The screening of “A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps” begins at 7 p.m. Narrated by Annette Bening, the documentary traces the challenges that came with creating the Peace Corps, its growing pains as it got started and the immeasurable impact that its volunteers have made in the more than 60 years since it launched. - Owen Covington

Read the Full Article Here:https://www.elon.edu/u/news/2024/02/27/peace-corps-prep-program-at-elon-to-celebrate-more-than-a-decade-of-global-impact-on-thursday/

Founded at the height of the Cold War, the Peace Corps has dispatched more than 240,000 Americans to serve in 143 countries, from Albania to Vanuatu. Alana DeJoseph’s award-winning film examines the program's full legacy—its successes and shortcomings. She asks, what role has the Peace Corps played in the world and U.S. society—and what role should it play in the future?

Ticket Information

Event Sponsor
Office of the Provost , Mānoa Campus

More Information
Robert Perkinson, (808) 351-8976, btss@hawaii.edu,

https://manoa.hawaii.edu/speakers/alana-dejoseph/

The public is invited to a screening of a Peace Corps documentary Monday, February 5 at 7 p.m. in the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. There is no admission charge.

A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps is directed by Alana DeJoseph, who will be at the screening. DeJoseph has worked in video and film production for nearly 40 years. She began her career as a 10-year-old actress and since then has been a producer, director, videographer, and editor. Between 2003 and 2013, she was associate producer of the PBS documentaries The Greatest Good (about the U.S. Forest Service) and Green Fire (about Aldo Leopold).

In 2013, DeJoseph began working on the first feature documentary about the history of the Peace Corps. On September 22, 2019, the film premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. In December 2020, she won the Best Director award in the feature documentary category at the Indo Global International Film Festival in Mumbai.

Friday, September 29, 2023, 5:30 pm EDT, Case Western Reserve University - Tinkham Veale University Center, 11038 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, OH 44106

In cooperation with Northeast Ohio Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Association. For more information and contact click here.

MU Africa Hub is hosting Alana DeJoseph, a Return Peace Corps Volunteer to speak about her service and recent film. The title of her presentation “Global Citizenship & the Peace Corps: A Towering Task”

About the film

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave Americans the opportunity to serve their country in a new way by forming the Peace Corps. Since then, more than 200,000 volunteers have traveled to more than 140 countries to carry out the organization's mission of international cooperation. Nearly 60 years later, Americans-young and old alike-still want to serve their country and understand their place in the world. Current volunteers work at the forefront of some of the most pressing issues facing the global community. Yet the agency has struggled to remain relevant. More than once it had to fight for its very existence, and now-between pandemics, climate change, and a rise in nationalist sentiment-the Peace Corps is again confronting a crisis of identity: What role should it play around the world and in the lives of engaged citizens? Narrated by Annette Bening, a celebrated actress, A Towering Task tells the remarkable story of the Peace Corps and takes viewers on a journey of what it means to be a global citizen.

About the filmmaker

Alana DeJoseph has worked in video and film production for nearly 40 years. She has worn many hats as producer, director, videographer, and editor, but her heart has always been in documentaries. Between 2003 and 2013, she was associate producer of the PBS documentaries The Greatest Good (about the U.S. Forest Service) and Green Fire (about conservationist Aldo Leopold). The Greatest Good appeared at 15 film festivals with screenings in 35 states, winning numerous awards, including the CINE Golden Eagle Award and finalist designation for the Annual Telly Awards. Green Fire appeared in 29 festivals from Colorado to India and New Zealand. Still airing on public television, it was awarded an EMMY, Telly Awards Bronze and a CINE Golden Eagle Award, among others.

Being a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer herself, she couldn't help but think that just such an in-depth, comprehensive documentary was needed for the Peace Corps. Alana says: "In a time when the American public either has a very antiquated notion of the Peace Corps, informed by an almost mythological awe of the 60s, or is not even aware that the agency still exists, at a time when global problems such as climate change and pandemics are highlighting the need for international cooperation, it is high time to bring this unique organization back into the public discourse, to raise the level of the discussion from quaint to crucial."

This event is made possible with the generous support of Return Peace Corps Volunteer Association of Central Missouri, The International Center, CAFNR International Programs, and African Graduate Professional Student Association.

The documentary film “A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps,” will be shown during Missouri State University’s Public Affairs Week September 25, 2023, in Karls Hall 101 from 4-6:30 p.m.

The film’s director, Alana DeJoseph, will be present to discuss the film afterward.

Attendees can learn about both the Peace Corps itself and Missouri State’s Peace Corps Prep certificate program. Students who attend the viewing and are already in the program can apply their attendance toward their certification requirements.

