People to People Student Ambassador Program

[NYPDwife]

And another thing, you act like it's so bad to be involved in something you don't have the $ for. Doesn't anyone support their local P.A.L. that gets kids off the streets and sponsors them in sports? Does that mean that the disadvantaged children shouldn't be able to play baseball, football, etc just b/c their parents can't afford it? What about your local volunteer firefighters and cops? Doesn't anyone donate to that or do you just have the "well, they knew they weren't getting paid for it" mentality?

 

[Jennasis]

And another thing, you act like it's so bad to be involved in something you don't have the $ for. Doesn't anyone support their local P.A.L. that gets kids off the streets and sponsors them in sports? Does that mean that the disadvantaged children shouldn't be able to play baseball, football, etc just b/c their parents can't afford it? What about your local volunteer firefighters and cops? Doesn't anyone donate to that or do you just have the "well, they knew they weren't getting paid for it" mentality?

Big difference between subsidizing a kid's $7000 VACATION, and donating to the P.A.L. or buying a box of girl scout cookies IMHO.

Obviously YMMV.

 

[RunningGirl]

I have to tell you - we got a P2P invitation in the mail. It was addressed to my son, but instead of his name a nickname was used. The only place that nickname has EVER been written was on his registration for the Disney 5K over marathon weekend. That to me says a lot about this organization if they're just sending one to every kid registered for an event. Thanks, but no thanks.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Me Putting on Flamesuit - and protection in case flamesuit fails..

I'm not a fan of fundraising either. I don't like asking strangers for money, HOWEVER, if it's for my kids and it benefits their teams or schools, I will do it. I pay 2K a year for her to be in a soccer club, but we still needed to fundraise for warm-ups and we have a tournament in DC coming up that we have to do ANOTHER fundraiser for. Sometimes you don't have all the money to do everything, but I want my kids to experience as much as possible. All the "well, I hate this" and "I'm not doing that", it's so negative and it passes down to your kids. I think of it as an investment in their future and they work hard to help out. You guys take it so personally like if I'm asking you for money.

IT IS MY OPINION that:

A warm-up suit that comes from fund-raising is what is SO wrong with the system. No child needs a warm-up suit to compete. The post about giving to P.A.L. or inner-city sports programs is a polar opposite of what if being done with the fundraiser I just spoke about. The organizations are lucky if they get a t-shirt for their members and most likely is just a sponsorship for a local organization. If a parent feels their child should travel with a sports team or wear special clothes AKA being entitled to the best of everything, they should pay for it not FUND RAISE. I am sure our grandparents are stirring in their graves over what is being done today. No child is benefiting from the idea that a company or a friend or family member should be paying for them to play sports and look fancy while doing such sport. This would also apply to educational trips. They are not necessary.

And as a disclaimer I will once again say IT IS JUST MY OPINION, flame-suit still on and back-up protection available.

 

[Jynohn]

Me Putting on Flamesuit - and protection in case flamesuit fails..

IT IS MY OPINION that:

A warm-up suit that comes from fund-raising is what is SO wrong with the system. No child needs a warm-up suit to compete. The post about giving to P.A.L. or inner-city sports programs is a polar opposite of what if being done with the fundraiser I just spoke about. The organizations are lucky if they get a t-shirt for their members and most likely is just a sponsorship for a local organization. If a parent feels their child should travel with a sports team or wear special clothes AKA being entitled to the best of everything, they should pay for it not FUND RAISE. I am sure our grandparents are stirring in their graves over what is being done today. No child is benefiting from the idea that a company or a friend or family member should be paying for them to play sports and look fancy while doing such sport. This would also apply to educational trips. They are not necessary.

And as a disclaimer I will once again say IT IS JUST MY OPINION, flame-suit still on and back-up protection available.

I agree 100%. I had a major blowout with my son's football booster committee because on top of the $175 fee to play, plus the numerous calendar and raffle sales they asked us to participate in, they wanted us to provide them with a list of 10 names and addresses of friends and family members that they could contact to ask them for financial support.

When I politely declined the first time, I got a phone call from the president of the booster club, asking me once again for the list of names. I explained to him on the phone that in these economic times, I do not feel comfortable soliciting family and friends for money to support my son's extracurricular activities, especially when most of them have children of their own who are involved in expensive activities. Apparently this explanation wasn't enough, because I then got a "polite reminder" email asking why I had yet to provide the list of names.

I have no problem with kids selling cookies, washing cars, doing can drives, etc. to raise money for their activities, but I have a big issue with soliciting people for handouts. I have to wonder why sports, dance competitions, etc. have to be so expensive in the first place that the average family can't afford them. Kids don't really need fancy warm-up suits, etc. in order to play. Very sad, and it makes me feel bad for the families who are struggling financially, yet don't want to see their children left out of activities.

