Talk:People to People Student Ambassador Program/ReDraft

The People to People Student Ambassador Program is a student travel service, that offers educational international travel to elementary, middle, and high school students. The program is administered by Ambassadors Group Inc, a publicly traded corporation as a licensed program of People to People International which is a non-profit organization. The group that administers the program's SEC filing states the group was founded in 1967 and reincorporated in 1995.

The typical length of programs for high school age participants is three weeks, and two weeks for middle school travelers. People to People Student ambassador programs are geared for students age 10 through age 18. Student Ambassador delegations are composed of approximately 30 to 40 students. Fees vary for domestic and international programs. Prices include all travel expenses, as well as lodging, meals, and activities and these arrangements are made and managed by Ambassadors Group, Inc. (NASDAQ EPAX). The cost varies by program, but has been reported at approximately $5,000-$7,000 for a high-school program in a foreign country and approximately $2,000-$3,000 for a domestic program. The tuition cost does not include items such as passport costs, potential fuel surcharges, emergency funds, or souvenirs. The student:teacher ratio is typically no greater than 10:1, and is often much lower.

Some examples of countries where students have visited include Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, China, Italy, Greece, Fiji, Ireland, England and Russia. Experienced alumni students looking to participate in the program again are given the ability to choose more exotic destinations for their next trip such as South Africa, or Antarctica.

The coordinator of the People to People program reports that more than 344,000 students, adults and athletes have participated in the ambassador programs since 1983. In recent years, the company has had legal issues and controversy regarding its marketing practices and the general safety of the program.

History
In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sought an alternative to the wars he witnessed as a soldier, general and Allied Commander. He called a White House conference of 100 of the top American leaders who joined him in creating the People to People initiative. The mission of the group's programs was to "promote peace through understanding," in the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower. One of the participants in this conference was Walt Disney, who became one of the founding directors of People to People and later drew inspiration from the People to People initiative to create the "It's a Small World" attraction in 1964. The program was originally sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency. Eisenhower, the founder of the People to People initiative, decided in 1961 that it should be preserved by private citizens and asked Joyce Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards, to move the program to the private sector. The group was re-founded as People to People International. In 1962, the first delegation of university students traveled overseas and stayed with families all over Europe. The first Student Ambassador Program was organized in 1963. People to People recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special program in Washington, D.C. The program included a formal reception hosted by Mary Eisenhower and a keynote address by Tom Brokaw. Eight U.S. Presidents since President Eisenhower have served as honorary chairman of People to People, including President George W. Bush. By 1995, the People to People International group no longer administered the program but licensed it to Ambassadors International which was reincorporated in 2002 as Ambassadors Group, Inc.

Nomination and application process
The company purchases mail list and produces direct mail letters to students asking them to attend. The letters state that the students have been "nominated", however, the nomination process is not exclusive and open to all applicants.

The Student Ambassador Program's literature states that invited students are required to obtain three letters of recommendation. The application also describes an interview with the student and a series of required meetings prior to the program trip.

Academic accreditation
The program has been academically accredited since 2004 through the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools. Students can earn academic credit through participation in the Student Ambassador program by paying an additional fee and are also eligible to earn service learning credits after completing course requirements. While not all institutions grant credit, universities recognizing academic credit include Stanford University, Princeton University, Yale University, MIT, Brown University, Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, and Georgetown University. Between 1980 and 2006, program participants received more than 41,300 high school and college credits at various universities and secondary education institutions.

Better Business Bureau
Ambassador Programs, Inc., which operates the Student Ambassador programs, has been Better Business Bureau accredited since 1982. Despite 25 registered consumer complaints, the company has a BBB rating of A. To achieve an A rating on a scale of A to F, an entity must have a total score of 94 to 96.99. The Better Business Bureau is evaluating the safety of the trips administered by the group. They note that in addition to teacher recommendations, alumni nominations, and self recommendations, the group uses "national academic and athletic mailing lists".

Program management
After the People to People initiative was launched by President Eisenhower, a non-profit organization called People to People International was founded by President Eisenhower's friend, Joyce Hall, and Walt Disney, among others. People to People International has granted a non-exclusive license to operate student programs under the People to People Student Ambassador Program name to Ambassadors Group, Inc. a for-profit company with the stock market symbol EPAX. It should be noted, however, that in spite of the non-exclusive arrangement with AGI, there is no other organization that is involved with operating People to People programs.

People to People International is not involved with the marketing, booking, or supervision of the programs. All work overseeing the program is done by Ambassadors Group, Inc.

2008/2009 Program Fees
The most inexpensive trip in 2008/2009 is London to Paris, 14 days, $4999.00. The most expensive trip in 2008/2009 is to Antarctica, 14 days, $9800.00. Average price for most other trips is approximately $6500.00 and range from 9 to 23 days in duration. Additional fees include: $245.00 for basic insurance, domestic airfare to the departure city (varies according to location), Passport/Visa and personal expenses.

Marketing
Several state attorney generals, including those in North Carolina, Minnesota, Virginia, and Washington. Iowa, Florida have file suits or conducted investigation. In the Iowa and Florida cases, the program's operator accidentally sent an invitation to a family's long-deceased child. To address the problem, the operator of the programs modified the invitations and presentations that relate to the "Student Ambassador" travel program. People to People also donated $20,000 to Blank Children's Hospital and $5,000 to the Iowa SIDS Foundation -- charities supported by the family of the child. According to the Iowa Attorney General's news release, the AG did not take issue with the merits of the Student Ambassador trips. ..

Safety
On January 28, 2008, Allen Hill and Sheryl Hill brought an action against Ambassadors Group Inc, the coordinator of the program, seeking damages in connection with the death of their son, while participating in one of the student programs during the summer of 2007. Defense counsel has filed an answer denying any liability and raising various affirmative defenses. The outcome of the case is still pending.

On July 24, 2008, Dorothy and Paul Spiotta filed a suit in Washington Eastern District Court against Ambassador Programs, Inc alleging that the "defendants failed to reasonably care for, supervise or monitor the children, failed to make well-balanced and nutritious food available for the children on a daily basis and failed to ensure that the accomodations were suitable and the children were properly clothed for the cold weather". The company responded to the case saying, " reviewing the terms of the lawsuit put forth by the Spiotta family and cannot comment further about the case at this time. We take pride in our leading travel and safety practices and will vigorously defend our position. The well being of our program participants has always been, and will continue to be, our top priority."