There is a link to a digital tool kit on our website which includes press release templates, social media templates, graphics and images, as well as a discussion guide, synopsis, and more. The Tool Kit also includes a poster file for you to print or add to digital advertising for your event.

Finally, you can use the trailer to generate interest. This trailer can be watched at our website at www.PeaceCorpsDocumentary.com. The YouTube link for the trailer is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMh31k-EDXM&t=6s

Also, if you are planning on hosting a panel or discussion after the (virtual or in-person) screening, here is a great article with tips: https://medium.com/@nicolebanisterofficial/how-to-host-a-good-panel-936011e6c555

The venues or sponsoring organizations are welcome to hold on to the film, and they are also welcome to use it for future showings provided they obtain a license each time they screen the film.

We are planning to develop lesson plans for colleges/universities, high schools, and middle schools. Then schools will be able to also integrate the film in some of their classes. Libraries may include the program in a film series, then add it to their catalog. Please, keep us posted on additional showings so we know at the end of the year how many showings there were.

Also, for universities and libraries, the film is available through Kanopy.

DVDs and Streaming are available through Amazon and our distributor First Run Features.

A Towering Task had its broadcast premiere in the Spring of 2023 on Rocky Mountain PBS. It has since been scheduled on PBS stations across the country. Check your local listings to see whether a broadcast is scheduled in your area. And call your local station, if you would like them to schedule the film.

Screening venues can be as varied as museums, libraries, universities, conferences, film festivals, middle and high schools, federal, state, and local government agencies, community centers, and retirement communities. However, there are plenty more options that we haven’t even thought about. So, if you find yourself on a Zoom call with an organization whose members you think would be interested in a documentary about the Peace Corps, or on an AmTrak train or you are on a long-distance flight wishing you and your fellow travelers could watch A Towering Task, do two things: first of all, send an email to us to let us know about your idea for a new and different audience, and then send an email to the organization to request that they show A Towering Task. Our goal is to bring the Peace Corps back into the public discourse and reach as many viewers as possible.

At first, having a screening for your own group is important. All RPCVs should be aware of the agency’s history and hosting a screening (virtual or in-person) for your RPCV group will allow everyone to gather and discuss the Peace Corps’ past and future, as well as your group’s particular perspectives (For “Friends of” groups, this would be the country of service, for area groups it is the local community’s needs.). However, once your own group members are up to speed, it’s time to engage the American public.

As Returned Peace Corps Volunteers we often get together and host events. So it is natural that we assume that we should be hosting these screenings for A Towering Task, as well. However, as the intended audience is the American public, it is important that we bring the screening opportunity to the various organizations and then let the organization take on the hosting. Ideally, the organization will make the screening open to the public and RPCVs can attend.

With the organization taking the lead (and paying for the screening license), the RPCV group can then consult and support as is needed. The organization will feel more vested in the screening than if they were simply dealing with a space rental, and will likely engage more of their own constituents. In the case of universities, this means that multiple departments can be involved (political science, international studies, history, sociology/anthropology, development economics, public health, environmental studies, education, journalism, history, humanitarian engineering…). Professors and local luminaries may end be on a post-screening panel. Community leaders and alumni may join the event.

The Returned Peace Corps Volunteer group of North Carolina has come up with some great templates when approaching universities for screenings. Click here for tips on reaching out to universities. And here you can find a phone script to make any cold calls easier. Lastly, click here for a template for a follow-up email to the university contact.

Here is a quick check-list of things to consider:

• Who are the local RPCVs that might be interested in the screening? Which RPCV groups should be involved?

• Consider reaching out to the National Peace Corps Association to include the RPCV community on a national level. And NPCA can also help publicize your event.

• If the event is at a university or college, consider inviting alumni of the college who are also RPCVs or former PC staff.

• Be sure to publicize your event. Don’t just let your own mailing list know, but have the hosting venue reach out to their mailing list, create a listing on their events calendar, and engage their various partners and constituents. The Portland RPCV group and the Chicago Area Peace Corps Association were successful in reaching out to their local NPR station for free public service announcements. Consider any RPCVs that are connected to local media, bloggers, YouTubers, and social influencers. Help the venue get the word out far and wide beyond the RPCV happy hour list!

• After your event, be sure to follow up with attendees. There may be people who would be interested to continue to work with your group and NPCA.

Consider approaching your local NPR station for a free public service announcement. Also, local TV stations and newspapers may be willing to do a report before or after the event. (Be sure to let them know well in advance.) Are there any bloggers or YouTubers in the area who might take an interest? The hosting venue may have an events calendar, a mailing list, or access to journalists and media.

And, of course, we can publicize all events on our documentary website at https://www.peacecorpsdocumentary.com/screenings-event.