People to People program

[DisneyMama629]

I'm a fifth grade teacher and one of my students is going to France and England with People to People this summer. Now I'm getting awfully worried about him.

 

[barkley]

I'm a fifth grade teacher and one of my students is going to France and England with People to People this summer. Now I'm getting awfully worried about him.

so did you "nominate" him? have you ever received anything professionaly that solicits these "nominations". i think everyone is clueless just how kids end up getting these mailers (no coach, teacher, extra curricular leader i've ever known/asked had a clue).

 

[DisneyMama629]

No, I didn't nominate him. Neither did his 4th grade teacher. His mom teaches with me and she was told that there are certain kids that are put on a watch list to be chosen for the program. Weird. They are sending him though. He has been working on a report that he has to present this weekend. He also had to draw a map of England and France. It is costing them $5,000. Seems like a lot to invest in something that is shady.

I guess I did have to fill out a reccomendation letter for him after he was nominated, but that is all that I've had to do with the whole process.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Seems like a lot to invest in something that is shady.

I don't know if it is quite shady, but I've never agreed with their "you've been nominated" approach that makes parents feel like they are denying their kid a shot at being the next United States Ambassador if they won't or can't pay the $5 to $7k cost of the trip.

My oldest son started receiving those letters at about 5th grade and now my middle son gets them. Threads about People to People and Student Ambassadors pop up here every couple of months.

You can nominate yourself, you can nominate your friend - my son receive Sports Illustrated for Kids using his Middle Name and he received a "nomination letter" addressed to him exactly the way it is spelled on his magazine. I can absolutely guarantee you my middle son's teachers did not nominate him - he is in a Private religious school and they would never want a kid to go on any summer trip other than one of the Church Mission trips -- yet he gets letters every year.

From what I understand the organization uses many teachers as chaperones and they do submit some names. But they also buy marketing lists of kids from various companies and mass mail letters. I think that they require a couple of standard "this is an ok kid" recommendation letters from teachers or other adults before they allow somebody to go on a trip - but it is basically a "pay and you go" travel agency that specializes in putting together tours for kids. If you do a Google search on the name, you can find alot of information on them.

this is the first I've ever heard of people claiming the kids aren't well supervised. Most reviews I've heard from people who took trips say --- fantastic time, learned alot, but IT WAS REALLY EXPENSIVE.

 

[mtblujeans]

My three kids covered all ranges in the academic spectrum. They all got invitations to People to People and similar programs. It defied logic that this "honor" was bestowed on my A+ kid and one who was average. To me, it was just an attempt to get my kids to go on a very expensive trip.

Almost all of their peers got the same invite, and all of us discarded them. While it may have merit, we didn't see it and chose to ignore the offer.

Well, now I am wondering if this more of a program where the teachers get to travel and perhaps get credit for it!? I was told the chaperones are accredited teachers and only accredited teachers can chaperone!

A close friend of my oldest DS went to Australia with P2P in the 9th grade. He said he had a good time, he got to see where Lord of the Rings was filmed in New Zealand, and he brought back goodies for everyone. But, I thought it was odd that he never went again.....

 

[KarenB]

Both of my DSs have received letters for about the past five or six years (not for sports). The first time oldest DS received one, we ended up going to the informational meeting. The speaker got the kids SO excited about it, then threw in the cost. Yikes!! I am sure it is a wonderful trip, but I was a bit upset at the speaker pulling the kids into it without mentioning the high cost first. I also felt that for the same amount, we could have taken a family vacation with just as much education, fun, and memories.

Karen