Our granddaughter has a chance to be in this program next summer. It is 22 Days of good will thru out started by President Eisenhower. It will cost $6000.00. Do any of you on this board know of companies that help with support of any kind? And/or do you have children that have been part of this program? Thank you

I should read before posting. The sentence should say, "thru out Europe"

Hi CD:

I did this program in 1991 and went to the former USSR (studied Chemistry in Togliatti - where the LADA automobile was made). I raised money by going to the different businesses in my hometown and asked them if they would like to make a tax deductible contribution. I raised enough so that my parents only had to pay a small amount.

I don't know if there are companies that support trips such as this, though. Maybe some other posters will know.

If you want more information about the trip, please e-mail me at : [email protected]

Sincerely,
Stacy

cd, I have two children in high school and we get letters from People to People all the time! There's nothing special about this program except its excessive cost. They mail letters out to all high school students.

If your granddaughter is interested in an exchange program, her guidance counselor can point her in the right direction to many worthwhile programs that do not cost the sun and stars. (This is not a knock on the program, for it is a good one, but the fee imposed on students.)

I agree with dln. We've been getting these mailings from the People to People group for years now. They go right in the wastebasket, along with mailings from several other similar companies that charge excessive fees.

Check with your school or get on the internet and you'll see that there are many good programs your granddaughter can enjoy for far less money.

My co-worker's daughter just went this past summer on this program. She sent out letters to local businesses, friends and family and got almost all paid for. She had a great time (who wouldn't?) I agree, however, it is way too expensive.

I had 2 children who went to Australia on this program 5 & 8 years ago. It was a great experience for both of them. I would highly recommend it. BTW, they do not advertise; you have to be recommended. Local H.S. teachers lead the groups, which change itineraries every year from your city. There is an extensive orientation program before they go to bond the group. It is a highly recognized program & a GREAT addition for college resumes.

I have looked into that program because they do have some interesting itineraries. However, it is NOT exclusionary or requiring a recommendation. Anybody can do it as long as their check doesn't bounce. Teachers function as salespeople and then get their expenses paid or bonuses for signing kids up. There are several of these kinds of organizations around that talk about being "invited" or being lucky you get a chance or whatever.

Thanks everyone for your information. Our daughter was told that it was by recommendation. I guess it will require more investigation.

I have served as a leader on the People to People programs for two years. I can say nothing but positive things about the organization and the travel programs. I agree the cost is expensive and may be too much for some families to take on.
On the People to People trips, the students experience things they would not get to experience as a regular tourist.
For example, meeting a member of the British Parliament, ans visiting a foreign school or staying with a local family.
I encourage all students who are nominated for the program to at least look into it.

And I forgot to mention, teachers do not act as "salespeople", we do not get bonuses for getting more students to sign up. We go through an extensive training period and background checks.
We do this purely on a volunteer basis, we spend an entire week-end interviewing the potential student ambassadors, plan twelve hours of orientation meetings not to mention being responible for the safety and well-being of 40 students on the trip. I do not do this for the trip to another country, but because I am overjoyed when I see the eyes of students light up when we are exploring another land. It truly gives me a sense of happiness when I see students forming special bonds with each other and learning about other cultures in a way no text book can teach them.

One parent and one child could travel around Europe together for $6K for 22 days (at least at a budget level). This would assume approximate costs of the following for $3K each:

$600 airfare
$200 train
$100/day lodging, food, attractions, and other expenses (yes, this will be on the cheap, but very survivable)

Maybe the program is worth it, but I know it's possible for two people to travel for less than this program is charging for one.

Transitions Abroad magazine lists dozens of these kinds of opportunities. The print version is much better than their "net" version. Borders and BN usually carry it.

Not only do both my kids continue to get letters from People to People every week, but I just started getting them too, and I'm 50!!! Like others mentioned, they are very, very expensive. I've seen groups of People to People kids running through airports in numerous European locales and to me they look very, very young. At that age (10-14 years old) they would probably be better served traveling wit their family. And at $6000 per kid, you could just about take your whole family ofr that price.

Travel is a wonderful thing for a student, but you get much more for your money through EF tours. I've taken 6 trips with them and have been satisfied each time. It's not luxury travel and the pace is pretty quick, but for the MTV generation they are perfect. Just the right mix of history, culture and fun. It serves as a great introduction to Europe and will hopefully pique your grand-daughter's interest. Both of my kids now look forward to going off to Europe on their own every summer thanks to EF

There's nothing about the People to People program - good as it may be- that justifies the price. I could take kids on a tour of the same places for half the price and they would have the same experiences or better. Colleges aren't going to gape at the line item - they are simply going to note that the parents could afford $6000 for the experience.
The People to People folks send out their brochures to every middle-school and high-school person in the US, don't kid yourself. It's not selective - every kid at my school of 1,300 got an invitation.It's NOT by invitation or recommendation - they'd like you to believe it is, but it's not. And it's riiculously expensive! Mayh be a good program but it costs WAY too much.

Boy! I guess times have changed. 25 years ago I received a full paid scholarship from People-to-People for a year of study at my city's French Sister City. It was a competetive scholarship initiated with a teacher's recommendation, followed by submission of an autobiography/why you should receive the scholarship . Semi-finalists were chosen and then interviewed by a panel from which the recipient was chosen. Didn't cost me a penny. Didn't have to go find sponsors.

If your daughter or grand-daughter is active in a church or other organization maybe they could host a benefit of some kind (garage sale, dinner, raffle tickets etc)

For the kind of money you're talking about I would definitely look at all options. When I was a few years younger, I saved and paid for a 6 week "language tour" with Voyageurs International. I am sure there are other companies out there too. Also attended a language summer program (can't remember who sponsored it). They all provided learning opportunities for a fee, but it was up to the individual to take advantage of them, basically. Some kids just "partied-on".

Good Luck.

My son has gotten several letters from them since 7th grade. At first it seemed interesting but when you read more it is expensive.

My daughter also received people to people "invitations" along with 20 other similar programs that appeared to be "honors". They send them to all students with good grades. They must make a fortune as the trips are way overpriced. If your children want to travel with other students try one of the educational student tour companies. Even the most expensive, nicest of these (www.acis.com) will be 1/3 of the cost of the people to people program.
JVRAB12 - You never actually stated whether you pay for your trip or not. Sounds like you are getting a free trip.
There are lots of other student tour companies if you want the websites. You can be a group leader yourself. You don't have to be a teacher and get your own free trip. My experiences with EF were not good (dirty hotels, bad tour guides, Venice hotel 45 minutes out of Venice) so I can't recommend them. EF and Explorica are the budget companies of student travel. If you want better quality with good locations try CHA or ACIS.