ever heard of people to people student ambassador program

[powellrj]

DS got a letter today from his teacher about the people to people student ambassador program. Has anyone ever heard of it? Its for 20 days in Australia. I want to find out a little about the program before I go to any meetings. How much does it cost, is it well run, those kind of things. I googled it, but it was very basic information. Thanks!

 

[Toby'sFriend]

did the letter come in the mail or actually from the teacher?

 

[Toby'sFriend]

I'll add. If it is the group I'm thinking of, they are a travel agency that contracts with a non-profit group to put on these student tours. My son started getting those letter around 6th or 7th grade I think. They always say "based on recommendations from you teachers" or something, but nobody at the school knows much about them. A couple of times he has gotten them addressed to his middle and last name, which is what I always use for his Sports Illustrated for Kids subscription -- so they are probably just buying a list of students from somewhere.

Anyway -- DH works with a guy who sent his son on the Australia trip a couple of years ago. He had a great time and it seemed to be very well planned, organized, and chaperoned, but it was HUGELY expensive. Close to $7,000 if I remember.

 

[SpecialK]

I just heard of this last summer. A friend of mine was talking about it because her sister is a chaperone with this program. Her sister is a teacher and her daughter also went through the program. She spoke very highly of it though I didn't get any more details. I do remember that she said the program was very selective. Sorry I can't give you more.

 

[KarenC]

We got a letter from them today and I was going to post the same question. My son took a look at it and said it's not the honor they lead you to think it is. I don't know anything else about it.

 

[silver7]

My ds12 has gotten recommended the last two years, and we have known at least a couple of people a year that have gone on the trip. The selection process is very secretive, and it is a great honor just to be nominated.

The group was started I think by the Eisenhower administration, and the ride "small world" was based on it. It is a way to get children from different countries to meet each other and be ambassadors for their countries. I think it is kind of expensive to do the trip, but the people that I know that have gone have had nothing but major amounts of praise to say about it.

 

[powellrj]

thanks for replies. I am not sure if the letter came in the mail or if he brought it home from school. He just handed it to me on his way out the door and said, "can I go??" I told him I would find out more information about it before we go to any meetings. I had never heard about it but I knew someone here would know about it!!!

 

[ptcruisermom]

Both of my ds starting getting these around middle school years. DD received onthis summer she is only 10 and going into 4th grade.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Racking my brain trying to remember.... there is someone here on the DIS that is a chaperone/sponsor for this type of trip......

Oh, man now this is going to bug me until I figure it out.....

 

[Toby'sFriend]

there is a thread about it here on the Fodor's travel board. I am trying to find an article our town newspaper did about it a couple of years ago. It stated that the tours are offered by a travel agency that actually liscenses the name "People to People" from the non-profit agency that Eisenhower started.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&tid=34454273&numresponses=6&start=0

The selection process is very secretive, and it is a great honor just to be nominated.

I don't mean to be rude, but it seems that anybody who would know my son well enough to "honor" him would know that his name isn't really Edward.

 

[Nancy]

All 3 of my kids have received this letter in the mail. My #1 DD didn't have good enough grades in school that any teacher would have recommended her. DD #2 had great grades...but her name was spelled incorrectly (She is Caitlyn...not Kaitlin) DD #3 got hers this summer...went into the round file cabinet with the other junk mail.

 

[monarchsfan16]

One of my friends was supposedly going to this this summer. I know it costs A LOT. I do not know anything about it though. I think I got some sort of other People to People nomination that would have been in this country but I didn't respond to that. She said it looked like it was going to be a good program, and I think I heard good reports about it from my mom who heard from one of her students. Other than that I really don't know anything though.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

DD#1 (12, going into grade 7) and one of her friends both got the Australia letter about 10 days ago. I knew a girl in our subdivision had gone 2 years ago (to San Fran., not Australia) so I asked her mother about it. I'm always suspicious about this type of thing. This girl had an awesome time and is probably going to Australia as well, but the cost is $5000! There is a TON of fundraising you have to do. Her parents told her they would pay half if she would fundraise the other half. Well, I told DD that there isn't that kind of money in the kitty right now (the kitty is starving to death LOL) and I'd rather not have her beat up everyone we know and their families for that kind of money. Even DD#1 knows that is a lot of money to come up with. My niece only (!)needs $1500 by next summer to tour Europe with a show choir, and she sent everyone she knows a letter asking to remember her for extra chores, babysitting, lawn work, etc.
DD has also gotten letters about "someone recommended you for the young miss Ohio (or something similar) pageant" which would entail being in Columbus for a weekend in an expensive dress and paying an entry fee. Both seem fishy.
It's like "who's who among American High School students". They send us a form where we list a few names of students and then they send those students a letter that they have been "chosen", could they please send in their information and oh yes, if they want the book it's about $75.
Robin M.

 

[mom2boys]

A former coworker just sent her 2nd daughter on such a trip. The older one went a couple of years ago.

 

[MICKEY88]

My daughter did the program when she was in HS, hers was to Europe though,,England Denmark, Sweden, and another country which I can't think of right now,,,
she had an incredible experience

 

[KrnB]

I went to the Soviet Union in 1991 with People to People. One of the best experiences of my life - an absolutely amazing trip.

Here are a couple old threads about the student ambassador program:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=446583
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=424071
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=476873

I never did know who nominated me or where they got my name from. I do know that there are a lot of steps in the selection process (getting the intial letter/flyer is only the beginning; it's like applying for college), and the trip itself is expensive. But it is definitely worth it.

I was also able to get quite a few college credits from Eastern Washington Univ. by documenting and writing about the trip - what I saw and what I learned.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Wow, we just got 2 the other day for 2 of the ds, nice but they are using my maiden name for their last name, which I only used in another state, gee, so much for the very selective process. I have to laugh, as no such person, really actually exists with that name, just a variation of my ds and my maiden name. Also had them for the other ds too. I think we even got ones for sports and then a special bowling one too since they are involved with that. Its in the good bye at the dump along with the whos, who, oh yes I just got a letter from them saying they are going to publish my son as I sent back the info, and its THE absolute last time I have a chance to buy the book, mug, pin, etc. Gee, I dont have a big S for Sucker on my t shirt, sorry. Good luck if you do that program.

 

[powellrj]

thanks for all the great information. I had never heard of this until yesterday (older DS never got anything from this group), so I was happy got get all the information!!

 

[Mskanga]

My oldest got the letters for the last two years and she's 11 now. I know that her fourth grade teacher sponsored her because I asked him after she got the first letter. I don't know what the requirements criteria is or the selection method , but dd is a A student. I did not let her go to Australia last year, this year was to San Francisco, again she did not go.