gismo
Touchdown! Greaser!
People to People is supposedly based on a program started by President Eisenhower when he was in office that promotes the development of "student ambassadors". There is a non-profit organization run by his granddaughter
coupled with a for-profit enterprise that arranges chaperoned trips to various places in the US and around the world. My daughter applied for a position at the urging of a friend and was "accepted" for a trip to Europe this summer. I've been reading a few accounts on the internet that make the whole thing seem like a scam to sell overpriced guided tours to the (semi-wealthy) parents of kids. They made the local news recently due to a lawsuit filed by a Minnesotan whose young son died on one of the trips, with a claim that the youth was left alone in a hotel room for several hours after he became seriously ill.
Of course I have concerns about my daughter's safety (she has some significant health issues) but it appears that this unfortunate tragedy may be an isolated incident. I'm mostly worried that if the organization is as dishonest as some of the internet postings claim, they might also be lying about their level of supervision and care.
Has anyone on PoA participated in a P2P trip or had a child who did? Anyone know more than I learned from these links?:
http://www.studentambassadors.org/default.asp
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/11/people_to_people_intro.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_gx5202/is_1997/ai_n19122549/pg_1
http://www.p2pspecialist.com/People_to_People_Student_Ambassador_Program/
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/157/ripoff0157590.htm
http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=89566
coupled with a for-profit enterprise that arranges chaperoned trips to various places in the US and around the world. My daughter applied for a position at the urging of a friend and was "accepted" for a trip to Europe this summer. I've been reading a few accounts on the internet that make the whole thing seem like a scam to sell overpriced guided tours to the (semi-wealthy) parents of kids. They made the local news recently due to a lawsuit filed by a Minnesotan whose young son died on one of the trips, with a claim that the youth was left alone in a hotel room for several hours after he became seriously ill.
Of course I have concerns about my daughter's safety (she has some significant health issues) but it appears that this unfortunate tragedy may be an isolated incident. I'm mostly worried that if the organization is as dishonest as some of the internet postings claim, they might also be lying about their level of supervision and care.
Has anyone on PoA participated in a P2P trip or had a child who did? Anyone know more than I learned from these links?:
http://www.studentambassadors.org/default.asp
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/11/people_to_people_intro.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_gx5202/is_1997/ai_n19122549/pg_1
http://www.p2pspecialist.com/People_to_People_Student_Ambassador_Program/
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/0/157/ripoff0157590.htm
http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=89566