RPCVs in Akron, Ohio host movie by Alana DeJoseph (Mali) — A TOWERING TASK

Jun 07 2023

NORVA hosts free screening  of Peace Corps documentary

Akron Beacon Journal

What does “global citizenship” really mean? Since 1961, more than 200,00 American volunteers have collaborated directly with everyday people around the globe in the name of peace. Follow their story in “A Towering Task,” an award-winning documentary on the history of the Peace Corps. The Northern Ohio Returned Volunteer Association presents a free screening at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, at the main branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library, 60 S. High St., downtown Akron.

Narrated by Annette Benning, the film chronicles the political machinations that led to an entirely new government agency during the height of the Cold War. It shows how idealistic American volunteers, past and present, work side-by-side with host country nationals to transform U.S. global relations.

“A Towering Task puts a human face on the Peace Corps and makes sense of its history of idealism, improvisation, politics, and at times its failings, “ says novelist Paul Theroux. “It is the most coherent and satisfying documentary I know of the Peace Corps, and I can’t imagine a better one.”

A short Q&A session with a multi-generational panel of returned Peace Corps volunteers will follow the film.

Admission is free, but registration is required at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-towering-task-a-northern-ohio-returned-peace-corps-volunteer-event-tickets-636785270887.

To learn more about the documentary, go to https://www.peacecorpsdocumentary.com/.

NCTC Conservation Lecture Series: A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps

On Monday, May 1st at 7:00 PM ET, Filmmaker Alana DeJoseph will screen her film "A Towing Task: The Story of the Peace Corps" at the National Conservation Training Center, Byrd Auditorium, 698 Conservation Way, Shepherdstown, WV.

Image Details

Image Details

Narrated by Annette Bening, A Towering Task tells the remarkable story of the Peace Corps and takes viewers on a journey of what it means to be a global citizen. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave Americans the opportunity to serve their country in a new way by forming the Peace Corps. Since then, more than 200,000 Volunteers have traveled to more than 140 countries to carry out the organization's mission of international cooperation. Nearly 60 years later, Americans - young and old alike - still want to serve their country and understand their place in the world; current volunteers work at the forefront of some of the most pressing issues facing the global community. Yet the agency has struggled to remain relevant amid sociopolitical change. More than once it had to fight for its very existence, and now - between pandemics, climate change, and a rise in nationalist sentiment - the Peace Corps is again confronting a crisis of identity: What role should it play around the world and in the lives of engaged citizens? 

From 1992 to 1994 Peace Corps Volunteer Alana DeJoseph was an enterprise development advisor in a small town in Mali, West Africa. Being a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and a Filmmaker, she understood that as walls are being built and nations are turning inward, a comprehensive documentary of this globally engaged American government agency was urgently needed.

Alana says: “In a time when the American public either has a very antiquated notion of the Peace Corps, informed by an almost mythological awe of the 60s, or is not even aware that the agency still exists, it is high time to bring this unique organization back into the public discourse, to raise the level of the discussion from quaint to crucial.”

Alana has worked in video and film production for over 40 years. She began her career as a 10-year-old actress. Since then, she has worn many hats as producer, director, videographer, and editor, but her heart has always been in documentaries. Between 2003 and 2013, she was associate producer of the PBS documentaries The Greatest Good (about the U.S. Forest Service) and Green Fire (about conservationist Aldo Leopold).

In 2013 Alana began working on the first feature documentary about the history of the Peace Corps: A Towering Task. On September 22nd, 2019 the film premiered to a full house at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. In December 2020 she won the Best Director award in the feature documentary category at the Indo Global International Film Festival in Mumbai. The film has screened at 11 film festivals and won numerous awards.

These talks are a part of the NCTC Conservation Lecture Series, which is cosponsored by The Friends of the NCTC - http://www.friendsofnctc.org . No tickets or reservations are required.

                                          All are welcome!

Upcoming Speakers: NCTC Conservation Lecture Series

All events begin at 7:00 pm in the NCTC Byrd Auditorium

• May 18 - "Mexican Wolf Recovery Program" - Maggie Dwire, Deputy Mexican Wolf Recovery Coordinator, FWS Ecological Services

• June 13 - "The Codex of the Endangered Species Act: The First Fifty Years" -  Lowell E. Baier, Author & Environmental Historian

For more information, please contact Mark Madison (304-876-7276) mark_madison@fws.gov.

Event date and time

May 1, 2023 7:00 pm - May 1, 2023 8:00 pm (EDT)

Event location name

Byrd Auditorium, National Conservation Training Center

Address

698 Conservation Training CenterShepherdstown,25443WV

Event category

Public Meeting

Audience(s)

Conservationists

Age range

Elementary (Grades K-5), Middle/Junior High (Grades 6-8), High School (Grades 9-12), Young adult, Adult, Senior (7 and up)

Facility(ies)

National Conservation Training Center Facility

Program(s)

National Conservation Training Center

Education Program(s)

The NCTC Conservation Lecture Series

Broadcast from the National Conservation Training Center Studio

A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps

Thursday, November 10 , 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Please join us for a free screening of the documentary film A Towering Task that tells the history of the Peace Corps and invites the audience to consider the role of the Peace Corps in the 21st century. The film’s director, Alana De Joseph will be visiting campus to introduce the film and will join us for a special panel discussion on global citizenship immediately following the film.

