In this interview, we hear from Harry Pearson. Harry is a Peace Corps volunteer working as a Youth Development volunteer in Armenia. What Harry shares gives us a better understanding of the work volunteers do. We learn about the challenges, rewards, and personal growth that happens from volunteering in a new place. Harry talks about living in a different country, working with local people, and dealing with surprise situations. Join us as we learn about Harry’s journey and see how volunteering with Peace Corps can change lives.
Volunteer Experience and Motivation
1. Can you tell us more about serving as an Youth Development volunteer in Armenia?
Serving as a youth development volunteer has been extremely busy, stressful, and exhausting, but is one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences I’ve had in my entire life!
On a day-to-day basis, I come to work at the youth center where I work at 9:30 am. The mornings are often spent preparing for the day, doing reviews of the previous day, setting schedules, and such. Usually, I don’t have too many responsibilities during this time, so once I finish my respective tasks, I either read a book or play guitar.
The center opens for youth activity at 2:00 PM, and until 6:00 we are running educational clubs, for example right now I am running a Game Theory and English Conversational Club, as well as during our free time we play board games, card games, along with various other energizers and activities.
The center closes at 6:00 to the youth, and from 6:00 – 6:30, we have a debrief and cleaning period. Our day at the Youth House ends at 6:30 PM, but after that, I run various other clubs such as a movie-watching club, and an English conversation club, as well as teaching local kids how to skate using my skateboard.
2. What motivated you to join the Peace Corps and choose Armenia?
As for joining the Peace Corps, I have always loved travel as well as volunteer work. The Peace Corps was a great way to join the both together. I graduated from university at the height of the COVID-19 recession, so finding a quality job proved to be a trying endeavor. After spending a lot of time jumping from one minimum wage job to the next, I decided that I would take a step to really look out for my future, and depart on the adventure of a lifetime. As for choosing Armenia, I didn’t. I chose to leave my destination up to the powers that be. I clicked the option to put me where I am needed most, and a short 2 years later (Thank you COVID delays) I ended up here.
Living Arrangements and Cultural Integration
3. Tell us more about your housing situation:
I currently live alone at site. Having my own space has helped me tremendously, there is a huge emphasis on gender roles here in Armenia, and I love doing things like cooking which is strongly within the female gender role. My time with my host families was amazing, and I still visit both families often, but for my own mental health, living alone was necessary for me. My site lacks a lot of things: a gym, public transport, and entertainment… but I have found a way to make it work, there are good stores where I can buy almost anything I could ever need, and I have adjusted my exercise schedule to do things that can be done at home, it was a long adjustment period, but I have finally found a good schedule that I can stick to.
4. Any memorable experiences or interactions you’ve had with community members?
More than I can count haha. Most recently was a large celebration for the founding of my site, in which the town has hosts a large concert for the entire town! I went there wearing some of my favorite, and very colorful cloths (as you do for a concert) and danced like nobody was watching. Most of the community stood and stared wide eyed at me, but the friends I have in the community joined me and we had such a good time singing and dancing the night away together.
Surprises and Challenges
5. What has surprised you most about Youth Development challenges in Armenia?
The largest challenge for me has been the overall disregard for the youth development field in Armenia in general. My organization has struggled every month to gather the funds to continue to operate, at the same time providing some of the most amazing classes and opportunities, all being swept under the rug as extra unnecessary work and a waste of funds by the local government. This has led to a very dejected view of our center, the dissipation of motivation from the youth, and a requirement for us to produce measurable results in a field where results can’t be seen in a short-term time frame.
6. What challenges did you face while working on Youth Development projects?
The largest challenge has mainly been language barriers. My Coworkers are trying to learn English, but it is a long and slow journey. As such, the best way I have found to combat this is to be very vigilant with my Armenian language studies. There was no one fix – it was a long road of mistakes, errors, laughing, learning, and trying to roll with the problems as they appeared. Now, I can confidently say I speak good Armenian and can communicate ideas and talk with locals on a day-to-day basis.
7. Could you share some of the secondary projects?
I have been involved in 2 secondary projects, one is a weekly English conversational club with a local teacher, in which I help as a TA. Meaning I help with pronunciation, set examples, and lead games when appropriate. The 2nd project I am consistently involved in is a movie club that I run with RPCV Jim Daly, where we watch a movie in English during our free time, then come together as a group every Friday to discuss the movie and practice English conversations. Outside of those consistent projects, I am always looking for opportunities to help in local camps, and clubs, and keep myself busy and out in the community!