 

[allison443]

I agree 100%. I had a major blowout with my son's football booster committee because on top of the $175 fee to play, plus the numerous calendar and raffle sales they asked us to participate in, they wanted us to provide them with a list of 10 names and addresses of friends and family members that they could contact to ask them for financial support.

When I politely declined the first time, I got a phone call from the president of the booster club, asking me once again for the list of names. I explained to him on the phone that in these economic times, I do not feel comfortable soliciting family and friends for money to support my son's extracurricular activities, especially when most of them have children of their own who are involved in expensive activities. Apparently this explanation wasn't enough, because I then got a "polite reminder" email asking why I had yet to provide the list of names.

I have no problem with kids selling cookies, washing cars, doing can drives, etc. to raise money for their activities, but I have a big issue with soliciting people for handouts. I have to wonder why sports, dance competitions, etc. have to be so expensive in the first place that the average family can't afford them. Kids don't really need fancy warm-up suits, etc. in order to play. Very sad, and it makes me feel bad for the families who are struggling financially, yet don't want to see their children left out of activities.

I agree with you about not have providing the names, but I would be sure to pay the actual cost involved in my kid's activities. In other words, if they need to fundraise an additional $50 per kid I would just pay the extra A$50. A lot of times these organizations do not charge families the actual cost and rely on fundraising to make up the difference. I guess they feel a large initial cost would discourage people from signing up?

As for expenses of different sports, if a league or team is self-supporting (not sponsored/subsidized by a town, for example) the expenses can be quite large.

 

[Jynohn]

I agree with you about not have providing the names, but I would be sure to pay the actual cost involved in my kid's activities. In other words, if they need to fundraise an additional $50 per kid I would just pay the extra A$50. A lot of times these organizations do not charge families the actual cost and rely on fundraising to make up the difference. I guess they feel a large initial cost would discourage people from signing up?

As for expenses of different sports, if a league or team is self-supporting (not sponsored/subsidized by a town, for example) the expenses can be quite large.

But this is just for a high school football team. The $175 activity fee (for EVERY sport or activity a student is involved in) is supposed to subsidize their expenses. On top of that, they do the usual calendar/raffle ticket fundraisers, and we paid over $200 in fees for various summer workshops which supposedly went to the team as well. Our local taxes are outrageous, and the school just completed a new million dollar+ football field, when the old one was perfectly functional. When it gets to the point that I'm paying almost $500 for my son to play on the HIGH SCHOOl team, I think it's getting out of control. And that's not even counting the cleats and other equipment we had to buy. What about families that can't afford to pay? I just feel as though the expenses should be more closely monitored, instead of pressuring families into paying outrageous fees out of pocket or making them resort to begging from others.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

But this is just for a high school football team. The $175 activity fee (for EVERY sport or activity a student is involved in) is supposed to subsidize their expenses. On top of that, they do the usual calendar/raffle ticket fundraisers, and we paid over $200 in fees for various summer workshops which supposedly went to the team as well. Our local taxes are outrageous, and the school just completed a new million dollar+ football field, when the old one was perfectly functional. When it gets to the point that I'm paying almost $500 for my son to play on the HIGH SCHOOl team, I think it's getting out of control. And that's not even counting the cleats and other equipment we had to buy. What about families that can't afford to pay? I just feel as though the expenses should be more closely monitored, instead of pressuring families into paying outrageous fees out of pocket or making them resort to begging from others.

I totally agree. We chose as a family NOT to participate in fundraisers. I pay for what it needed for my child to participate in the sport. Your fees are outrageous. I am sure your son appreciates you supporting him so he can play football. When I went to school, (okay in the stone ages), sports programs were free. Parents were asked to be booster members and work the stand. You wore uniforms, washed them and returned them at the end of the season. No fancy extras and believe it or not, some of the players did make names for themselves.

 

[tar heel]

There's no place on college aps for things you did when you were 10 years old, so that should not be an issue here.

I agree with some of the prior posters that P2P is a youth travel agency essentially. One of our neighbors went to Australia and I was stupid enough to give him $25 because I thought all the neighbors would do it. Learned later I was the only one. He's a great kid, but his family's income is at least twice ours.

I think it's fine if families want to do this as long as they don't ask me to help foot the bill.

 

[spaceacewannabe]

Lots of teachers refuse to even recommend students for this reason.

I always chuck them. I teach them at multiple schools and get the nomination forms everywhere (P2P and others). And they often say "[my name] or Current Music Instructor."

