Online Bulletin Boards with Millenials

Qualspace Discussion Guide – Millennials – Peace Corps

Overall goals for research are to increase understanding of:

1. The Peace Corps brand/image; and attitudes and perceptions of it.

2. Emotional motivators and logistical barriers/obstacles to serving in the Peace Corps.

3. How our target audience views volunteering in general, and how that concept relates to their perception of the Peace Corps

4. How different kinds of themes/messages resonate with our target audience.

All comments in red will not appear on the bulletin board – they are instructions for the technical support team (20/20).

The Bulletin boards are NAMED, but in order not to disclose too much information, the recommended names will be used:

H High School (aged 15 – 18 – Enrolled in High School)

C College Age (aged 18 – 22 – Enrolled in 4-Year College/University)

Y Young Adult (aged 22 – 26 – Graduated College)

A double asterisk (**) indicates questions that will be adapted for the target audience age groups (either modified slightly or eliminated).

Please note that the section headers are visible to the respondent – they are crafted with care so they do not allude to specific topics (e.g., to avoid respondents Googling Peace Corps).

DAY 1 AM

Thank you so much for participating in our research project – we are really excited to be getting to know more about you over the next few days.

There are several logins – this is what the schedule looks like:

Day 1: DATE Log in between 6:00am – 11:00am

                                                      Log in between 4:00pm – 9:00pm

Day 2: DATE Log in between 6:00am – 11:00am

                                                      Log in between 4:00pm – 9:00pm

Day 3:  DATE Log in between 6:00am – 11:00am

Log in between 4:00pm – 9:00pm

You will need to log in in the morning – and then one last time later in the afternoon for some last questions. But feel free to come and go as many times during the day as you wish. The only thing I request is that you finish one topic area before going on the next day’s topic.

• We love to see pictures – real pictures, magazine or computer images, drawings, whatever! – So feel free to add those to any topic. Easy uploading instructions are included and there is always help from the tech folks at 20/20.

• There are absolutely no right or wrong answers that we are looking for – which always makes things a little less stressful! This is all about you. What do you think? How do you feel? And why? (Of course!) I am not really bothered about spelling or punctuation. So please feel free to relax and enjoy posting your opinions without worrying about grammar!

Here are some helpful hints to make this an easy process for you:

• Please read the “Getting Started Tutorial”. There is a lot of really great information in there to help you out along the way!

• Please upload a photo (or an Avatar) of yourself so that we can associate a face with your name. It just makes our discussion a little more personal. You can do this under “Update my profile”.

• On the left of your screen you’ll see a tab titled “Message Center”. Click on that feature to see any emails that the moderator might have sent to you that you might have missed in your personal email inbox.

• Any questions that you have not answered will have a large red button stating “You have not replied. Click here to reply”. This way you can tell what you still need to answer.

• For most of the questions, you will need to type your answer before you will be allowed to proceed to the next question.

• Note that no one – outside of other respondents and the research team - will see your answers. Everything is completely confidential and will only be used for our research purposes.

• If you have any technical difficulty while participating in this discussion, please contact the support staff by clicking on the "Help Desk" option at the top right of your screen.

Now, if you’ll click on “next section” at the bottom right of your screen we can get started with today’s topic!

You have been asked here to offer your views and opinions; everyone’s participation is important. To be honest, there are no right or wrong answers. It’s all about your opinion, and it’s perfectly fine if there are people participating who have different opinions! In fact, I am expecting it!

It’s OK to disagree. If you dislike something or disagree with something that’s said, I want to hear about it. But let’s stick with the ground rule of basic respect for each other’s point of view, OK?

All answers are confidential. That is, they will not be associated with your name or any other personally identifiable information about you. We want you to feel free to speak your mind. So please remember not to use your last name or post your address. Sound good?

This is where the questions start! Please mask answers until the end of day 1. After day 1 please partially mask answers (i.e. – they will not see how others have answered the question until they answer it).

INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS

Today we are here to discuss opportunities beyond college. To begin, let’s do some quick introductions. Tell me your first name only, and a little about how you like to spend your time.

** Tell me about which school/college you are currently attending/recently graduated from

** What year are you in?

** What do you most like about where you are currently studying?

** What is/was your major?

**What subjects are/were your favorites?

What are some of your extra-curricular interests?

