From Rhode Island to Morocco

Cranston native Justin Bibee on living as a youth development volunteer in Morocco

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On January 14, 2014, Justin Bibee arrived in Morocco along with over 100 other Peace Corps trainees, the largest group to travel in Peace Corps’ history to date.

Born in Cranston, Rhode Island, Bibee graduated from Rhode Island College as a justice studies major, and it was at RIC that he decided to engage in working toward international human rights. Bibee went on to earn his master’s degree in peacebuilding and conflict transformation from the School for International Training (SIT). Bibee writes, “Before serving Morocco, it was attending college and graduate school that woke me up to new ideas and injustices.” Before long, Bibee found himself working with Advance Humanity, an organization of international humanitarians, in 2013. Throughout his work as an activist, Bibee acquired a number of awards and recognitions, including the President’s Volunteer Service Award and being named an ambassador of peace.

Why go to Morocco? Justin Bibee went to the North African country in order to become a youth development volunteer, teaching English to children in the city of Sidi Kacem. “Good English is a critical tool which people rightly believe will help them tap into new opportunities at home and abroad,” Bibee writes. “But more important than bringing English to another country is simply bringing yourself and interacting and conversing with people of different cultures. You do not need to know the language. Communication is not all about speaking. A simple smile can alter perceptions of people and cultures.”


The transition to living in another country is not easy for everyone, however. “Within two months in Morocco, more than twenty trainees had quit,” Bibee says. “My predecessor had quit and there had been no Peace Corps presence in my assigned city, Sidi Kacem, since. I was determined to put the Peace Corps/Sidi Kacem relationship on a sound footing.” Bibee especially noted that being in Morocco woke him up in ways that even a college education could not. “In school we discussed and debated injustices, in Morocco I experienced and witnessed them first-hand. Serving in the Peace Corps I was able to turn my theoretical knowledge into practical knowledge.”

Only a year into his service in Morocco, Bibee founded the People’s Advocate Council in 2015. Renamed Humanac, the volunteer-based organization works to listen to the voices of people who face poor standards of living and raise awareness about human rights issues.

In January of 2016, Bibee began another initative: the Global Human Rights Project (GHRP). The GHRP aims to establish “global solidarity for the advancement of human rights” by publishing a book of photography in which the subjects of each photo, people from every country in the world, are shown supporting the advancement of human rights by holding a sign. Bibee writes, “I needed a sophisticated strategy to mobilize people from every country in the world. This photography book is that strategy, but the message is bigger than the photos themselves. Peace is based upon recognition, communication and understanding. People of the world must know of one another and talk to one another. We must keep a constant focus on knowledge sharing and mutual learning.”

Bibee hopes that the GHRP will facilitate the mobilization and training of human rights advocates by using images as a powerful tool. In a time where the world is more connected by media and technology than ever before, Bibee believes that we need to use that connectivity in order to help those in need. “We have never been more connected than we are now,” he says. “We must use globalization in ways to serve humanity. From raising awareness, to providing education, to advocating for human rights, to simply communicating across cultures, media tools can be used to improve the outcomes of social initiatives.”

Given all that Bibee has worked for, one wonders if he has ever experienced “activist fatigue,” constantly examining and trying to stand up against the injustices that a great number of people of people face. To this, Bibee responds, “I do enjoy the work I do, very much so. It can get you down, and sometimes it does. But many countries have progressed and there are success stories as well. I feel it is important to highlight the positive with the negative, notably for your mental well-being.”

Bibee completed his Peace Corps service on April 28, 2016, and will soon be coming home to Rhode Island. When asked to summarize the importance of his work in Morocco over the course of two years and fourth months, Bibee responded by saying, “It is hard to quantify accomplishments during Peace Corps service. I was involved in a people-to-people program. My success, like other volunteers’, could not be judged by major economic or social changes, but through the individuals I taught and befriended. I like to think my Moroccan students, colleagues, and friends are different as a result of my presence in Morocco. I know I am.”

Looking back on his work in Morocco, if Justin were to pick one moment that had the greatest impact on him he says it would be, “Meeting my wife, Yousra. She was a contractor for the United States government and I saw her often. I saw her my very first day in Morocco but did not speak to her until six months later when we both had work in Marrakech. I asked her if she would like to go for a walk and talk. We did, and we have been together ever since. I had never imagined being married in Morocco, certainly never imagined such family joy or family love from Moroccans. These were unexpected blessings. All my best Peace Corps memories are with her. Her laugh and smile inspire me anew every day.”

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