 

[DisneyNutMary]

My kids get mail from People to People all the time. WHat amazes me most is not the money, or the fundraising, or any of their promises of how beneficial the trip could be.
I am amazed that in today's world, people would send their minor children around the world with strangers. I would consider sending my child on a school trip, where I know the faculty and other chaperones, but P2P is a bunch of complete strangers.
How do we know there are not chaperones who would be abusive to our kids, physically, mentally, or sexually?

I agree that a trip like this could be a great learning experience, but I would much rather personally know, on a long term basis, the leaders of the trip who will be responsible for my child's health and well being.

Don't flame me, just saying....

 

[MichelleVW]

My kids get mail from People to People all the time. WHat amazes me most is not the money, or the fundraising, or any of their promises of how beneficial the trip could be.
I am amazed that in today's world, people would send their minor children around the world with strangers. I would consider sending my child on a school trip, where I know the faculty and other chaperones, but P2P is a bunch of complete strangers.
How do we know there are not chaperones who would be abusive to our kids, physically, mentally, or sexually?

I agree that a trip like this could be a great learning experience, but I would much rather personally know, on a long term basis, the leaders of the trip who will be responsible for my child's health and well being.

Don't flame me, just saying....

My DD had monthly meeting with the chaperones and the other kids on the trip for 6 months or so before the trip. We didn't send her off with complete strangers.

 

[spaceacewannabe]

IMHO, I do have to say that although I may not believe in P2P, if a CREDIBLE organization came up with this opp for DD, then I don't believe that it's bad to fundraise for it. We fundraise in private soccer clubs for dues, warm-ups, equipment, so I don't see how it differs from fundraising for an educational opportunity (keyword: I DON'T SEE HOW IT DIFFERS).

Just b/c I can't afford it doesn't mean that I can't ask. You can say no, you don't have to give, but I CAN AND WILL ask. I'm not asking for welfare benefits while working f/t at a high-paying job or collecting food stamps and then selling them to go to WDW. I think the people who said if I didn't have the $, DD shouldn't go are mean and that's my opinion (just like it was your opinion).

Done and done.

I looked into the info for leaders on the P2P website and here's what I found:
"Q Does it cost anything for educators to participate?
A No, leaders can expect to have virtually all of their travel costs covered. Teacher leaders are selected and assigned based on student enrollment, with one leader selected for program-specific leader to student ratio. The leader's personal costs would include passport fees and spending money (meals and lodging are provided). We generally provide total reimbursement for costs associated with identifying and contacting qualified students, conducting interviews, and leading orientation sessions."

I'd say that's the incentive for leaders to nominate students...it sounds to me like kind of code for being paid to recruit kids.

I buy from just about every kid who comes to me with a real fundraiser...but what I've seen from students who have come to me with P2P materials is that they are not advocating a fundraiser or helping organize selling anything or in any way working to earn the money---what P2P suggests is essentially begging friends, family, and teachers for money. That is NOT okay. I almost always buy the pizza/candles/candy/whatever, but I'm not going to just give a kid cash to go on a trip (that I couldn't afford to take myself). KWIM?

 

[Aisling]

My BIL has been a PTP leader for many years. He's traveled over the world, going every year, for free as a chaperone/teacher. In his school's situation, they live in a small town (village) in rural NYS, and to them, the adventures of these children who live there, the PTP is a big thing. The whole town gets involved in fundraisers so that the local kids can take these trips as Student Ambassadors. It's like an honor for their town that these rural kids get to see the world. When the kids get home, they have a town hall meeting where 90% of the town's population shows up to hear about the adventures/experiences.

It works for them, but I know it's just a hyped-up educational travel agency. As long as you have the cash, you can go, no so-called recommendations needed. It's not an "honor" to be "selected".

For kids who don't have much opportunity to travel beyond the cornfields with parents who think they'll never be able to provide a worldly experience for their children, PTP is great. Most of these kids have never been outside their surrounding counties, never saw a woman wearing a sari or heard a native Chinese speaker, so for them it's priceless.

I live in NYC where my kids are exposed to different cultures on a daily basis. People where I live take European vacations with their kids, so PTP is a joke to them. But for the rural kids, it's a major thing that the whole town supports.

 

[MM27]

Lots of teachers refuse to even recommend students for this reason.

I throw the forms away every year when I get them. There's no honor in "being nominated". They will take any student that can afford to go. For the price they charge for the trips you could go on a nice family vacation.