** I’d like to talk a little about life opportunities that might arise once you finish school. Generally, who are/were some of the people that you would talk to about your future after school?

What are the types of things you would talk about? Can you give me a few examples?

** After you graduate college/Now that you’ve graduated college , if you could do anything at all – no barriers – no limitations – no practical details to worry about – what would that be? Please provide me with as many details as you can, so that I can really understand.

What – in your opinion – would be the absolute best part of that future you have just outlined?

What makes you say that?

What is the biggest barrier or constraint that you see when you think about this ideal future?

What other barriers come to mind?

Thinking back on the ideal future you described, what do you think your parents would say if you told them you were going to pursue that ideal future?

What are some of the reason(s) that your parents might give you for why you should not pursue that ideal future?

Coming back to earth a bit, what are some of your more realistic goals and /wishes for your life immediately after graduating?

What is the biggest barrier or constraint that you see when you think about these more realistic goals and desires?

What other barriers come to mind?

Please code these potential probes once the board has started (post as potential follow up questions)

** Are you considering college/graduate school? Why or why not?

Do you feel that there are good job opportunities available for someone like you when you graduate college? What makes you say that?

What kinds of skills do you think are most useful for someone graduating college to have in order to be successful finding a job?

What kinds of personality traits do you think someone needs to be successful finding a job after they graduate?

** Besides the economy, what else has/will impact(ed) your generation’s job prospects?

LIFE CHOICES

Now I would like to ask you a few questions about your generation. To start, what is the age range of the people that you would include when you think of “your generation”?

Some people like to assign names to their generations – names like “the Baby Boomers” or “Generation X.” What name would you use to refer to your generation?

If you think about your generation, what do you see as its key priorities?

Do you think these priorities are different from your parents and the people who belong to their generation?

How would you summarize, in just a short sentence or two, what the people in your generation are like?

How do you think your generation is different from the ones that came before it?

How do you think your generation is different from the ones that will come after you?

When all is said and done, what do you think your generation’s mark on the world will look like? What kinds of things might it include? Will it be positive or negative? Why?

Where does your generation get most of its information? What sources do you trust?

What types of information does your generation like to share? Describe the process of sharing information among members of your generation.

What are some of the major challenges that you think are facing your generation?

When you think of those challenges, how do you think they may get in the way of your generation’s ability to make a positive impact?

INFORMATION ONLY. That’s it for now. Please come back this afternoon. When you come back - you will be able to see everyone else’s comments as well.

DAY 1 PM

INFORMATION ONLY Welcome back! I enjoyed reading over your posts from this morning. If you go back you will notice that you can now see posts from others that are participating in the study. You may be interested in what they have to say. Please check back and see if I have any follow up questions for you.

You can click “Highlight Unanswered Questions” on the bottom of the Navigation Section located at

the top of your screen to see if there are any questions from me that you may have missed.

Also on the left hand side of the screen you’ll see the number of questions or follow ups that I may have left for you! Any questions that you have not answered will have a large red button stating “You have

not replied. Click here to reply”. Simply click on the button to answer the question. To add to your

reply, just click on reply.

Each time you come back to the discussion, please go back and check the responses that have been posted since you last joined. You can do this by using the buttons located in the blue ribbon at the top of your screen. You will go to the previous section by clicking on the "Previous Section" button to the left of the name of the section you are currently in.

Also if you find your computer is running a bit slow with this website, please consider doing the following:

1. Ensure that you clear your cache (CTRL+Shift+Del and delete browsing history). When you do this, it ensures that QualBoard will load completely each time and that all updates that need to be there will be there.

2. If you are on Wi-Fi and a laptop, sitting closer to your wireless router will make internet speed faster.

3. While on QualBoard, you will want to limit any other surfing or downloading that you are doing at the same time because it will also take up bandwidth and slow down the loading of web pages

4. Make sure you have the most up to date version of Flash. You can download it for free at http://get.adobe.com /flashplayer

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6. If you are browsing from work, you may not be able to update your browser or your IT department may have installed a firewall that is filtering all of your websites and slowing down the system.

VOLUNTEERING

Earlier today, we talked about your generation and its impact on the world. Are you personally interested in trying to make a positive impact on the world? Why or why not?

What barriers do you see that might impact your personal ability to make a positive impact?

