P2P: Hawaiian Island Discovery

Did you know that an easy way for our delegation to keep in touch with each other and the People to People experience after our program is to start a Student Chapter in our area?

Check it out on p 48 of your Explore Guide!

More information at http://www.ptpi.org

Your leaders will share more information on this at our March 5th meeting. Ohio only has two Student Chapters in the entire state, and to start one in our area would be a rewarding experience for our delegation. We believe with as many self-motivated ambassadors and parents, this would be a very easy organization to start in Akron. We are looking for members and adult advisors! Anyone interested? We need one advisor, and 10 students to form a Student Chapter. Susan is willing to serve as an assistant advisor. The meetings are run and organized by the students and are run similarly to our Orientation Meetings.

"Chapters are the backbone of People to People international, bringing the ideal of international understanding and education to life at a local level. Thousands of students and adults are members of our worldwide chapter network. Many young members feel inspired by PTPI's mission and their experience as Student Ambassadors. They decide to stay involved with the organization. The best way to do that is to form a student chapter with interested friends and fellow Student Ambassadors.

• introduce international students to American culture
• organize an international Fair in your community. Introduce your friends to fook, music, and cultures from around the world.
• Hold fund-raising events for your student chapter's activities, international humanitarian efforts, and Student Ambassador trips."

-Explore Guide 2006

Annual membership dues:

Students: $15 ($5 to PTPI, $10 to your chapter)
Adults: $20 ($10 to PTPI, $10 to your chapter)
- Note: Dues for Adult Advisors shall be waived.
Families: $35 ($20 to PTPI, $15 to your chapter)

Your delegation leaders challenge Ambassadors and Families to become involved to continue President Eisenhower's dream of Peace through Leadership and Understanding in Akron, Ohio!

Delegates get together at Akron Public Library to begin plans for their group presentation. Students chose a Hawaiian topic to study and create a 10 minute group presentation with a visual aide. Photo: One of two groups of delegates create a plan for Pearl Harbor.

• Will the Ambassadors work together to include everyone in their group?
• Will they remember to bring data and art supplies to the March 5th meeting?
• Will July 4th ever get here?!!
• Tune in next month and see!

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Photo: Tony talks to delegates as they organize a presentation on Hawaiian Customs.

As delegates learn about Hawaiian customs during this cold Ohio winter, how close will the information in their presentation be to the real thing? Do you think we'll hear any music from this group? Do you think we'll see any unique clothes? I wonder what they have in store for us?!

All delegates received a crop sheet of photos of each other on Sunday. There is one correction to make. Switch the following names: Hager and Miller! We got the girls mixed up! Oops! Look at this a few times and cut them up and make flash cards to study names if you want. You should be able to name at least 30 new friends by the March 5 meeting!

On Sunday, February 5th, our very own Student Ambassador, Wes Peng gave a fantastic performance as Concert Master for the Greater Akron Youth Philharmonic! Songs performed included Simple Gifts (traditional, arr. Shapiro), The Moldau (Smetana/Meyer), and Rites of Tamburo (Smith).

The highlight was Gershwin in Concert (arr. Sayre) when Wes served as solo violinist demonstrating his talents to a crowded concert hall.

Congratulations, Wes on a job well done!

Who will be our next Ambassador to spotlight? What are you doing that's extraordinary that we can share with the rest of our delegation? Let us know! You could be next!

A great source of fundraising and community activism is the book by brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger entitled Take Action! A Guide to Active Citizenship.

It's a kid-friendly book that outlines how to organize a group of friends to make a difference and includes TONS of fundraising ideas. For those ambassadors looking for such a book, this one is highly recommended. Check it out at your local bookstore in paperback! (List price is $16.95, publisher: Jossey-Bass.)

Nick:

Here is my travel tip! Since I have camped a lot over the last few years, make sure that you only take what you need. This is so important because YOU will be carrying everything that you bring. Also be very selective in things that you purchase on the trip because you will be carrying those things as well! Photo: Nick at the Tower of London in England.

Susan:

Zip-lock bags are your friend! Get yourself a few boxes of sandwich size, one and two gallon bags. Use these to sort and pack suitcase items. Take some extra empty ones with you. They help keep clean and dirty clothes sorted, as well as make it easy to keep items organized. You never know what might get wet when you're camping, and by packing with Zip-locks, you can be sure your possessions will stay dry. Photo: Susan with ambassadors in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

All meetings will take place on Sundays at Akron Public Library from 2-4 pm. Please sign in 15 minutes early so that meetings may start promptly.

Orientation Meetings:

• January 22
• February 12
• March 5
• April 30
• May TBA (14 or 21)
• June 25: Bon Voyage Picnic (location TBA)

Confirmed Program Dates: July 4-18, 2006

Delegation Reunion Picnic: TBA (August 19 or 20)

Delegate Trivia Question: Look carefully at the photo below. How many important camping items can you name from this picture? Send your list to Susan's private home email by February 11! Who has the largest most accurate list? Hmmmmmmm? :) Photo: Lake Tahoe, Nevada