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| Formation | September 11, 1956 |
|---|---|
| Type | Youth Peace Ambassador/Travel |
| Headquarters | Spokane, Washington |
Honorary Chairman | U.S. President |
Parent organization | Ambassadors Group |
| Website | People to People Student Ambassadors Program |
The People to People Student Ambassador Program is a student travel service based in Spokane, Washington offering domestic and international travel opportunities to middle and high school students. The group was founded in 1956 and reincorporated in 1995. Since its founding, nearly half a million students, adults and athletes have participated in the ambassador programs.[1] Since 2002, the services offered have been administered by Ambassadors Group, a publicly traded corporation.[2] Though open to international primary and secondary school students, programs are primarily for American students aged 10 through 18. The typical length of programs lasting three weeks in groups comprising around thirty to forty students.[3]
History
edit
In 1956, U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sought diplomatic alternatives to the wars he witnessed as a soldier, general and Allied Commander. On September 11, 1956, he called a White House conference of 100 top American leaders, who joined him in creating the People to People initiative, focused on creating cultural exchange programs.[4] The idea for this conference came after a Geneva summit, where Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev expressed enthusiasm for exchange programs as a means to ease Cold War tensions.[5] Participants in this conference included Joyce Hall, comedian Bob Hope, and Walt Disney, who became one of the founding directors of People to People and later drew inspiration from the initiative to create the "It's a Small World" attraction in 1964.[6]
The program was originally sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency, a branch of the Federal Government. In 1961, Eisenhower decided that it should be preserved by private citizens and asked Joyce Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards, to facilitate the privatization. In 1962, the first delegation of university students traveled overseas and stayed with families all over Europe.[7] The first Student Ambassador Program was organized in 1963, with regular programs beginning in 1967. Until expansion in the 1980s, the organization only sent a few hundred students abroad each year.[3] In 2002, People to People International granted a license to operate student programs under the People to People Student Ambassador Program name to Ambassadors Group, which had been formed as a separate company out of the Ambassadors Education Group.[1]
Programs
editSome countries where students have visited include Germany, France, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, China, Italy, Greece, Fiji, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and Russia. Experienced alumni students looking to participate in the program again are given the ability to choose more exotic destinations for subsequent trips such as South Africa, or Antarctica.[1] Programs typically depart between June and August, rather than during the academic year, in groups of between thirty and forty students.[2] Fees vary for domestic and international programs, though prices include all travel expenses, as well as lodging, meals, and activities.[8]
During the trips, students attend various outdoor and educational activities. Longer itineraries include class time with local teachers, where the student-teacher ratio is typically less than 10:1.[1] College and high school credit for classes can also be earned, which is granted through Washington School of World Studies and Eastern Washington University.[9]
The nomination process is not exclusive and open to all applicants but admission to the program requires an application and recommendation letters along with an interview.[3] Some parents have complained that the program's openness is misleading.[10] Invited students are required to obtain three letters of recommendation and attend interviews and informational meetings with program leaders.[11] The Iowa Attorney General investigated the program's operator in 2006 after an invitation was accidentally to a family's long-deceased child. The operator of the programs subsequently modified the invitations and presentations, and donated to charities supported by the child's family.[12][13]
In 2007, student ambassador Tyler Hill died of complications following his group's hike on Mount Fuji in Japan. The family sued the program and its parent company, reaching a settlement in 2009.[14] In 2008, People to People invested more than $3 million to support health and safety initiatives.[15] The Company also hired a full-time Senior Director of Health and Safety and began a Safe Travel 24/7 blog.[16] In 2010, People to People Ambassador Programs launched the FindMe program with Cellhire that allows a mobile phone to be tracked using GPS or cell tower triangulation.[15] Parents of students may also rent the FindMe phone and have text conversations with their children through the FindMe website.[17]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Ambassadors Group (December 31, 2010). "Form 10-K". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ a b "Ambassadors Group Inc (EPAX.O)". Reuters. 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ a b c Wade, Betsy (October 12, 1997). "Practial Traveler; Student Travel: The First Step". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
- ^ "People-to-People Program". Eisenhower Presidential Center. December 30, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ "People to People International History". People to People International. 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ "Global Youth Forum". People to People International. 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ Mand, Frank (January 14, 2011). "People to People". Halifax-Plympton Reporter. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ "Program Cost". People to People Ambassador Programs. 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ "Academic Credit / CEU". People to People Ambassador Programs. 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ Cherry, Dave (September 22, 2006). "Parents complain People to People International is misleading". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 16, 2010.
- ^ "FAQ - People to People Ambassador Programs". People to People Ambassador Programs. 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ "People to People Student Ambassador Program Agrees to Modify Representations About How Students are "Selected" for International Travel". Iowa Attorney General. June 8, 2006. Retrieved October 5, 2006.
- ^ "People to Dead Cat Invited to participate in abroad program". Consumer Affairs. September 8, 2007. Retrieved October 5, 2006.
- ^ Croman, John (August 9, 2009). "Settlement reached in teen traveler wrongful death lawsuit". KARE. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ a b "Ambassadors adds GPS phones to its summer travel groups". The Spokesman-Review. June 8, 2011. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ Bowers, Michael J. (2011). "Safe Travel 24/7 blog". People to People Ambassadors Programs. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
- ^ "GPS Devices Track Student Travelers around the World". Land Air Sea. August 3, 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2010.