Free

Stevenson Center

(309) 438-7090

View Organizer Website

PCPrep@IllinoisState.edu

Schroeder Hall Annex

403 W. College Avenue
Normal, IL 61761 United States+ Google Map

Room

SCH 130

A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps Film Screening & Discussion

A Towering Task is an independent documentary produced and directed by Alana DeJoseph, a returned Peace Corps volunteer and documentary filmmaker. She has been a member of the production teams that produced The Greatest Good: A Forest Service Centennial Film and Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for our Time. She works alongside Dave Steinke (film producer, cameraman and former Forest Service public affairs director) and Shana Kelly (screenwriter and book editor). All three strongly believe in the urgent need for an objective, in-depth look at the history and future of the Peace Corps.

Founded during the Cold War, the Peace Corps stands as an icon of American idealism. From the beginning its mission of world peace and friendship proved to be a towering task. Imbued with the unbounded energy and vision of its charismatic leader, Sargent Shriver, and thousands of vigorous volunteers, the story of the Peace Corps is a uniquely American tale. From the political machinations to establish not just a brand new government agency, but a new concept in international relations, to the growing pains of an agency striving to define its mission. A Towering Task takes viewers on a journey of what it means to be a global citizen.

Host country nationals, Peace Corps Volunteers and staff, and scholars and journalists take a closer look at peace building, economic development and political independence through the Peace Corps’ nearly six decades of trials and transformations. Before being evacuated because of the pandemic, Peace Corps volunteers were serving in over 60 countries and more than 200,000 have returned since 1961, but America is reevaluating how to engage with the rest of the world.

Now, as the Peace Corps rebuilds with increased nationalistic tendencies in America and around the globe, and Peace Corps Volunteers at the forefront of some of the most pressing themes facing the global community, A Towering Task asks: What role should the Peace Corps play in the 21st century? We invite you to view the film and share your thoughts at this free screening and discussion hosted by DePaul University's School of Public Service.

5:00pm - 6:00pm: Appetizers and Refreshments

6:00pm - 8:30pm: Film Screening & Discussion

Monday, November 7 at 5:00pm to 8:30pm

Richard M. and Maggie C. Daley Building, 806 14 E. Jackson Blvd Room 806

EVENT TYPE

Community Service, International/Cultural Activities, Immigration and Refugee, Students, Faculty, Staff

DEPARTMENTS

College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, School of Public Services

WEBSITE

http://depaulsps.eventbrite.com

HASHTAG

#filmscreening

"A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps" Film Screening

When:Wednesday, November 2, 2022
3:00 PM - 6:30 PM Central

Where:Norris University Center, McCormick Auditorium, 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208 map it

Audience:Faculty/Staff - Student - Public - Post Docs/Docs - Graduate Students

Contact:Dylan Peterson   (847) 467-2770
buffettinstitute@northwestern.edu

Group:Buffett Institute for Global Affairs

Category:Global & Civic Engagement

Description:

Join the Northwestern Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs for a screening of the film A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps on Wednesday, November 2 at 3:00 p.m. CDT in the Norris University Center's McCormick Auditorium. 

Narrated by Annette Bening, A Towering Task tells the remarkable story of the Peace Corps and takes viewers on a journey of what it means to be a global citizen. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy gave Americans the opportunity to serve their country in a new way by forming the Peace Corps. Since then, more than 200,000 volunteers have traveled to more than 140 countries to carry out the organization's mission of international cooperation. Nearly 60 years later, Peace Corps volunteers are still on the front lines of addressing some of our world's most pressing challenges, yet the agency has struggled to remain relevant amid sociopolitical change. More than once, the Peace Corps had to fight for its very existence, and now - between pandemics, climate change, and a rise in nationalist sentiment - the Peace Corps is again confronting a crisis of identity: What role should it play around the world and in the lives of engaged citizens?

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion on the Peace Corps and global citizenship more broadly from 4:45-5:30 p.m. CDT with A Towering Task film director Alana DeJoseph and Northwestern University Clinical Professor of Law Juliet Sorensen.  The conversation will be moderated by Northwestern Associate Provost for Global Affairs and Northwestern Buffett Executive Director Annelise Riles. Following the discussion, attendees are invited to join us for a reception in Norris University Center's Dittmar Gallery from 5:45-6:30 p.m. 

