Bringing it Back to Basics

Healthy nutrition is important for everyone, especially travelers. During the process of travelling, our bodies may encounter long flights, crossing time zones, and lack of proper rest. At People to People Ambassador Programs we recognize the need for you, the parents of our delegates, to be well informed about healthy nutrition for both your delegates and yourselves. With this goal in mind, last year we developed a partnership with April Davis RD, CD, ACSM CES®, to provide you with important nutritional information and help us improve our menus. As far as we know, our organization is the first to take this dramatic step in improving meal quality and nutritional value and with April’s help we will continue make strides in providing the best travel experience for our delegates.

Starting this week, April will begin her special feature on micro and macronutrient education. Stay tuned for more of April’s entries coming to you every other week through March. As always, I will continue to post health and safety related articles on a weekly basis so please come back at least weekly for the latest and greatest news from your Health and Safety team.

Mike Bowers
Sr. Director Health & Safety

Believe it or not, nutrition is all about biology and chemistry, otherwise known as biochemistry. Your body runs like a well-oiled machine due to the thousands of chemical processes that are occurring inside it every second of every day. It’s important to support these processes fully by providing your body with a wide variety of nutrients. Foods provide the nutrients needed for your body to grow, repair, regulate, and maintain itself.

There are six basic nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. All of these are classified as essential. Your body requires essential nutrients to function properly. These nutrients must be obtained from the foods you eat; your body cannot make them on its own.

The two major categories of nutrients are macronutrients and micronutrients.

• You need a large amount of macronutrients on a daily basis. They provide your body with energy in the form of calories. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the three macronutrients.
  
  
• Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are required in smaller amount, hence the prefix “micro.” Water fits into its own class and requirements for it vary greatly depending on your weight, activity level, and medical condition.

Now let's test your knowledge on the six basic nutrients! (If you're a parent, pass this on to your children). Take this quiz and see how you do.

In upcoming blog posts, I’ll be talking about each of the six basic nutrients in great detail. My focus will be on explaining how each nutrient is used in everyday life, giving examples of healthy food choices, and relaying the unique role each nutrient plays in supporting your child's body during travel abroad.

I would also like to answer questions you have on macro- and micronutrients or nutrition in general. Please reply to this post with your questions and comments so that I can address them in future blogs. It is my goal to cultivate dialogue and education as it relates to nutrition, health, and travel. Thank you in advance for your contributions in helping to make this happen.

Warmly,
By April D. Davis, RD, CD, ACSM CES®

People to People temporarily suspends programs in Egypt

We carefully monitor events around the world as they arise. From natural disasters such as I recently blogged about (Australia Delegation Safe: We Keep on Eye on Disaster) to the current political events in several Middle Eastern countries, we actively plan to ensure the safety of all our participants on all our programs.

Our decisions are driven by the intelligence and guidance provided to us multiple times each day from the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) and the U.S. State Department, as well as from the U.S. Embassy’s around the world. We match that to our own intelligence from on the ground through our partners, and our staff makes decisions daily to determine if we cancel, alter or move forward with our planned itineraries.

Part of our plan in evaluating the situation is being diligent in our communication to readers such as yourself.

While our student programs do not travel to the Middle East region, our Citizen Ambassador Program, geared to professionals, does.

Ultimately, we have decided that Egypt presents too great a risk and have canceled our currently scheduled programs there.

Part of our expertise is an analysis of the situations at the country level, understanding the sharp differences of the situation can exist in the same region. Therefore while, we are canceling our currently scheduled programs to Egypt, we are planning on continuing our Citizen program in Jordan and Israel.

At the current time the activities taking place in Jordan, although similar in nature, do not appear to pose the same potential threat as those taking place, as I write, in Egypt. The demonstrations in Jordan are much smaller and have remained peaceful. Some organizations have shifted travel to Jordan from Egypt.

There have not been any active demonstrations in Israel – Israel is a democratically elected government and while they are naturally impacted by the perception of what is happening in Egypt and Jordan there is no direct link. Clearly our Executive Task force will continue to remain focused on the events taking place in these countries and at any point conditions were to change and pose a potential risk to our travels, we will not hesitate to cancel the program and refund those participants who have enrolled.

Part of the decision making process may also include working strategically with the delegation leaders to consider moving to a different region of the world should the current situation change.

The bottom line is that if it is not safe, we will not travel to that destination. That core philosophy applies to every program that People to People offers whether it is a student program or a professional program like the Citizen Ambassadors. We will not travel anyone if their safety and health is at risk, no matter what the cost to our organization to cancel such a program.

We continue to remain in constant communication with our partners in the Middle East. We are hopeful that our good friends and colleagues in Egypt remain safe and we look forward to re-opening our programs to Egypt in the not too distant future once it becomes safer. Safety is our first goal, but our mission is to heal wounds and bridge cultural and political borders through education and exchange, making the world a better place for future generations.


As always, I wish you all safe travels and a healthy life!
Mike Bowers

Senior Director of Health & Safety

Student Travel Trends & Education at the Annual SYTA Summit

People to People Ambassador Programs is an active member of the Student & Youth Travel Association, or SYTA. All SYTA members are organizations - big and small - that focus exclusively on domestic and international student travel. This past week, SYTA held its annual Summit in Irvine, California. SYTA members came together to discuss the most pressing issues in our industry, and to hear from fellow experts (including People to People). We heard from some of the most experienced minds in the student travel industry, all helping to ensure that travel is as safe, enjoyable and sustainable as possible (for families and travel operators alike).