This article points out some of the issues people have with this program. Might want to read it before deciding if this is really what you want your child to be a part of.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/05/p2p_hill.html
Some of the more interesting points:

People to People acknowledges that all students its contacts aren’t “specially chosen” for the trips. The organization admits its uses list service companies that compile and sell the names of students nationwide.

It also doesn’t do background checks on the nominees to verify they’re even human.

Consider the 13-year-old, who recently told us she nominated her brother’s pet iguana for one of People to People’s trips. The lizard later received a letter from People to People stating he had achieved academic excellence and been nominated by a teacher.

• The organization came under fire in 2005 by the Iowa Attorney General's office for sending a letter to a mother, which stated her son was named for a Student Ambassador trip overseas. Her son, however, had died in 1993. He was seven weeks old. Iowa officials did not take legal action against People to People. The organization later donated $5,000 to Iowa's SIDS Foundation and $20,000 to Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines;

• The organization has twice in recent years sent recruitment letters for its overseas programs to the parents of a deceased baby girl in Florida. The couple's daughter died from multiple birth defects in 1992. She was 18 days old. People to People said it was "absolutely devastated" this happened and blamed the company that compiled its mailing lists for the errors;

• In 2006, the organization sent a recruitment letter to the parents of an Earl Gray in Arkansas. Earl Gray, however, was the couple's white, one-eyed, cat. He died ten years earlier and is buried in the family's back yard. He was 14-years- old;

 

[FinallyBoughtDVC]

I own a business and received "requests" to sponsor other people's children on trips like this all the time. Usually, the mom sends the letter or comes in. The kid couldn't be bothered. I have a huge problem with this.

I pay my kids' own way or have them "earn" it themselves. I do not expect others to do so. If the kid can't come in and make the request and offer to do something worthwhile to "earn" the money, then don't even bother. I would accept a kid offering to volunteer at a soup kitchen or in some other community service area as a valid indication of their desire to "earn" the trip and I would consider sponsoring them if they offered to do this - but to beg for a luxury? Not so much.

Do not go to businesses, especially in this economy, and ask them to send your child on a trip. Are you kidding?

We receive thousands of requests for donations each year - cancer research, families who have lost their sole breadwinner, homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, houses of worship, and other, worthwhile and truly needy causes.

Sending your child globetrotting isn't what I would consider a worthwhile or needy cause to be supported by any business. If they were going on a trip to build houses or feed the starving it would be one thing - but to go sightseeing - that's your responsibility - not mine.

Sheesh...

 

[FinallyBoughtDVC]

IMHO, I do have to say that although I may not believe in P2P, if a CREDIBLE organization came up with this opp for DD, then I don't believe that it's bad to fundraise for it. We fundraise in private soccer clubs for dues, warm-ups, equipment, so I don't see how it differs from fundraising for an educational opportunity (keyword: I DON'T SEE HOW IT DIFFERS).

Just b/c I can't afford it doesn't mean that I can't ask. You can say no, you don't have to give, but I CAN AND WILL ask. I'm not asking for welfare benefits while working f/t at a high-paying job or collecting food stamps and then selling them to go to WDW. I think the people who said if I didn't have the $, DD shouldn't go are mean and that's my opinion (just like it was your opinion).

Done and done.

Mean? Seriously?

Do NOT ask me to send your child on a trip. Do NOT come into my business and beg on behalf of your child to go on a trip. If your child needed food to live, or books for school or money for oil to heat your house, I would have NO PROBLEM helping you out. But, for the love of God, are you kidding? I should help you send them to Paris? I'm MEAN?!

Yesterday alone I had requests from a family whose son was killed in Afghanistan for a fundraiser to set up a scholarship in his name, a family who's losing a sister to breast cancer and the woman is a single parent of three young children, a local university group to raise money for a domestic violence center, a local group which provides counseling to children who have been the victims of sexual abuse and a huge plea from our local food bank because they are low on food. That doesn't even begin to include local scouts, PTAs, churches, etc. who need funds to keep their groups operating. And, that was just yesterday. And, this is in the absolute worst retail season we have ever seen.

DO NOT, DO NOT equate your desire to provide your child with luxuries you can't afford to be on equal footing with any of the above.

I have three children and if I can't afford to provide them with a luxury or they can't be bothered to earn it themselves - they don't get it! Period.

If your child isn't prepared to work to earn the money - and you're not prepared to do the same - then bug off. Seriously. Tell me you really want your child to go on this trip and you don't have the money so you'll volunteer in a soup kitchen and I'll pay you the $8 an hour. Tell me your son will go to a nursing home and play chess with the seniors or help with a community clean up or whatever and I'll pay him the $8 an hour. But DO NOT come in and look for a handout for a luxury.

