Thom and Brenda Weiss are both 20 year Rotarians from Madison Wisconsin and currently they are serving as United States Peace Corps Volunteers in Kaçanik, Kosovo.
They visited NE Ohio (Thom was raised in Tallmadge, OH) over the holidays and offered to speak at our clubs. Thank you to the Barberton, Tallmadge and Wadsworth clubs that opted to team up on January 2nd. Wadsworth coordinated the even and and had them present at Soprema Senior Center & Cafe along with offering a Zoom option. It was a fascinating presentation - below are excerpts that coordinate with their photos (click here for the PDF of the photos).
He is supporting an environmental NGO as a community and economic development volunteer. She is co-teaching English in a professional high school in Kaçanik as a TEFL volunteer. After hosting their first Rotary exchange student in 2003, Thom and Brenda joined Rotary. Since then, they have hosted twelve Rotary exchange students. Thom is currently a member of the Madison Area Breakfast Rotary Club where he is a past president and past youth exchange officer. From 2014 – 2022, Thom directed the work of the Wisconsin chapter of Rotary Books for the World. This non-profit organization collected used school and library books from around Wisconsin and shipped them through a Rotary network to developing countries where the books could get a second chance.
Abbreviations:
KOS 9 – 9th group of volunteers to Kosovo
LCF – Language and Cultural Facilitators (Kosovo Language/Cultural Instructors to train PCs)
PC – Peace Corps
PCV – Peace Corps Volunteer
RPCV – Returned Peace Corps Volunteer
KOS 9 – 9th group of volunteers to Kosovo
LCF – Language and Cultural Facilitators (Kosovo Language/Cultural Instructors to train PCs)
PC – Peace Corps
PCV – Peace Corps Volunteer
RPCV – Returned Peace Corps Volunteer
Living and Serving in Kaçanik, Kosovo (pic - Snow-covered Ljuboten May 2024)
Introduction – Thom and Brenda (pic – View of Kaçanik from our apartment)
● 20 year Rotarians
● Relationship started with hosting Rotary Youth Exchange Students
● RPCV presentation at a Rotary meeting lead to applying to PC
Introduction – Thom and Brenda (pic – View of Kaçanik from our apartment)
● 20 year Rotarians
● Relationship started with hosting Rotary Youth Exchange Students
● RPCV presentation at a Rotary meeting lead to applying to PC
Peace Corps as a Safety Net – Brenda (Pic Kos 9 at staging)
● The desire to serve abroad (pic - Mosque in Kamenice)
● The safety net – 63 years of experience, 240,000 volunteers (pic - Host family)
● Relationship building with other PCV, in-country PC Staff, and community Training in country with LCFs (pic – Getting our site in Kosovo)
● The desire to serve abroad (pic - Mosque in Kamenice)
● The safety net – 63 years of experience, 240,000 volunteers (pic - Host family)
● Relationship building with other PCV, in-country PC Staff, and community Training in country with LCFs (pic – Getting our site in Kosovo)
We love American! – Thom (pic – American Flag and Ljuboten in the background)
● Carson Mettel bike tour and flags everywhere (pic – American Flag and Ljuboten in the background)
● The 98/99 conflict (pic – Bill Clinton Statue)
● Kosovo border (pic – Map of Kosovo)
● KFOR (pic - at Camp Bondstill)
● Nationality (pics – Prishtina library and kids in Albanian costumes)
● Locals in Kacanik (pic – Bucky)
● Carson Mettel bike tour and flags everywhere (pic – American Flag and Ljuboten in the background)
● The 98/99 conflict (pic – Bill Clinton Statue)
● Kosovo border (pic – Map of Kosovo)
● KFOR (pic - at Camp Bondstill)
● Nationality (pics – Prishtina library and kids in Albanian costumes)
● Locals in Kacanik (pic – Bucky)
What I Learned From Students – Brenda (pic – Brenda’s school assignment)
● Brief description of school site and students (pic – Brenda’s school assignment)
● First week of school icebreaker (pic – Distance Akron to Kaçanik)
● Students know about Ohio (pic – Students in the electrician group)
● Ohio is a Meme (pic – Ohio is a Meme)
● Kaçanik is 5,000 miles away and yet students know Ohio
● Brief description of school site and students (pic – Brenda’s school assignment)
● First week of school icebreaker (pic – Distance Akron to Kaçanik)
● Students know about Ohio (pic – Students in the electrician group)
● Ohio is a Meme (pic – Ohio is a Meme)
● Kaçanik is 5,000 miles away and yet students know Ohio
Finding our Peep! – Thom (pic – Meadow hike near Kaçnik)
● Who has hosted an exchange student? Why do we try to get them on sports teams, music groups or other extracurriculars? (pic - hiking groups on a peak in Sharr Mountain National Park)
● Kacanik valley (pic – September 7th hike)
● Hiking Group
● Who has hosted an exchange student? Why do we try to get them on sports teams, music groups or other extracurriculars? (pic - hiking groups on a peak in Sharr Mountain National Park)
● Kacanik valley (pic – September 7th hike)
● Hiking Group
Gjethi “The Leaf” – Thom (pic – ommgjethi.com front page)
● My assignment - (pic – First meeting with Gjethi)
● Punch above their weight
● Advocacy - (pic – Valon being interviewed by news organization)
● Maje Paqt (pic - Garbage in Kaçanik)
● My assignment - (pic – First meeting with Gjethi)
● Punch above their weight
● Advocacy - (pic – Valon being interviewed by news organization)
● Maje Paqt (pic - Garbage in Kaçanik)
School for Thought (pic – Emin Duraku newest school in Kaçanik)
● The comparison question
● Description of school in Middleton
● Description of schools in Kosovo (pic – Student performance at my assigned school)
● My role in the school (pic – student wearing a University of Wisconsin sweatshirt)
● December 16th in Madison school
● How students in Kosovo have it better than students in
● The comparison question
● Description of school in Middleton
● Description of schools in Kosovo (pic – Student performance at my assigned school)
● My role in the school (pic – student wearing a University of Wisconsin sweatshirt)
● December 16th in Madison school
● How students in Kosovo have it better than students in
Service Above Self (pic – participants in Access in Kamenice)
● Rotary service above self lines up with PC
● PC Mission (pic – Peace Corps Kosovo headquarters)
● PC Goals
● PC Service Sectors
● Benefits of Serving and After Serving (pic – swearing-in ceremony)
● PC Response (pic – swearing in of two response volunteers)
● Final Slide/Questions (pic – view of Ljuboten from Kaçanik)
● Rotary service above self lines up with PC
● PC Mission (pic – Peace Corps Kosovo headquarters)
● PC Goals
● PC Service Sectors
● Benefits of Serving and After Serving (pic – swearing-in ceremony)
● PC Response (pic – swearing in of two response volunteers)
● Final Slide/Questions (pic – view of Ljuboten from Kaçanik)