A lot of people try to make the world a better place by volunteering. So tell me - when you think about volunteerism - what kinds of things do you think of?

What about when you hear the phrase “community service?” What does that make you think of?

Aside from the satisfaction of helping others, what, if anything, do you think that people who volunteer get out of volunteering?

Do you currently do any volunteering? If so, please tell me a little about that?

If you were looking to volunteer somewhere, what qualities or features would make an organization attractive to you?

Have you ever been involved in any volunteer activities overseas? If so, what drove your interest? If not, is that something you would be interested in doing? Why or why not?

What benefits do you see in volunteering overseas?

What concerns would you have about going overseas for a volunteer assignment?

If there were an opportunity that you were interested in, what would be the biggest barriers you would have to overcome in order to go overseas for a volunteer assignment?

How would the benefits and concerns of volunteering overseas change based on the amount of time you were signing up for? For example, how would they be different if the opportunity lasted for a year compared to one that lasted for only two weeks?

If you volunteered overseas, would you expect to have a say in where you went and what type of work you did? Would being able to choose your location and work make a difference in whether you would go? Why?

Now, thinking of volunteering generally, either here in the USA or somewhere overseas, have you ever taken part in a long term volunteer opportunity, something that required your full time effort over a period of time? Through what organization? What did you do?

If you were interested in a long-term, full-time volunteer opportunity, what do you think would be the biggest barriers you would have to overcome?

Would those barriers be the same if the opportunity were overseas? If so, how would they be different?

If you were interested in a long term, full-time volunteer opportunity after college, what reaction would you expect from your parents? What makes you say that?

If you were really committed to a volunteer opportunity but your parents were against it, how do you think you might be able to convince them? What kinds of things would you say to them to make the case that you should go?

organizations

When you think of long term, full-time volunteer opportunities either in the USA or abroad, which organizations come to mind?

(Use Follow-Up Probes for AmeriCorps, Teach for America and Peace Corps if not mentioned)

Can you tell me a little bit about each of the organizations that you listed? For example, what they do, why you might or might not want to volunteer with them, or whether you think they are a good organization or not? Can you rank the organizations you mentioned from 1-X in the order that you would be the most interested in volunteering for, if circumstances made it possible for you to do so?

Can you tell us a little bit about why you chose to rank them that way?

Are any of these organizations a part of the Federal government? Which ones?

If a volunteering opportunity were offered by the Federal government, would that change how you would view it, as compared to an opportunity that did NOT come from the Federal government? Why?

What about being a part of the Federal government would make the volunteer opportunity BETTER?

What about being a part of the Federal government would make the volunteer opportunity WORSE?

INFORMATION ONLY That’s all for today. Please remember to log back in tomorrow for the next day of the discussion blog.

DAY 2 AM

feedback

Yesterday you’ll probably remember that we talked a lot about different kinds of volunteer opportunities. Today I’d like to discuss one specific kind of volunteer opportunity—volunteering with the Peace Corps. You may or may not already know about the Peace Corps, but either way – please do not search the web for more information before answering our questions. There are no right or wrong answers here, and we want to know what you think, even if you might not already know too much about the Peace Corps.

To begin, what do you know about what the Peace Corps does?

What are some words or phrases that come to mind when you think of the Peace Corps?

Had you heard about the Peace Corps before today? If so, from where did you hear about the Peace Corps?

** Have/Would you ever consider(ed) joining the Peace Corps after college? Why or why not?

Do you think that your friends know about the Peace Corps? If so, what do you think they might think of the organization?

If you told your friends that you were thinking of joining the Peace Corps, what do you think they would say? Would they think it was a good idea, or a bad idea? Why?

What do you think a typical Peace Corps volunteer is like? For example:

• How old are they?

• Where do they come from?

• What is their personality like?

• Did they go to college, and if so, what did they study?

• Why did they decide to become a Peace Corps volunteer?

• What makes them different from volunteers in other organizations?

Again, remember – we want to know what you think, and not what Google thinks! There are no right or wrong answers!

What, if anything, can you relate to in your description of a typical Peace Corps volunteer? Is there anything that particularly appeals or does not appeal to you?

Now that you have a Peace Corps volunteer in mind, what do you think they would be doing? In other words, what would a typical Peace Corps volunteer assignment be like? For example:

• Where kinds of countries are they in?