Seriously. I can't believe you would call someone mean for stating the obvious.

I just don't know from where people get the nerve.

 

[golfgal]

IMHO, I do have to say that although I may not believe in P2P, if a CREDIBLE organization came up with this opp for DD, then I don't believe that it's bad to fundraise for it. We fundraise in private soccer clubs for dues, warm-ups, equipment, so I don't see how it differs from fundraising for an educational opportunity (keyword: I DON'T SEE HOW IT DIFFERS).

Just b/c I can't afford it doesn't mean that I can't ask. You can say no, you don't have to give, but I CAN AND WILL ask. I'm not asking for welfare benefits while working f/t at a high-paying job or collecting food stamps and then selling them to go to WDW. I think the people who said if I didn't have the $, DD shouldn't go are mean and that's my opinion (just like it was your opinion).

Done and done.

I won't give money for fundraising efforts for private club teams either. If you choose to have your child in a program like that, you pay for it, not me. I have my own children to support thanks. Why on earth do people think that other people want to pay for their kids to go on trips or play soccer??? I wouldn't even participate in the fundraising events for my OWN kids' private club sports--um, I pay you monthly for my kid to be there already, I don't need to help you fund your kitchen remodel thanks.

If you don't have the money, get a second job to pay for it or have your KID EARN the money. Most responsible people do this all the time--it's called living within your means. I would LOVE to send my kids on a trip every year and take a couple cruises and golf trips each year but we don't because we don't have that kind of money to do all that. Will YOU send me $15,000 so I can do that please?

 

[barkley]

The other educators and leaders in my DN's case turned out to be 29 yo with more body piercings and tattoos then my DSis could stomach (and she is not opposed to tats). She was the oldest educator/leader. All the others were younger. Really, check into it. If you're still convinced it's a great program then start asking your friends and relatives to pay for it. It's your choice, not ours.

i'm not surprised by your dn's experience. as i've posted before on this topic-we live very near ptp's headquarters, and ptp runs classified ads in the local newspapers on what seems like a constant basis. they solicit 'leaders', and a variety of other titled positions that indicate those hired will travel with students-but what is extreemly telling is they run in the classified sections titled 'unskilled labor', and 'telemarketing'. the only qualifications i've seen expressed in their employment ads is a highschool diploma and the ability to pass a drug screening

years ago when i was a teacher ptp solicited me to make 'nominations'. the materials were very clear that there was an indirect and direct financial incentive for me to do so (i got kids to travel, i received free travel, monies for the time i clocked doing certain recruitment activities)-the criteria for nomination was left to my discretion although it was suggested i focus my nominations on those students who would be more likely able to participate (read-had parents with the money or a means to get the money) because my free travel and recruitment stipends was solely based on the number of students i nominated who ultimatly came up with the money for their travel/aka 'qualified students'). i passed on associating myself with the organization.

dd began getting ptp 'congratulations' letters telling her she had been nominated because of her 'steller academic history' and 'documented leadership skills' AT AGE 3 (what academic history? only documented leadership skills we could figure existed was the gold star sticker on her name tag in nursery school for successfully being the 'potty line leader' one week).


i would LOVE to know how ptp screens the kids that go on these trips-a few years back the principal/teacher at dd's private school was agahst that 2 girls had received 'nomination' letters-neither were steller students, and both had active criminal records with local law enforcement (drug possession, assault, and with one-grand theft auto). apparantly ptp did'nt have an issue with either because when their parents came up with the money both traveled with the group ( not sure what their experience was like-one disenrolled soon afterward, the other went into a juvinile lock down facility soon after returning).

 

[aprilgail2]

So you mean to tell me that if your child was given an opportunity to be a student ambassador, and something like this would look great on a college application, that you wouldn't give the whole sponsor thing a try? I'm not trying to go with her, I'm not trying to take a free trip to WDW, I'm trying to see if there's a possibility where my child could experience something that a lot of children don't. She works hard in school, she even got a scholarship to a private school this year and I don't see why I can't consider it.

Well one reason to not consider it is that you can't afford to pay it yourself. I would NEVER ask other people to send my child on a vacation-nor would I help anyone else send theirs on one! My daughter and all her friends got that letter this week too-wasn't even in my daughters legal name, it was in her nickname! My friends son did go on this trip two years ago and loved it- they paid the fee themselves, didn't ask others to pay for their childs vacation. The teacher they listed as the one that nominated him said that seh did not such thing, that she never nominates anyone for vacations so even if you THINK your child was nominated by a certain teacher, it doesn't mean they were! Its no "honor" to be nominated- anyone that can afford to go can go.