From the Peace Corps Archives

“The Graduate”

For the holidays Paul gave me a vintage 1968 recruiting poster for the Peace Corps (see below). This poster includes the tag line: “Find out what you’ve got before you decide what to do with it.”

Much like the above TV ad aptly named, “The Graduate,” it appears that the main strategy for inspiring young people and recent graduates to join the Peace Corps in the early days was to tap into their sense of adventure, the need to separate themselves from their parents’ generation, the desire to take some time to live a little (and learn a lot) before settling down, and finally, the hope of making the world a better place.

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Curious to find more examples of vintage Peace Corps ads, I found the Peace Corps Digital Library Collection and within it a treasure trove of vintage posters and print ads. In the late 1960s, the Young & Rubicam agency worked with the Ad Council on a Peace Corps PSA campaign. Interestingly, Young & Rubicam is responsible for coining the expression, “The toughest job you’ll ever love.” See below for some of my favorite ads!

Enjoy this blast from the past. Peace, Mari