People to People Student Ambassadors

[kathykd2005]

One of my students went on a trip this summer for People to People since I wrote her a recommendation this past year. She loved it and took tons of pictures. It is definitely worth it!!!

[Sister Havana]

One of my friends did the Eastern European trip the summer between freshman and sophomore year of high school. She had an amazing time.

[Fleur de Lis]

I went on the Australia/New Zealand trip with People to People the summer before 9th grade. It was an amazing experience! I fundraised every cent, and I think they did a good job of using the money wisely. We went to all kinds of locations, fed dolphins, stayed at a Maori village, snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef - things you just don't do on a normal vacation. I think it's a great opportunity to have a little freedom in a very safe setting and start behaving like an adult. I will say if I could do it again, I may have waited a few years, since at 14 you're still concerned with cliques and boys - even the most mature of us.

I don't believe any credit comes out of the program, but it's a "resume-builder" until she has more experience. Also, recommendations from the leaders and building networking skills with the other students is a helpful tool for the future.

Your daughter sounds like a great candidate. The initial invite seems random, but they definitely interview you and make sure you're really mature enough to handle yourself in another continent without Mom and Dad. Good luck to your daughter!!

[alum]

People to People is a great, albeit expensive way to travel. It is not an EC-worthy activity and will NOT get your kid into prep school or college.

[texas*princess]

I'm not trying to belittle the program because it sounds like a lot of fun, but how can it be a "resume builder" if the trip sounds like a vacation in another country (e.g. feeding dolphins, snorkeling, etc).

Is there more to the trip than it being a vacation from Mom & Dad?

It sounds like it is a good way to get recommendation letters from the teacher-leaders, but most people have teachers, pastors, etc that would write those also?

Originally Posted by Fleur de Lis

I went on the Australia/New Zealand trip with People to People the summer before 9th grade. It was an amazing experience! I fundraised every cent, and I think they did a good job of using the money wisely. We went to all kinds of locations, fed dolphins, stayed at a Maori village, snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef - things you just don't do on a normal vacation. I think it's a great opportunity to have a little freedom in a very safe setting and start behaving like an adult. I will say if I could do it again, I may have waited a few years, since at 14 you're still concerned with cliques and boys - even the most mature of us.

I don't believe any credit comes out of the program, but it's a "resume-builder" until she has more experience. Also, recommendations from the leaders and building networking skills with the other students is a helpful tool for the future.

[AGDee]

From some of the kids' blogs I've read who've been on the trips, they also do some sort of service project while there.

[AnchorAlumna]

I know a couple of girls who did it while in high school. ONe did fund-raising by selling custom-made throws...I doubt she raised enough money to cover the cost, but at least she did SOMETHING...the other raised money through a custom-printed cookbook.
The price seemed awfully high to me, especially because they stay with families. But because of that, the trip gives them a lot more interaction with local people. Most of the girls learned a lot from the trip.
And it seemed a lot of girls went...not a lot of boys...

[Fleur de Lis]

Originally Posted by texas*princess

I'm not trying to belittle the program because it sounds like a lot of fun, but how can it be a "resume builder" if the trip sounds like a vacation in another country (e.g. feeding dolphins, snorkeling, etc).

Is there more to the trip than it being a vacation from Mom & Dad?

It sounds like it is a good way to get recommendation letters from the teacher-leaders, but most people have teachers, pastors, etc that would write those also?

Haha, this was over a decade ago, so I listed what I remembered! We did stay with families one night, and also met with a lot of local people, ate local cuisine, learned about the governments and economies, etc. The program may have changed as well, so definitely voice these concerns at the meeting! My parents were 100% behind the idea (although 0% behind the finances) and I had a wonderful experience, so that's why I gave my two cents.

[AGDee]

And I do appreciate your feedback! I've priced other escorted European tours and it really doesn't seem any more expensive than those if the price includes airfare. Besides, if I took her on a tour, then I'd have to pay for two people (although I'd love to go to Europe) and take 3 weeks off work (and I have 3 hours of time off in my bank at the moment). The itinerary for her trip says that they stay with a family for 3 days in Salzburg. She will LOVE going there, especially if she gets to see where they filmed some of the Sound of Music.

I'm not worried about her getting into a prep school (can't afford one) or college. She's doing a great job of keeping herself qualified to do whatever she wants to do. My biggest worry is that she might eat a peanut product in a foreign country.

I didn't think her dad would go for the idea of her going abroad for 3 weeks, but he said it sounded like a great opportunity (as long as he didn't have to pay for any of it), so he's on board with the idea. The info meeting is tomorrow so I'll have a better sense then. It will also partially depend on how soon they will need money because I don't know how long it will be before my mother's estate is liquidated. So, we'll see. If she doesn't do this, then she'll be going to Interlochen for their creative writing program instead. That's $3400 for 3 weeks and is only in Michigan. I guess that's why $5000 for a 3 week/17 city European tour sounds reasonably priced to me!