OÍSTE Roundtable: Volunteer Voices in the Absence of DEI

By Shaleena Brooke

Background

Following the Trump Administration's termination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, Peace Corps Colombia’s Bridge Council, a board of both volunteers and staff that worked on DEI issues and training, was disbanded at the end of February. Several other DEI policies and language have also been removed or reworked to comply with President Trump's Executive Orders.

In response to this termination, previous Bridge Council leadership and OÍSTE joined forces to ensure that the voices and ideas advocated by DEI have an outlet to be heard. On Thursday evening, March 20, those Bridge Council members and OÍSTE co-hosted a virtual roundtable to discuss a report published by Bridge Council just before its disbandment. Based on a survey of volunteers which was conducted in July 2024, the report examined opinions about working and living as a volunteer in Colombia, with a focus on gender, queer, and racial identities. Held seven months post-survey, the roundtable gave new cohorts – who were not part of the original survey – an opportunity to share their insights and allowed veteran cohorts to re-examine and expand on their opinions.

The three main goals of the roundtable were: (1) to reinforce community after the change in Peace Corps Colombia’s approach to DEI, (2) to create space to connect the Bridge Council survey to individual experiences, and (3) to brainstorm how training and overall management can better serve volunteers.

A total of 28 volunteers participated in the roundtable. During the presentation, time was taken for public comment and a Padlet board allowed for anonymous comments. This was followed by an open discussion period. The following paragraphs are organized into topics based on the major conversation points from both the survey and the overall meeting.

Support from Volunteers

Volunteers generally felt supported by other volunteers. This was one of the highest-scoring survey questions. That said, the report found a negative divergence for men of color (MOC). While there was no public comment on this divergence, it was noted that MOC make up the smallest percentage of volunteers in Colombia, so this may speak for itself regarding feelings of isolation. Furthermore, while feelings of support between volunteers remained high, that data did not predict the over 56% of volunteers who witnessed bias from other volunteers. In this instance, women of color (WOC) were more likely to report witnessing bias. A few volunteers accounted for this divergence due to an absence of open and safe conversations surrounding the different experiences of people of color (POC) volunteers and how others can support them. Proposed solutions were varied, but the common denominator was that volunteers need to know the tools required to speak up for themselves (especially in a Colombian context), and, most importantly, volunteers learn how to speak up for others when appropriate. These skills are not easy to learn, but improving training and communication around the topic is a first step.

As someone who took this survey back in July, I do feel like my answers have shifted in regards to support from volunteers (positively).

Support from Staff

Volunteers felt supported by staff, with 54% agreeing or strongly agreeing. LGBTQ+ and POC volunteers were even more likely to feel supported by staff. Further, only 38% of volunteers reported witnessing bias from staff. However, WOC were more likely to report witnessing bias, and when the conversation opened up to the floor, many volunteers expressed opinions of disillusionment with this survey result, primarily POC volunteers. Volunteers spoke up about noticing that often the concerns of POC volunteers were not being taken seriously, both in training and at site. Comments left on the Padlet agreed that staff assumed volunteers' identities without confirmation. In all, the disconnect between the support felt by staff and the witness of bias may be due to individual positive interactions with staff members; however, the systemic treatment of POC volunteers seems to be falling short in our volunteers' experiences. This theme was connected to poor sentiments regarding the quality of training and management recorded in the survey.

I have seen a trend of POC volunteer concerns in site, whether it be host families/work relationships/general security or health concerns, be ignored or belittled.

In training it felt that certain members of the staff assumed things about me without asking and confirming whether or not they were true.

Training and Management

Of all the survey and roundtable conversation points, issues surrounding the Peace Corps’ approach to training and management were some of the most controversial. Volunteers talked about how training often felt directed at white, middle-class demographics. One example given was that staff typically assumes that volunteers will stick out at site because they are American. However, some POC volunteers frequently feel they come off as Colombian until they are spoken to. Even then, having to “prove” you're American regularly comes afterward. POC volunteers also have to navigate new forms of racism and colorism, which vary dramatically in Colombia versus the United States. It is important for all volunteers, of all racial presentations, to know how to navigate all types of commentary and anticipate the experiences that may result from how they look. A key solution discussed was increasing the communication opportunities between new and veteran volunteers of similar backgrounds. Feeling prepared to deal with homophobia, racism, colorism, etc., and having someone to talk to about it could ensure that volunteers are mentally and physically able to continue their service to the best of their ability. Further, while communication between volunteers is essential, staff-to-volunteer communication will become even more important after the removal of Bridge Council. The Colombia Service Improvement Committee (COSIC) – an elected board of volunteers who present volunteer concerns and collaborate on solutions with staff – still functions, and staff should anticipate that it will likely take up the concerns previously addressed by Bridge Council.

