People to People program

[DsnyDrmr]

Anyone have any info about this? My son was "nominated" according to a letter we received. It's for a sports ambassador program to Holland. A son of a friend of mine did this many years ago, but it wasn't for sports. The only thing I remember is that he had to raise his own funds to go to Australia, and it was expensive! Any help would be appreciated.

 

[ElizK]

My older DD has been invited twice for exceptional scores on her standardized tests.

As awesome an oppurtunity as this sounded like, there was no way I was sending my child who was under 12 when she was invited half way around the world without me with her. And it was darned expensive. Around $5000.00.

 

[mtblujeans]

Yes, my DS got nominated this year, too, as he went into 9th grade. We had to drive a couple of hours away to Missoula to go to the informational meeting. He would go to Australia from here. He wants to go but we were considering sending him to Washington DC next summer for 4H and just found out he will not be old enough for the trip next summer....I don't know if we are too late for P2P now or not. But, we have lost alot of valuable time to raise money. It's just over $5,000.00 from here.

You can do a search and find other threads about this topic, too.....

 

[golfgal]

My 10 year old got an invite to go to Holland too. They don't have much info on their website but someone here said it was around $3000. I stopped considering it when I read that parents were not allowed to accompany their child, sorry my 10 year old is NOT going to Europe without me or her dad. She wouldn't want to anyway. If she was a Jr or Sr in high school, maybe.

 

[mtblujeans]

I have been feeling the same way....although my DS is 14 and he won't be 15 until next Fall. I asked about it and a "certified teacher" qualifies to travel with the kids. I told my DH he ought to get certified and go with DS....just so they can share the memory of the trip together. But, I would not send a child younger than 14 or 15 clear around the world. Even if the trip does not make you nervous, this is just not a safe world and we parents have to be realistic about sending our kidlings so far away!

 

[Molly Meow]

I went in 1996. I was 16. I had a blast. I would HIGHLY recommend you not let your kids go, based on my experience.

We had 4 adults to 32 kids.

We snuck off to another country.

I got drunk 3 times.

2 girls got pregnant on the trip.

If you're considering this for your children, I would definitely look into whether their supervision has improved.

Remember, this is only based on my experience.

 

[barkley]

i just tear them up when they arrive. i don't take them seriously since they've been inviting dd for international travel since age 6

i'de like to know where these supposed "nominations" come from-her teachers don't do them and she did'nt start taking standardized test until age 8 (and the schools don't provide home addresses to the testing companies that could be released to these programs).

 

[mtblujeans]

I went in 1996. I was 16. I had a blast. I would HIGHLY recommend you not let your kids go, based on my experience.

We had 4 adults to 32 kids.

We snuck off to another country.

I got drunk 3 times.

2 girls got pregnant on the trip.

If you're considering this for your children, I would definitely look into whether their supervision has improved.

Remember, this is only based on my experience.

This was People To People??

 

[kilee]

DS got a letter last week too. It was for soccer. Umm-- he only made 1 game then he broke his leg. Yep- I see they screen real well.

 

[DsnyDrmr]

Thanks so much everyone. I think we're going to nix this right now, nice to be invited, but way too expensive and of course I don't think I want my 12-yr-old out of the country without us!

 

[debm]

My son got recommended thru bowling last year. My understanding is that certain kids were nominated depending on how they did. He was 11 at the time. I read a lot about it but we didn't go to the meeting. No way was I sending him to Holland either without us. Also I was told it is one of those things where you HAVE to make the decision at their informational meeting. Sort of like the pressure time share sales. If have to make the decison and put the deposit down the night of your "meeting." If you leave, then you can't sign up later. Just what we were told. I agree, maybe if they were older......

 

[mtblujeans]

We were told to fill out an "interest card" (postcard sized) with our contact information when we went to the meeting. They then contacted my DS by email as he gave them his email address. They sent a link where we could use a credit card to put a down payment or pay for the whole thing. I think the down payment was about $250. After that, we got a postcard in the mail urging us to sign him up before the spaces all filled up. I agree....the "hurry up and decide now" attitude seems unusual.

My DS hasn't been in sports at all!

 

[kellydizfan]

My dd was to go to Australia this July but when they changed to Holland we backed out. Now DD and I are going to Hungary in April with the HVYC. Can't wait!

