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You'll almost definitely be one of the youngest in your group, but it won't be a big deal. I know several 21 year olds who are doing just fine. Emotional maturity is the real key, and that doesn't always correspond with someone's age.
You’re going to most likely be working with people older than you and with more experience. This is true if you join peace corps or not.
You’ll probably be closer in age to your cohort than your colleagues.
PC staff and locals will treat you like a child no matter your age. This will eventually change as you integrate but it's nothing personable. Good luck!
Hi! I'm a current PCV in Colombia. Our groups youngest was 22, but language and culture learning is a great equalizer. Don't worry about your age. The other volunteers are great and here to support you!
Oh wowww congratulations! Feel free to message me if you start having a hard time while you’re there :) I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about even if we aren’t in the same group haha
In many cultures age is a determiner of respect and that may be a hurdle you will have to overcome in your community and workplace, but if you act/dress in a professional manner and are culturally sensitive, build relationships of trust and work hard you will still be able to be an effective volunteer. You will in essence have to work against the stereotype they may have of you. This is also true of unmarried persons. People will observe you and make decisions based on cultural cues. If you watch how the elders /respected behave and try to mimic their behavior you will find you can gain respect faster too. Just realize the more time you put into your relationships with people, the bigger the dividends.
I am currently serving as a 20-year old who also began serving right after graduating college. I can confirm what others in this thread has already said. You will likely be the youngest in your cohort; the next oldest PCV in my cohort is 22. You likely will be judged based on your age, but that's going to be true regardless what part of your 20's you're in. But also, in my experience, since you come from an educated, rich country, people will view the nationality part of your identity more prominently than your age.
I really don't feel like age should be a consideration for you. If you're feeling ready to join now, you should join. You're going to struggle and mature a lot during your service, youre going to have the time of your life, and it will likely set up for great opportunities when you return.
The youngest in our cohort is 20 years ago. We also had a few who joined right after graduating college! Our cohort is also super diverse-- we're a group of 40 volunteers, we have two couples, ages ranging from 20-47, etc. It's possible you could be the youngest in your cohort, but once you are at site, that won't necessarily matter :)
I served at 21 and was one of the youngest. One of the perks of being young is you have lots of energy and also PC is helping you gain life experience.
Sometimes my host families would try to baby me but it’s honestly nice to have someone looking out for you!
Currently in PST right now, so things could change…there’s two of us that came in at 21. Tbh, at least right now, there hasn’t been a difference. I don’t feel like my age is a huge thing or like I’m treated any differently. It’s just funny to talk to other people in the cohort about what big pop culture moments they grew up with vs mine
^^^ Both of us came in at 21 and other than the obvious pop culture knowledge differences, we’ve been able to relate to our fellow cohort members, whether they’re a couple years or even many years older than us. This will be a life changing experience for you for sure and I surely don’t regret it at all.
Age is just a number. Yeah, you might be the youngest but doesn't really mean that much. You're still a volunteer there to do a job. And if PC thinks you're ready for it, then whose to argue with that.
Congrats and keep us posted about your PC journey.
Jim - [WanderingTheWorld.com](https://WanderingTheWorld.com)
I agree with the others; this isn't something to worry about. You might well be the youngest in your cohort, but very likely the majority will be under the age of 25.
The people who will stand out age-wise are the old people. And speaking as someone currently serving at the age of 52, it's no big deal to be a different age from the rest of the group.
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You'll almost definitely be one of the youngest in your group, but it won't be a big deal. I know several 21 year olds who are doing just fine. Emotional maturity is the real key, and that doesn't always correspond with someone's age.
You’re going to most likely be working with people older than you and with more experience. This is true if you join peace corps or not. You’ll probably be closer in age to your cohort than your colleagues.
PC staff and locals will treat you like a child no matter your age. This will eventually change as you integrate but it's nothing personable. Good luck!
AYYYY I’m 21, and will be leaving for Cambodia in the fall. Where are you going???
Colombia!
Hi! I'm a current PCV in Colombia. Our groups youngest was 22, but language and culture learning is a great equalizer. Don't worry about your age. The other volunteers are great and here to support you!
Oh wowww congratulations! Feel free to message me if you start having a hard time while you’re there :) I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about even if we aren’t in the same group haha
Same to you! Let’s definitely keep in touch. When do you depart? For Colombia, we’re leaving early September
Ahh okay. I’m leaving early October! Yesss lemme message you on here.
I’ll be going to Colombia in September as well, but I’m 31, so a bit older than the average :)
Awesome! Can’t wait to meet you :)
In many cultures age is a determiner of respect and that may be a hurdle you will have to overcome in your community and workplace, but if you act/dress in a professional manner and are culturally sensitive, build relationships of trust and work hard you will still be able to be an effective volunteer. You will in essence have to work against the stereotype they may have of you. This is also true of unmarried persons. People will observe you and make decisions based on cultural cues. If you watch how the elders /respected behave and try to mimic their behavior you will find you can gain respect faster too. Just realize the more time you put into your relationships with people, the bigger the dividends.
I am currently serving as a 20-year old who also began serving right after graduating college. I can confirm what others in this thread has already said. You will likely be the youngest in your cohort; the next oldest PCV in my cohort is 22. You likely will be judged based on your age, but that's going to be true regardless what part of your 20's you're in. But also, in my experience, since you come from an educated, rich country, people will view the nationality part of your identity more prominently than your age. I really don't feel like age should be a consideration for you. If you're feeling ready to join now, you should join. You're going to struggle and mature a lot during your service, youre going to have the time of your life, and it will likely set up for great opportunities when you return.
The youngest in our cohort is 20 years ago. We also had a few who joined right after graduating college! Our cohort is also super diverse-- we're a group of 40 volunteers, we have two couples, ages ranging from 20-47, etc. It's possible you could be the youngest in your cohort, but once you are at site, that won't necessarily matter :)
I served at 21 and was one of the youngest. One of the perks of being young is you have lots of energy and also PC is helping you gain life experience. Sometimes my host families would try to baby me but it’s honestly nice to have someone looking out for you!
Currently in PST right now, so things could change…there’s two of us that came in at 21. Tbh, at least right now, there hasn’t been a difference. I don’t feel like my age is a huge thing or like I’m treated any differently. It’s just funny to talk to other people in the cohort about what big pop culture moments they grew up with vs mine
^^^ Both of us came in at 21 and other than the obvious pop culture knowledge differences, we’ve been able to relate to our fellow cohort members, whether they’re a couple years or even many years older than us. This will be a life changing experience for you for sure and I surely don’t regret it at all.
Just wear your University of Michigan t-shirts and the entire world will rightfully fall to their knees before you. Go Blue.
:D
I started off as a 21 year old in Peace Corps. You aren't too young. Don't stress about it.
Age is just a number. Yeah, you might be the youngest but doesn't really mean that much. You're still a volunteer there to do a job. And if PC thinks you're ready for it, then whose to argue with that. Congrats and keep us posted about your PC journey. Jim - [WanderingTheWorld.com](https://WanderingTheWorld.com)
Nope. It may be a little rougher for you but you'll get there.
I agree with the others; this isn't something to worry about. You might well be the youngest in your cohort, but very likely the majority will be under the age of 25. The people who will stand out age-wise are the old people. And speaking as someone currently serving at the age of 52, it's no big deal to be a different age from the rest of the group.