|
|
Description:
|
Enoc Velazques, (MPA student and former Assistant Peace Corps Director in Panama) will be sharing some strategies and 'stories from the field' in the 'Peace Corps' context. He will also draw from other experiences from his work in Africa and Latin America related to Economic Self Reliance.
Community Economic Development (CED) was not only an approach used by Peace Corps, but also a strategy used to improve individuals' and families' economic well-being. The potential of CED in expanding communities' economies and building the capacity of citizens to take responsibility for their own economic future often involved using a grass roots approach and a capacity building strategy consistent with Peace Corps Programming criteria, being:
Increasing local capacity
Striving to address expressed needs of those who have limited access to resources and opportunities.
Seeking sustainable results that complement other development efforts.
Has local participants as partners in developing, implementing, and assessing the project(s).
Considers gender relationships and promotes women's participation to increase their status and opportunities.
Places Peace Corps volunteers at the local level where needs occur.
Enoc Velazquez will be graduating with a Master of Public Administration (Non profit-International Development emphasis) degree in April of this year. He has a bacherlor's degree in International Affairs and prior to coming to BYU, he was the Associate Peace Corps Director (APCD) for the Community Economic Development Program for the Peace Corps in Panama, providing support for 60+ U.S. volunteers working with rural, poor and indigenous communities on income generation and community development projects.
|
