the nationwide basketball league. Also, he became quite involved with other sporting
activities, including cricket.
East
Dominica Children’s Federation
Throughout his entire tenure as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Mr.
Bridwell worked 40+ hours per week with the East Dominica Children’s Federation,
a non-government organization which is affiliated with ChildFund International.
The East Dominica Children’s Federation
dedicates their services towards youth and children spanning the entire east
coast of Dominica. The Castle Bruce
office, where Mr. Bridwell was assigned, focuses their efforts predominately on
the communities along the east coast including the entire Kalinago Territory,
the area dedicated to the indigenous people of the Eastern Caribbean. Mr. Bridwell seized the opportunity of
working within an organization that serviced many communities by developing
connections and rapport with people, particularly youth, across the east coast
of the country.
Mr. Bridwell wrote and executed twenty-three successful budget
proposals acquiring $30,000 for programs which were directed towards improving
conditions and preventing destructive behaviors for children and youth. These program initiatives benefitted 1,249
young people from thirty communities covering important topics including:
Physical/mental health awareness, natural disaster preparedness, HIV/AIDS
prevention, sexual reproduction/STIs, drug/alcohol abuse, violence prevention, parenting
skills, early childhood development, agricultural opportunities, leadership
skills, cultural pride/awareness, First Aid/CPR certifications, writing
workshops, and career/résumé building. Mr.
Bridwell collaborated with the staff of the East Dominica Children’s
Federation, community leaders, government officials, and members of other
non-profit organizations to develop the programs while promoting a
cross-cultural exchange of abilities and ideas.
Besides writing and implementing programs, Mr. Bridwell aided
the East Dominica Children’s Federation with their sponsorship relations
initiative. After collecting information
from new, potential enrollees for the program, Mr. Bridwell wrote descriptive
narratives which were sent to the ChildFund international office to be assigned
to donors. Also, he created an
efficient, computerized model for denoting program participation among
sponsored youth which was adopted by ChildFund Caribbean. Mr. Bridwell was eager to contribute to the
East Dominica Children’s Federation staff members whenever they needed his
assistance.
While the East Dominica Children’s Federation was in its
inception phase upon Mr. Bridwell’s arrival to Dominica, he co-authored the
organization’s business plan. Besides
his work on the business plan which included writing the objectives and goals,
Mr. Bridwell collaborated with staff members to create a brand logo for the
organization, as well.
Secondary Activities
Junior Cricket Festival
As Mr. Bridwell developed into a cricket enthusiast
during his first year of service, he became privy to the youth cricket festival,
“Kiddy Cricket,” sponsored by Scotiabank, the West Indies Cricket Board, and
the Dominica Cricket Association. The
cricket festival was an annual opportunity for young aspiring cricketers to
showcase their talents to their particular communities while competing against
fellow youth from other villages.
As Mr. Bridwell spoke to sports officers at the
primary schools on the east coast, he realized that the Kiddy Cricket festival
had only been offered to youth in the greater populated regions of the country
on the west coast. Mr. Bridwell was
aware of the immense level of interest in cricket among the youth on the east
coast; thus, he envisioned bringing the Kiddy Cricket festival there for the
first time. He expressed that interest to
the Manager of the Dominica National Cricket Team, the Director of the Dominica
Cricket Association, and the District Sports Officer of the east coast of
Dominica. After designing the project
proposal for the inaugural Kiddy Cricket event on the east coast, Mr. Bridwell
pitched the plan to the main sponsors.
They were quite inspired by the plan and decided to allocate funds and
resources for the endeavor.
The first annual Kiddy Cricket competition on the
east coast was an instant success. 130
children from twenty communities competed in the event which was held in Castle
Bruce. Each participant represented
their respective primary schools. The
Dominica Cricket Association brought several of the national team cricketers to
the event which thrilled the young competitors.
The two finalist teams were invited to demonstrate their gifts during a
break at the international test match between the West Indies and
Australia. The sponsors vowed to bring
the Kiddy Cricket festival to the east coast on an annual basis.
Youth Cricket
Coaching Clinic
During 2012, Mr. Bridwell and the Dominica National
Cricket Team Manager collaborated to design a Cricket Coaching Workshop for
young adults from the east coast. The workshop
focused on teaching cricket fundamentals to youth while training them on how to
work effectively with young people.