 

[barkley]

i have several neices and nephews who have gone with very legitamate organizations to mexico, europe, russia, south america on trips that are "missionary" oriented (they mostly go to build churches and be "exposed to other cultures"). i think the concept is nice, but when i look at how much each kid has to pay to go (airfare, travel on land...) i end up wondering how much better the money could be spent by having a local contractor (in the area they go to) build it. they come home with scads of photos from the place they went to and seem to have benefited from having met and interacted with "the underprivledged" but i just think how that several thousand dollars it cost them to go would probably be several years of income for those same "underprivledged" families and how it could have been better spent for housing, food, medical treatment-seems kind of misplaced effort.

i think i would look at (beyond the obvious supervision, safety, etc.) what exactly any program was truly offering the participants-will they get anything more than going independantly (with supervision of minors of course) would result in? some seem to promote the special interaction with kids their own age in these contries-but what does that mean? is it just that in leiu of staying at a hotel they get housed with some other family (who by virtue of their kid participating at some point in time are automaticly deemed o.k.?).
if i could provide comparable positive experiences traveling with my child at a comparable cost i would question what benefit participating in this type of program offers.

i had several friends as well as a close family member who were international exchange students (and very supportive of the program, had their kids participate, took kids into their homes) every one of them had outstanding experiences-but they could all relate one or more story about a kid that ended up getting moved or going back home because of a terrible housing assignment that somehow got past the screeners.

with younger kids esp. i would be realy hesitant to let them go-and i might be equaly hesitant to let them go tagging along as a chaperone-i can't imagine the responisibility of supervising someone elses children in a foreign country.

just my opinion.

 

[we3disneygo]

my dd12 has gotten this letter since about the 3rd grade. no way is she going without a parent...

 

[barkley]

my dd12 has gotten this letter since about the 3rd grade. no way is she going without a parent...

can you imagine it? "honey, mommy's packed all the clothes you need for the next two weeks, here's your spending money...oh and if you get sick, mommy bought you some travel insurance here's the policy with the approved providers, and if it's too bad-don't worry mommy is only a 27 hour plane flight away"

 

[msdznyduck]

Both of my kids DD15 and DS17 have been 'nominated' every year for the last 8 years or so. I have no idea who 'nominates' them, since I asked at the middle school and when they were in high school, and no one there did. Looking at the material they send, I can't see paying $5000 or so to go to another country, and live in a 'host family's' home. I want a hotel with security and decent food (not that they don't serve decent food in the home, just that I would expect more). Now my DH's BIL's sister sent her son to Australia last year (?), ...(and of course made a BIG deal about how he was nominated, etc., but that is just how they are).......I just mentioned that my kids have always been nominated, and she didn't speak to me the rest of the evening.

 

[Twinkles6892]

A couple of my friends went with People to People to Australia. My friend Izzy said that the supervision was messed up. They seperated her, her friend Nick and Ally because they said "this is not the dating game". But one girl spent the entire trip making out with some boy in the back of the bus. They both had fun, but Izzy said she would not go again. And the Nomination process is messed up, you can nominate yourself

 

[Regina]

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.

 

[barkley]

Both of my kids DD15 and DS17 have been 'nominated' every year for the last 8 years or so. I have no idea who 'nominates' them, since I asked at the middle school and when they were in high school, and no one there did. Looking at the material they send, I can't see paying $5000 or so to go to another country, and live in a 'host family's' home. I want a hotel with security and decent food (not that they don't serve decent food in the home, just that I would expect more). Now my DH's BIL's sister sent her son to Australia last year (?), ...(and of course made a BIG deal about how he was nominated, etc., but that is just how they are).......I just mentioned that my kids have always been nominated, and she didn't speak to me the rest of the evening.

is your dh's bil's sister my former neighbor ? she ALWAYS did this "my child is doing x based on his/her nomination/selection for..." it got so old so quick! after a few of us (myself included) started making comments about knowing loads of other kids who got "nominated" and having to hear that her child "was one of the select few nominated in the intial phase when the criteria for particiapation was much higher... " my husband would just flash me a "keep your mouth shut" look whenever she started talking. i should also add that if someone was ill-she ALWAYS had or had had the same illness to a "much greater degree".

funny thing is after moving and being out of contact for several years my dh decided to drop in a visit the "old neighborhood" last christmas. when someone in the group he was visiting with asked how i was doing at work and dh went on to explain that i had to retire due to suffering 2 strokes, the woman starts going on about not feeling well lately and thinks shes been suffering from strokes that her none of her doctors can detect.....my dh without missing a beat sez "well fortunatly (my name) did'nt suffer any brain damage-but you might definatly want to have your doctors check on that"