• What’s challenging about what they are doing?

• What’s rewarding about what they are doing?

• What about that assignment, if anything, appeals to you?

• What about that assignment, if anything, doesn’t appeal to you?

The Peace Corps made some changes last summer in their recruiting process. Now the volunteer has more choice in where they go and what they do. Volunteers can choose to apply to a particular site and work assignment from different options.

• Does this change what you know about the Peace Corps? How?

• How do these changes make any difference in your willingness to serve in the Peace Corps?

Thinking again about what you said a typical Peace Corps volunteer would be like, what do you think they do after their Peace Corps service? What kinds of careers would they plan to pursue?

Do you think that they will be successful in their careers? Why or why not?

DAY 2 PM

more feedback

I have a few more questions for you about the Peace Corps, but first – tell me – did these questions prompt any discussion with your friends and family? If so – tell me a little about what you discussed.

We would like to learn a little more about how you think joining the Peace Corps affects people’s lives in the long term. How do you think Peace Corps service affects volunteers’ ability to land jobs after service? Why do you feel that way?

How do you think employers view Peace Corps experience on a resume? What makes you say that?

What practical career experience do you think Peace Corps volunteers receive through completing their service?

What leadership skills do you think Peace Corps volunteers receive?

What other transferrable skills do you think Peace Corps volunteers might receive?

What are the most important things that Peace Corps volunteers receive through their service that would be useful in their future careers? What makes you say that?

What types of careers might value a Peace Corps experience the most?

In what ways do you think completing Peace Corps service might hurt a volunteer’s future career?

concepts

I would like your thoughts on a few different concepts that include different ways to think about the Peace Corps. I am going to show you one idea at a time, and I would love to get your impressions about each statement. We want to know what you think, so you won’t see other people’s answers until you are done with this section.

FIRST CONCEPT

In a sentence or less of your own words, what is the main message or theme that this concept is trying to get across?

What are your first thoughts about this concept? Would you say that it appeals to you, or do you not like it? Why?

Are there any words in particular that you are reacting to? What do you like or dislike about them?

How does this message fit in with how you already view the Peace Corps? Why do you say that?

Is there anything in this particular concept that would motivate you to consider the Peace Corps as a future volunteer opportunity? If so, what?

Is there anything in this particular concept that would make you less interested in considering the Peace Corps as a future volunteer opportunity? If so, what?

REPEAT FOR EACH CONCEPT (see next page for concepts)

We will post all the concepts one more time - and ask the questions below.

Across all of these concepts, which words or statements resonate with you most? Which words or statements make you the most interested in the Peace Corps?

Which words or statements do you think would be the most convincing to your parents?

In looking at all the concepts, can you think of specific words or phrases not included that would make you more interested in joining the Peace Corps?

How about your parents? Are there any words or phrases that are missing that might make them more supportive of you in joining the Peace Corps?

Which of the concepts is the most persuasive to you personally in terms of making you interested in joining the Peace Corps? Why?

Which if any, provided you with a new piece of information about that Peace Corps? What did you learn from the concept?

Which do you think is the least appealing? What makes you say that?

That’s all for today. We look forward to hearing from you tomorrow morning.

Concepts:

1. What will you do next?  You have your college degree but maybe you’re not sure of your career path or how to get work experience in your area of interest.  Consider volunteering abroad with the Peace Corps.  You’ll learn valuable leadership and language skills with the hands-on training to set you apart from the competition.

2. Want to be a part of a global family? When you join the Peace Corps, you become part of a network that is working to make the world a better place, one community at a time. You represent the United States while assisting your host country in areas such as education, health, and business development.  When you return you become part of a vibrant, active Peace Corps alumni base.

3. Are you worried about a tough job market? Develop skills that will jumpstart your career by volunteering with the Peace Corps. Get training before and while on-the-job to build your resume. The Peace Corps is an investment in your future.

4. Ready to discover your world?  When you serve in the Peace Corps, you’ll experience the excitement of living abroad and learning about new cultures. Learn a new language and take on new challenges that test your ingenuity and resourcefulness.  It’s a life-defining experience.

