Spreading a message of peace among nations and learning about other cultures are cornerstones of the People to People Student Ambassador Program. The program offers students throughout the United States the opportunity to join delegations connected to these goals.Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower founded the organization in 1956, said Joel Hoadley, People to People student ambassador senior program director. Based on Eisenhowerís experience as the allied commander in World War II, he had a vision of creating pathways to peace and forming ways to encourage one-on-one interaction among varying cultures.ìTo leave a very positive impression, we want other countries to learn about us,î Hoadley said. ìItís not just seeing the country, itís understanding the people.îHe said students selected for the program must demonstrate good character and be open-minded, well rounded and able to interact with government officials. In Colorado, 500 students participate in the program each year. Students are invited to become ambassadors through a national student list, a direct recommendation by an education administrator or a recommendation by an alumnus who has participated in the program.Hoadley said student ambassadors travel between May and August with about 40 other students; teachers from their own geographic region lead the group. The delegation spends two to three weeks visiting a country ñ or five to six countries when in Europe. People to People sponsors 25 to 30 programs, including those in Antarctica, South America, South Africa, Asia and Europe.The program cost between $2,500 and $5,500, which includes all expenses ñ meals, housing, transportation and activities. Students are responsible for their own spending money for souvenirs.Junior high and high school students receive college credit as student ambassadors, if certain criteria are met. They are assigned projects to be completed at home, which they then submit to the Washington School of World Studies.ìBeing a student ambassador shows they have gone above and beyond their educational requirements,î Hoadley said.Regional meetings take place to educate potential student ambassadors and their families about the program. If a student is interested, they must submit an application, along with three letters of recommendation. An interview follows.The groups travel together according to studentsí grade levels. The programs are customized to each of the three groups ñ fifth and sixth grade, seventh and eighth grade and ninth through 12th grade.Aaron Frank, a Fountain-Fort Carson Middle School sixth grader, is currently preparing to travel as a student ambassador to Australia in June. He has traveled to Hawaii and Mexico, but never as far as Australia. This will be his first trip as a student ambassador.ìIím most excited to learn about the cultures,î he said. ìI hope to learn about how they celebrate their holidays and about their lifestyle.îFrank said in the future he would like to travel to Europe as a student ambassador to learn about his family heritage.Thomas Buckingham, sixth grader at Pleasant View Middle School in Pueblo, traveled to Europe last year as a student ambassador, visiting England and France.ìWe learned about English government and sat in Parliament,î he said. ìIn France, we learned about the ëMona Lisaí and the Louvre.î Visiting Australia will be his second trip as a student ambassador.While in Australia, he is excited to learn about the culture and the wildlife. ìItís not a vacation, itís a learning experience,î Buckingham said.Melissa Ferris, the southern Colorado primary leader, said student ambassadors only travel to countries that share a peace treaty with the United States. This is her second year as a delegation leader, and she will be guiding the students while in Australia. Last year, Ferris, a third grade teacher, traveled with students to England and France. She said a teaching degree is required for delegation leaders.Becoming a delegation leader was ìalways something that definitely appealed to me,î she said. Ferris also traveled abroad during high school and college.After a student is accepted into the People to People student ambassador program, Ferris said, they attend six orientation meetings to learn about the countryís government, currency, flora and fauna and cultural differences. ìWe really emphasize that differences between cultures is a good thing,î she said.Ferris stressed that the program is academically oriented. Students keep a travel journal and a reflection journal to record the dayís events. Activities are designed to educate students about the country they are visiting.She said the Australia trip includes a visit to the Sydney Opera House, exploring the rainforest, swimming at the Great Barrier Reef and a community service project, possibly with an Australian school.The legacy of community service and global understanding does not end when the students return from their trip. They will volunteer at a Ronald McDonald House as well.ìItís a way to promote world peace on the most basic level, and that is through our children,î Ferris said. ìWe can only gain peace through understanding.î