Honestly trainings fell embarrassingly short in preparing poc and lgbtq volunteers for biases they may experience in site, and I can only imagine that it will be non existent.

Staffs’ ability to communicate effectively and in a timely manner has obvious room for improvement.

Professional Development Opportunities

Only 39% of volunteers felt professional development opportunities were equally accessible to all volunteers. WOC once again diverged, disagreeing at higher rates.

The general sentiment during the discussion was that professional development was almost nonexistent for any volunteer. A point of inequality is that this fact hurts volunteers of lower-income backgrounds more than others due to the financial difficulties of Peace Corps service. Those with fewer support systems often choose to return to work Stateside. Low-income volunteers were more likely to identify as non-white, which may point to why WOC diverged more than the other groups. This may also explain the lack of retention of volunteers for the full two-year service, especially of POC volunteers. While the Peace Corps is founded on volunteerism, volunteers still need financial stability, if not, at least, the prospect of professional networks and support post-service.

I feel like there just aren’t many professional development opportunities.

PC should proactively provide networking opportunities.

Volunteer Priorities

For all volunteers, the top three priorities were: (1) support & safety at site/school, (2) support, inclusion, and retention of marginalized volunteers, and (3) medical & mental health support. Support and safety within housing/host families rose to the number one priority when POC volunteers were analyzed separately. This reinforces the idea that POC volunteers live and work different experiences than their white-identifying counterparts, and therefore prioritize and think differently. It also echoes the previously mentioned critiques about the lack of consideration for POC experiences in training. One participant noted that the training for host families they had witnessed discussed tolerance of religion and sexuality as well as mental and physical health, but did not discuss how to respect and talk about different racial backgrounds. Revamping host family training specific to the volunteers they will be hosting could be an effective first step in ensuring better experiences for POC volunteers.

GLOW

The roundtable closed with a conversation on the state of Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) after the changes in DEI policies. Jacqueline Lynch, the current president of COSIC, clarified that GLOW will continue as a Peace Corps program; however, the goals of GLOW will no longer include gender-based language, instead solely focusing on sex (male and female). David Paulino, the driving force behind GLOW’s post-pandemic resurgence, talked about the stress of thinking GLOW might be shut down. However, he expressed that GLOW ideals are always something that volunteers can promote, regardless of future policy changes, even if we don’t use the name.

Conclusion

As volunteers around the world navigate changes in federal policies, they must remain committed to the principles that brought them to Peace Corps service in the first place. While our work exists because of the federal bureaucracy, we still have the power to navigate our own lives outside work hours, whether that's writing a blog post, running a girls’ club, working with senior citizens, or simply sharing our experiences and supporting our fellow volunteers.

The elimination of formal DEI structures like Bridge Council does not erase the very real and ongoing challenges volunteers face – especially POC volunteers, queer volunteers, and those from lower-income backgrounds. The survey and roundtable demonstrate that the experiences of POC, and in particular WOC, often diverge from the broader volunteer population. These divergences are not anomalies – they are reflections of deeper systemic issues that were present long before the Trump administration removed DEI policies and have persisted despite efforts from groups like Bridge Council and COSIC.

OÍSTE is committed to filling the gap left by the shutdown of Bridge Council, revealing the rougher realities, and supporting initiatives that center the experiences of marginalized volunteers. Whether through roundtables, peer mentorship, or at-site initiatives, the effort to build a more inclusive and equitable Peace Corps experience is always in the works. And so, we continue the work that DEI set out to do – even without the official title.

Disclaimer: The content of this publication is generated by individual volunteers. The opinions and thoughts expressed here do not reflect any position of the United States government or the Peace Corps