Advice and Support
8. What advice would you give to someone considering serving as an Youth Development volunteer in Armenia?
For future volunteers in YD Armenia, I would say DO IT!!! This has been so crazy, frustrating, exhilarating, fun, educational, and empowering of an experience that I genuinely could not imagine having anything close to this experience anywhere outside of the Peace Corps! Life has been such a roller coaster, but in being so I have learned so much about myself professionally, and emotionally, and what I hold dear to myself alongside the countless things I’ve learned about my counterparts, community, and Armenian culture. Come into this project with an open mind, and as much patience as you can gather, it’s a long and hard journey, but one you will learn so much whilst on your way.
9. What skills or qualities do you think are most important for a Youth Development volunteer?
The qualities that I see define a YD volunteer are patient, smart in a jack-of-all-trades kind of way, as well as outgoing and friendly. I am an introvert, but I have learned to be outgoing and inviting to those around me. This has helped me so much in gathering support from my community for my projects and participation.
We are expected to run camps and clubs in a variety of subjects. As such having an interest in many subjects or the ability to research and gather that knowledge will prove instrumental in any YD volunteer’s service. For example, I have run everything from a Photography club, a professional orientation club, anti-bullying workshops, run a local band from the Youth House, as well as the aforementioned activities. And of course you need the patients of a saint to deal with the inevitable problems, cultural barriers, and language barriers that will come up during your service.
10. How has the Peace Corps training helped you during your service?
PST was such a formative experience. Everything from our daily language classes and tech training, the host stay experience, and all the mini-adventures we had along the way. I still keep in close contact with my PST host family, and I really do think of them as an extension of my own family.
As for IST and MST, the trainings themselves felt like reinforcements of what we had learned from PST and practical experience at site, but that is only half of the experience. I find that learning from the stories and experiences of the other volunteers is just as important as the training itself.
My advice would be to don’t neglect the government issue friends that you gain along the way. They may be friends of circumstance, but they are still some of the greatest friends I’ve ever had. Show up a little tired the next day from enjoying the time with friends the night before. Obviously, don’t overdo it, the trainings themselves are very helpful, but you can always review on learning space, you will never be able to relive a moment.
Practical Tips and Language Learning
11. Anything that you packed or didn’t pack that you’d like to tell future Armenia volunteers?
I think I did pretty well on my packing, I haven’t had to buy any clothing or games stuff in my time here. I’d say it’s important to pack for your hobbies as well as for presents. You know what calls to your heart at home, and know that you will now have more access to learning something new, so if you have ever wanted to pick up a new hobby, this is a great time to do so! And of course, DON’T FORGET YOUR SPEAKER!!
12. How has learning the language been?
So learning Armenian has been tough.. but such is learning any language in my opinion. The amount of vocabulary you need to gather, and the conjugational forms aren’t too hard but the grammar is so foreign. I’d say the best advice is just to be patient with yourself but don’t hole up into your comfort zone. Speak! Make Mistakes! And above all don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself! Language is messy, and hard, and often lacks any form of logic, just try your best and you will improve little by little.
Join Harry, a US Peace Corps volunteer, as he shares his incredible journey in Armenia on his YouTube channel Moose Joose Productions!. With weekly updates, Harry offers an authentic look at his life as a Youth-Development volunteer. Follow his inspiring work at a local youth community center.. But it’s not all work – Harry also takes you along on his after-hours escapades with fellow Peace Corps volunteers, showcasing the vibrant culture, stunning landscapes, and unique experiences Armenia has to offer. Click HERE to watch all his videos
Impact of Media and Final Thoughts
13. How do you think your YouTube channel contributes to your overall mission as a Peace Corps volunteer?
My YouTube vlog has served 2 purposes for me. First: it is proof that I am still alive to my family and friends back home. Second, I attempt to accomplish the 3rd goal of the Peace Corps, to educate the American populace about Armenian Culture and Customs. Many people in my local community even watch my vlogs to practice their English listening skills! As for advice for newbies, I would say be consistent! Doing YouTube can be as hard and time-consuming or as easy as you want it to be. My videos are very low energy, but they tell the genuine story without any scrubbing. Just be genuine, talk about what you want to talk about, and don’t be afraid to talk about the hardships as well as the amazing moments that you have in your community!
14. Any last comments or observations you’d like to pass on to future Armenia volunteers?
Welcome to the community friends! Have a great service! And thank you so much for listening to my 2 cents on the topic!
The content of this post does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or Armenia Government.
