Norval Reece, Community Contributor
Andrew Fellows, Tufts University graduate, Peace Corps volunteer in Kosovo, and member of Newtown Quaker Meeting will speak at the Quaker Meetinghouse, 219 Court Street, at 9:45 a.m. on Sunday, January 11, 2026. Following the presentation, there will be worship in the manner of Friends at 11:00 a.m. with people speaking out of silence as they are moved to do so. The public is welcome at all events.
Andrew Fellows has just finished serving two years in the Peace Corps as a Community Development Volunteer in Kosovo. His work involved assisting small NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) and nonprofits with English-language writing and project planning. He focused on projects aiming to promote inter-ethnic reconciliation and skill development of youth, women, and girls.
He learned the local Albanian language and met with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and the American Ambassador.
Andrew’s talk on Sunday will reflect on the current state of the Peace Corps and the role of a Quaker (and an American) in the context of Europe’s youngest country. Fellows said, “Reckoning with ethnic tension and cultural differences can be a test of our values, and we must remain aware of our limitations and potential as Americans abroad.”
Andrew said his service revealed some of the unsung and unexpected merits of the Peace Corps, as well as reveaaling deep challenges to its effectiveness in an era now past its peak popularity.
President John F. Kennedy launched the Peace Corps in 1961 The idea was for Americans to provide a service in other countries and learn about their customs, religions, and cultures, while giving people in their host countries a chance to learn the same about Americans. During the past 63 years, 240,000 Americans have served in the Peace Corps in 142 countries, including several other Quakers from Newtown Quaker Meeting.
Andrew Fellows is a graduate of Newtown Friends School (K-8), George School (8-12) in Newtown, and Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies, Magna cum laude.
While at Tufts, Fellows served on the Tufts Interfaith Student Council, was a Program Leader in the Tufts Chaplaincy’s Pre-Orientation program, Program Director of Tufts University’s radio station, WMFO Medford, and completed a summer internship with Pennsylvania State Senator Steve Santarsiero.
Newtown Friends Meeting co-founded by “Peaceable Kingdom” painter and Quaker minister, Edward Hicks, in 1815, is open to all who wish to attend. First Day Education classes (Sunday School) for all ages begin at 9:45 a.m. and Meeting for Worship begins at 11 a.m. Childcare is provided.