At Peace Corps Connect 2025, the panel “Reimagining Belonging in the Peace Corps: Inclusion, Identity, and Impact” brought a deeply resonant and transformative conversation to the forefront of national service. Moderated by NPCA Board Member Jeffrey Janis (Ukraine 2004–06), the panel featured Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Josh Josa (Kenya 2010–12), Nicole Banister (South Africa 2013–16), and Deena Duwaik (Morocco 2016–18), each offering rich, intersectional perspectives on identity, equity, and representation.
Josh Josa, a Deaf RPCV and former USAID DEIA advisor, spoke with clarity and conviction about the systemic barriers and breakthroughs experienced by volunteers with disabilities. His insights highlighted not only the need for accessibility in national service but also the transformative power of adaptive leadership and inclusive design.
Deena Duwaik—a proud Palestinian American, equity strategist, and systems thinker—spoke about her service in Morocco not as charity, but as connection and resistance. “Service, for us, is not about assimilation,” she said. “It’s about showing up fully, unapologetically, and demanding a broader definition of belonging.” Drawing from her work in language justice and immigrant advocacy, Duwaik reminded attendees that Arab American identities are not burdens to carry but legacies of resilience and resistance. Her reflections on creating space for silenced voices were a call to reimagine what national service can be when it centers liberation over conformity.
Nicole Banister, international MC and Museum of the Peace Corps Experience board member, reflected on navigating race, gender, and visibility during her time in South Africa—and how storytelling became a tool for justice and joy.
The panel called on Peace Corps and allied service institutions to move from performative inclusion to structural transformation. Their message was clear: building bridges at home and abroad begins by validating every volunteer’s full humanity.
In a moving close to the session, Josh Josa taught the entire audience how to sign “Join the Peace Corps” in American Sign Language—leaving everyone not only inspired, but more connected, more aware, and more ready to recruit the next class.