| People to People Student Ambassador Program | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Promoting peace through understanding |
| 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 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 operated by Ambassadors Group, a public company.[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]
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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]
Some countries where students have visited include Germany, France, Canada, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, 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 range from $3999 (Wonders of the Canadian West) to $12500 (Students on Ice - Antarctica), and include travel expenses, lodging, meals, and activities. These numbers from the 2012 application forms are significantly higher than the ones available from their website which just gives a range from $999 to $9999 [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, which is operated by People to People, as well as Eastern Washington University.[9]
The nomination process is open to any applicant, but some parents have complained that the program's marketing makes it appear that their child was exclusively selected or nominated to participate.[10] The Iowa Attorney General investigated the program's operator in 2006 after an invitation was accidentally sent to a family's long-deceased child, leading the operator to slightly modify the invitation and presentation process.[11] In another case, a family received a People to People solicitation claiming that their deceased family pet had been selected as an ambassador.[12]
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.[13] In 2008, People to People invested more than $3 million to support health and safety initiatives.[14] The Company also hired a full-time Senior Director of Health and Safety and began a Safe Travel 24/7 blog.[15] 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.[14] Parents of students may also rent the FindMe phone and have text conversations with their children through the FindMe website.[16]