Jody Brooks Organized Soccer League for Street Kids

Joseph (Jody) Brooks is a Physical Activity Fellow, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity who has been at CDC since May 2005. He served in the Peace Corps in Kingston, Jamaica, from 1999 to 2003. "Ever since I was a youngster my family and I were always involved with a number of community service projects. Joining the Peace Corps was an opportunity to continue to serve, but on an international stage."

Brooks worked for two years as a project officer for a non-governmental organization. "It’s funny, when I tell people I served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica, they often think that it was the ‘Beach Corps.’ The reality is that although Jamaica has world-class resorts and beaches, many in the country still live in the third world. While there I started an island-wide, under-16 soccer league for street kids, was awarded a grant to transform two open lots into community green space areas, and organized five community basketball coaching certification clinics and five community basketball kids’ camps."

"From 2001-2003, I was a Peace Corps volunteer leader and worked in the Peace Corps Jamaica Headquarters. As a liaison between the volunteers and staff I planned trainings and developed resources with the Program and Training Officer, conducted site visits, managed the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Small Projects Assistance grant, and created a grant-writing handbook for Peace Corps volunteers."

In 1994, Brooks participated in the Public Health Summer Fellowship program, so he already had an interest in public health. "Realizing how integral regular physical activity is to both mental and physical health as a Peace Corps volunteer, influenced my decision to pursue a career in public health. I now work in the Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, so the community-level work experience I had as a Peace Corps volunteer translates nicely to the work I do now with state and local health departments and our national organization partners."

"I am a big supporter of Peace Corps and the work we have done and continue to do," adds Brooks. "I would encourage more capable, open-minded, resourceful people, regardless of age, to consider becoming a volunteer at some stage in their life. I would be a much, much better Peace Corps volunteer now, after having worked at the CDC, then I was…and I still thought I was a pretty darn good volunteer! CDC employees have a lot of skills they could share with people around the world."

Brooks, who speaks some Jamaican Patois, French, and Japanese, says it is important to go into the experience with an open mind. "If you have your own agenda it will become apparent very quickly. You have to learn the culture and the history of the people or community in which you want to work. One of the most important things you need to do is demonstrate your intentions to the community. If they don´t accept you or believe that you are there to help them, then you will never succeed. The community needs to own any project that they are involved in. Sustainable development is key for any lasting impact."