Twenty young adults participated in the workshop and four were selected
to pursue further training courses to become officially certified youth cricket
coaches. Each participant received a set
of cricket equipment so that they could organize cricket training sessions
within their communities.
Youth Group
Leadership
Throughout his entire tenure as a Peace Corps
Volunteer, Mr. Bridwell managed a youth group of young adults in the Castle
Bruce community. The youth group focused
on discussing the main issues that affected the members and their peers within
the community. The group completed
community service projects to improve the conditions of Castle Bruce, including
beautifying the village playing court, planting flowers around the community,
and cleaning the beach. They raised funds
for field trips to explore and appreciate their country, as well.
National Track
and Field Championships
From 2011-2013, Mr. Bridwell worked with the Sports
Division to facilitate the Dominican Track and Field Championships for the
primary and secondary school levels. He
managed the regional qualifying rounds for the east coast and officiated at the
National Track and Field Championships which were held semi-annually for
primary and secondary school students.
Tutor at Sineku
Primary School
Mr. Bridwell worked with four students from the grade
4 class who were remedial in many subjects.
Once a week during the 2011-12 school term, he tutored these students to
assist them with staying up to date with their subjects.
Tutor at Dominica
State College
Mr. Bridwell advised and guided fourteen college
students with their coursework from 2011-2013.
He assisted them with their research papers, essays, and final exam
preparations. The students utilized Mr.
Bridwell’s resources including his personal computer and internet connection to
complete their assignments. The subjects
he counseled them in were English, economics, calculus, trigonometry, advertising
and marketing, business administration, and business law.
Sports Officer
Advisor
From 2011-2013, Mr. Bridwell worked with three Sports
Officers at the various primary schools on the east coast of the country. He taught them new, unique games and
activities for children to engage in during classes. Mr. Bridwell exhibited the new teaching
techniques during the days allocated for sports. He worked with a different sports officer
each week, showing them an alternative perspective on how to effectively teach
the children.
Incoming Peace
Corps Volunteer Trainer
Mr. Bridwell was requested by the Associate Peace
Corps Director to prepare and teach the Peace Corps Volunteers that were
invited to Dominica in 2012 and 2013. To
assist with their training program, Mr. Bridwell gave presentations to the two new
classes of Volunteers about expectations in the workplace and the culture of
Dominica.
Career Building
Consultant
Near the end of his service in 2013, Mr. Bridwell worked
with three young adults to pursue higher education opportunities for study
abroad. He researched the process of
applying for student visas to study in the United States. He inquired with several organizations for
these opportunities and discovered that interested young people can enroll in
SAT preparation courses and connect with a consultant from another organization
to assist with identifying scholarships for universities. Besides the courses available through
Dominican organizations, Mr. Bridwell looked into having his hometown community
sponsor one of the young adults in her pursuit of enrolling in high school and
then being accepted into a university in the United States. He continued working on this process after
his COS date to assist the young person.
Joseph R. Bridwell completed his Peace Corps service in Dominica
on April 5, 2013.
Pursuant to section 5(f) of the Peace Corps Act 22 U.S.C
2504 (f) as amended, any former volunteer employed by the United States
Government following his Peace Corps Volunteer service is entitled to have any
period of satisfactory Peace Corps Volunteer service credited for purposes of
retirement, seniority, reduction in force, leave and other privileges based on
length of federal government service. Peace Corps service shall not be credited
toward completion of the probationary or trial period or completion of any
service requirement for career appointment.
This is to certify in accordance with Executive Order No.
11103 of 10 April 1963, that Joseph R. Bridwell served satisfactorily as a
Peace Corps Volunteer. His service in Dominica ended on April 5, 2013. He is therefore
eligible to be appointed as a career-conditional employee in the competitive
civil service on a non-competitive basis. This benefit under the Executive
Order entitlement extends for a period of one year after termination of the
Volunteer’s service, except that the employing agency may extend that period for
up to three years for a former Volunteer who enters military service, pursues
studies at a recognized institution of higher learning, or engages in other
activities that, in the view of the appointing authority, warrant extension of
the period.
No comments:
Post a Comment