5. How can you help make a difference that matters?  Work abroad and use your talents, skills and enthusiasm to make an impact. Change lives and work at the grass-roots level to help make a difference globally. As a Peace Corps Volunteer you can develop innovative solutions to everyday problems that produce results with a lasting effect even after you leave.

DAY 3 AM

Good Morning! Thanks for all your comments so far. I am really enjoying what you all have written. Please check back and see if I have any follow up questions for you – and you may find you have some additional comments based on something someone else has said. I am very interested to hear your opinions!

As a reminder - you can click “Highlight Unanswered Questions” on the bottom of the Navigation Section located at the top of your screen to see if there are any questions from me that you may have missed.

Also, on the left hand side of the screen you’ll see the number of questions or follow ups that I may have left for you. Any questions that you have not answered will have a large red button stating “You have

not replied. Click here to reply”. Simply click on the button to answer the question. To add to your

reply, just click on reply.

Each time you come back to the discussion, please go back and check the responses that have been posted since you last joined. You can do this by using the buttons located in the blue ribbon at the top of your screen. You will go to the previous section by clicking on the "Previous Section" button to the left of the name of the section you are currently in.

PHRASES

For our next exercise, let’s take a look at six different phrases. Each phrase might describe a part of the Peace Corps experience. I’d like you to answer some questions about each phrase.

Repeat for Phrases 1-6 [See next page for phrases]

How important is the idea in this phrase to a typical Peace Corps volunteer?

How would a Peace Corps volunteer experience the idea in this phrase? What day to day activities would affect this?

Do you think ALL volunteers experience this, or MOST, SOME, a FEW or NONE of them?

Is this an emotional appeal or a practical appeal? Why?

If you were to volunteer, does this phrase capture what you would like to get out of the Peace Corps? Why or why not?

Comparing the 6 Phrases

Which one phrase BEST captures the Peace Corps experience? Why?

Which one phrase is WORST at capturing the Peace Corps experience? Why?

Phrases

• Become part of a global community of volunteers.

• Develop valuable career skills that set you apart.

• Make a lasting impact on your community.

• Take on the toughest job you’ll ever love.

• Seek out new adventures.

• Challenge myself through a life-defining experience.

feedback

For our next exercise, we’d like to get your feedback on one specific topic, and it is Safety. Do you have any concerns about your safety and security when it comes to volunteering overseas? Why is that?

Does concern about safety and security affect how you think about volunteering for the Peace Corps?

Because the Peace Corps is part of the federal government, does that make it more safe or less safe than other overseas volunteer organizations? Why is that?

Thank you for your input! See you at our final session later today.

DAY 3 PM

a letter…!

NOTE TO PEACE CORPS – THIS IS A “PLACE HOLDER” EXERCISE. IF WE HAVE LOTS OF FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS, I WILL ADDRESS THEM HERE. IF NOT, THEN THIS EXERCISE IS A USEFUL TOOL TO SUM UP THE ISSUES OF DRIVING IMPORTANCE.

INFORMATION ONLY I have an exercise I would like to ask you to do for me.

Now – I’d like you to imagine that you are considering volunteering with the Peace Corps. Maybe there are some things you like the sound of – and perhaps some things you would like more information about

We’re going to write a letter together – where I start the sentence – and you finish it off for me!

Now – you may not agree with the direction I am taking this letter in! If not – then just write out what you really think. You don’t have to stick exactly to my plan. We’re not looking at spelling and grammar – and there’s really no pressure. It’s just a fun way to think about our reasons for doing the things we do.

Please partially mask each line….

Dear Peace Corps

When I learned about you for the very first time, I felt…

I really wanted to know more, like…

The thing I like about you the most is…

My friends and family think you…

Sometimes I worry a little because…

I’m just not certain you are the best choice for me because…

I think there are other opportunities that may be better for me – like….

I do really want to try Peace Corps because…

And the one thing that could help me make that decision to join would be…

The thing I would value most from the experience would be…

Sincerely…

P.S. I just also want you to know…

Hope you found that exercise challenging! That’s all for now. We look forward to hearing from

Thanks for all your help with this project! Any last thoughts or comments for me?

Thank you – and have a great day!

Ipsos Understanding UnLtd. Phone: 513.549.9612 Page 18 of 18

3505 Columbia Pkwy Suite 300, Cinti OHIO 45226 Fax: 513.871.2292

www.ipsos-uu.com

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