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Dan Lee, Weber Shandwick: (425) 452-5495; dlee@webershandwick.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Program’s Service Component Results in 140,000 Community-Service Hours to Support Causes Domestically and Abroad During Educational Travel Programs
SPOKANE, Wash. – September 1, 2009 – People to People Ambassador Programs, the leader in global educational travel experiences, today announced that the company has completed its “Summer of Service,” the community-service component of People to People Student Ambassador Programs that contributed 140,000 hours of service in 2009 as part of the company’s program offerings. Each Student Ambassador Program itinerary dedicates time for community service in which students are asked to serve their community and/or participate in an international service project.
“Our goal is to turn our People to People Student Ambassadors into passionate travelers and global citizens who learn from their travel experiences and unique interaction with the cultures of different countries,” said Peg Thomas, president of People to People Ambassador Programs. “One of the greatest ways students learn about other cultures is through service – they gain a deeper understanding of what is taking place in other parts of the world and what they can do to directly impact the people and places they visit.”
Students and teachers in the programs spend nearly six months prior to departure learning about their destinations and the cultures of the countries they are visiting. Participants contribute more than 140,000 hours of volunteer time at home and around the world each year. One service project at a time, the programs make a global impact while educating students about the value of service within their own communities. Community service highlights for 2009 include:
Domestic examples:
- San Francisco Food Bank – packing 300 tons of food
- Heal the Bay, Santa Monica, CA – collecting trash on the beaches in Venice and Santa Monica
- Chicago Cares – packing boxes of food to be delivered by Catholic Charities to elderly and single mothers
- Lowell Wish Project, Boston Area – assisting with warehouse inventory to help distribution of clothing and furnishings for those in need
- SERRV – packaging and pricing items from artisan operations/microenterprises from developing nations around the world
International examples:
- Archelon Association, Greece – 1500 Student Ambassadors working along with other international students to tag, monitor, and clean the protected area for loggerhead nesting
- SOS Villages, Italy – Bringing games, toys, and other necessities to children removed from their families due to difficult circumstances, and discussing the well-being of children around the world
- China – Assisting local communities in harvesting tree fruit
- East Berlin – Restoring a playground in an impoverished area, where often the students also had opportunities to play and connect with local children
About People to People Ambassador Programs
People to People Ambassador Programs is the most recognized and respected educational travel provider and has provided more than 400,000 citizens of the world the opportunity to promote peace through understanding. The ambassador programs, which include citizen, student, sports, and leadership divisions, promote international and domestic programs for professionals, students, athletes, and the leaders of tomorrow. Participation in a People to People Ambassador program contributes directly to personal success in a globalized world and fosters international friendships. The hands-on, unique educational travel programs provide access to people and places beyond compare and combine immersive cultural experiences with personal interaction to create global impact.
For nearly 50 years, People to People Ambassador Programs has helped participants travel to seven continents while maintaining an extraordinary track record of travel safety. The company’s safety record is the result of many factors, including a reliance on federal guidelines, the strength and experience of its leaders, the organization’s expertise, and experience in program destination countries, a vast global network of resources and team members, and a sincere commitment to the well-being of Ambassadors and their families.
People to People Ambassador Programs serves as the exclusive educational travel provider of People to People International (PTPI), the nonprofit, Kansas City-based organization founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote peace through understanding worldwide. PTPI and Ambassadors Group are united in their mission of bridging cultural and political borders through education and exchange.
About Ambassadors Group
Ambassadors Group Inc. (NASDAQ: EPAX) is a socially conscious education company located in Spokane, Washington. Ambassadors Group is the parent company of People to People Ambassador Programs, World Adventures Unlimited, Society for Global Citizens, and BookRags, an educational research website. The company also oversees the Washington School of World Studies, an accredited travel study and distance-learning school. Additional information about Ambassadors Group and subsidiaries is available at ambassadorsgroup.com.