Event schedule:
3:00-4:45 PM: Film Screening
4:45–5:30 PM: Panel Discussion
5:45-6:30 PM: Reception

Register for the film screening and panel discussion, and be sure to register to join us for a reception in Norris University Center's Dittmar Gallery following the event.

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Hosted by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Northern Colorado.

Join us as we partner with Colorado State University to kick-off a year-long series of events in honor of CSU's Peace Corps history and legacy. We are thrilled to have 'A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps' Director, Alana DeJoseph, introduce the film and share how this sensational production came to light. Stay for a cocktail and conversation after the film to chat with Alana and other Returned Peace Corps Volunteers about their experiences fulfilling the mission of the Peace Corps across the globe and carrying stories of friendship home when they return.

https://lyriccinema.com/#/movie/8041

The Daniel Boone Regional Library is cosponsoring a screening with the Missouri Returned Peace Corps Volunteers.

Wednesday, June 29 2022, 6:00pm - 8:30pm Columbia Public Library Friends Room

For more information please visit the library website.

Ohio State will host two distinct events this spring that will showcase the legacy of the Peace Corps and memorialize its 60-year history at Ohio State. These programs will serve as a reflection point to discuss the complex history of internationalization, civic engagement and global citizenship – and Ohio State’s path forward in these areas.

“A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps” Screening and Discussion
Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Jeanne and Charles Shultz Lecture Hall, 220 Sullivant Hall

Alana DeJoseph, producer and director of the reflective independent film, “A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps,” will visit Ohio State for a screening event and discussion centered around global citizenship.

For the many students, faculty and staff who contribute to global engagement at Ohio State, this retrospective view of the Peace Corps offers a chance to learn about and contemplate one of the most influential global citizenship efforts of our time – and use that lens to evaluate our role in today’s modern context.

This film and engaging conversation will be of interest to globally minded individuals from a number of interdisciplinary programs, and all are invited to participate. 

Attendees can further reflect on the Peace Corps’ impact and opportunities a day later through the perspectives of Ohio State alumni and staff who have served the program since its foundation.

Peace Corps 60th Anniversary Commemorative Event
Thursday, April 7, 2022, 4-6:30 p.m.
Jeanne and Charles Shultz Lecture Hall, 220 Sullivant Hall

This captivating event and panel discussion will focus on the experiences and insights of returned Peace Corps volunteers spanning six decades from the present back to the organization’s founding years, during which Ohio State contributed to the Peace Corps’ initial training and recruitment operations. In that spirit, the organization will be joined by Glenn Blumhorst, president and CEO of the National Peace Corps Association, to honor:

• Stephan L. Honoré – the first Ohio State student to be accepted into the Peace Corps; also the first Ohioan, first African-American, and one of the first 27 Peace Corps invitees in the United States
  in mid-June 1961.

• Representatives of India I – the first cohort of Peace Corps volunteers to serve in India, originally trained at Ohio State.

This reflection on the Peace Corps’ history and impact comes at an exciting time for the organization as it resumes invitations for new volunteers to serve abroad after a two-year hiatus in the wake of the pandemic.

Both events include light refreshments and are free to attend. Additional program details will be available at https://ipa.osu.edu/peace-corps.

Panel and Film Screening of "A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps"

The College of Arts and Science and the Department of Global & Intercultural Studies are sponsoring an April 4 viewing of the independent film A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps, produced and directed by Alana DeJoseph. The 7:30 pm screening will be preceded by a special faculty and alumni panel and take place at the Armstrong Student Center's Wilks Theatre.

 Monday, April 4 at 6:30pm

 Harry T. Wilks Theatre
550 E. Spring Street, Oxford, OH 45056

For more information click here.

More information to come.

On behalf of the Stevenson Center and Friends For Peace, we invite you to a free showing of A Towering Task: The Story of the Peace Corps. Join us next week Tuesday, February 1st, at 7 pm at the Normal Theater.

Debartolo Performing Arts Center - Browning Cinema

This is a free but ticketed event. Tickets will be available for pick-up at the Ticket Office one hour prior to the performance. To guarantee your seat, please pick up your tickets at least 15 minutes prior to the show. In the event of a sell-out, unclaimed tickets will be used to seat patrons waiting on standby.

Sponsored by the Pulte Institute for Global Development.

Performances

Friday, November 5, 2021 - 6:30 PM

For more information and to obtain tickets click here.

https://events.nd.edu/events/2021/11/05/a-towering-task-the-story-of-the-peace-corps/

This is an internal event.

For more on the RPCVs of Hampton Roads click here.

This is a closed event.

More information here.

For more information and to buy tickets, click here.

For more information and to buy tickets, click here.

A Towering Task will be shown at the beautiful Grand Theatre in Frankfort, Kentucky.

Purchase your tickets here.