By comparing our experiences and hearing from experts, we make travel safer and better for the entire industry. The summit included educational sessions that addressed how to travel a student safely on an educational program, overall trends in the industry, and tools to strengthen international travel programs.

For the behind the scenes look at what the industry is talking about, keep reading. But I also want to know, what are you interested in, as consumers? Let me know...just leave a comment.


The Board Meeting
The week started off with an all day, face-to-face board meeting in which we were able to learn more about our new Executive Director, Carylann Assante (pictured below). Carylann is a Certified Association Executive and had clearly done her homework on the current issues facing the educational travel industry. Day two was focused on strategic planning for the organization and how to continually improve the effectiveness of this great organization.



The Summit Speakers
Micah Solomon started the conference off with insights into how to create the best customer service experience possible. Micah is a published author on the subject and firmly believes an organization can no longer sell on price and they must focus on service. In order to do that he believes you need the following:

• A perfect product
• Delivered by caring, friendly person
• Timeliness. Delivery of the product must be fast
• Effective problem resolution

Next up was Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D., a director at the Nicholson School of Communication at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Chandler provided guidance to help ensure effective and successful communication during critical periods. Drawing from his research, field experience, and his most recent book on Emergency Notification, Dr. Chandler reviewed basic key aspects for effective communication during critical and contingency situations.

George A. Aguel, Sr. Vice President for the The Walt Disney Company, then shared his views on the current trends impacting the industry. Of particular significance was his observation that the Walt Disney Company is seeing a 5% increase in booking this year and his prediction that 2012 would be, as he put it, “A barn burner year.” (The travel industry has felt the economic downturn as much if not more than any other industry, so it was refreshing to hear that people are once again traveling in great numbers.)

Day one then came to a close after a wonderful presentation by Phil Otterson and Cathleen Johnson (pictured below) on how organizations can break down the barriers to building the international market.


Day two started with Carylann Assante sharing the work that the board was able to accomplish during the week as well as her commitment to continue to improve the service provided by SYTA.

Next we heard a very interesting presentation by Joseph G. Osterman who shared the latest work being done by the Bus Industry Safety Council and what we as operators need to be focused on when selecting a great motor coach operator. I was particularly interested in his statements that 42% of accidents involve cars, 39% involve light trucks but of all the accidents, motor coaches account for the lowest level at just .1% of vehicle accidents.

Last but in no way least, the Summit closed with an emotional presentation by Word of Mouth Guru Geno Church, co-author of the book Brains on Fire. Church led a presentation showing why “People are the Killer App,” centered on the theme of stories as the ultimate connector between an organization and their audience. Geno shared results and methodology behind case studies from successful word of mouth movements, including the award-winning Fiskars Brands “Fiskateers” and “Rage Against the Haze,” South Carolina’s youth-led anti-tobacco initiative. Join in the conversation on the Brains on Fire blog.

Next fall SYTA will hold its annual conference in New York, and I will be there as a board member to share what we learn in 2011 and to help all travel related organizations enhance their health and safety practices. I also hope to gain further knowledge from my industry peers that ensures the safety of everyone who travels with People to People Ambassador Programs.

With that, I wish you all safe travels and a healthy life.

Mike Bowers
Senior Director of Health & Safety

Australia Delegation Safe: We Keep an Eye on Disaster

Every year about this time we hear of some catastrophic event happening around the world. When it involves a country or a city we plan to visit during our travel season, we jump into action.

This year the flood in eastern Australia has demanded our attention, and the attention of families of students who plan to participate in one of our Australia delegations this summer.

Fortunately it appears now that the Australia programs will not be negatively impacted by the floods over the past several weeks. With the exception of the town of Horsham, the latest reports indicate the worst may be over and the water levels have started to subside.

From the information we have gathered from our partners, all major attractions will still be visited. We are also exploring opportunities for our students to engage in some form of community service to support our friends in Australia later this summer.

How We Handle Disasters
I’ve said this before but it never hurts to repeat it: If an event poses a risk to your child’s safety or health, we would not hesitate to cancel or reschedule the program to remove that threat.

When traveling to over 60 countries on all seven continents, something seems to come up each year that requires our immediate and full assessment of the potential impact.

Based on current events in Australia, I thought I would take a moment to share with you what steps we do take to ensure the safety of our students and to ensure the destinations in question are suitable to visit.

• When an event happens, key representatives of the organization are immediately notified. Sometimes the information comes to us directly from one of the many partners we work with around the world and sometime from a government organization like the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) at the US State Department.
  
  
• Once we have knowledge we immediately seek more relative information from our partners within that country.
  
  
• We then work with our partners to determine if an event will have lasting repercussions or if our itinerary can stay intact. If necessary, we devise plans to off-set any scheduling or itinerary changes that may be needed. In the case of Australia, early indications seem to indicate there will be no alternation to the scheduled programs. (If anything, we may have to change sites planned to see Koala Bears or something to that extent.)
  
  
• We then bring a team of executives together to evaluate the alternatives. Last year we were faced with the ash cloud over Europe caused by the volcano in Iceland. In that case the out-come was less clear at the point the volcano erupted, so our executive team went to great lengths to plan how students would be housed and transported to and from Europe with special emphasis on designing a program that would never leave a student alone. As you can imagine, that plan was very detailed and in the end, it wasn’t used. The ash passed and the event did not impact our programs.
  
  
• Even if a situation appears stabilized, we prepare for the case if a problem worsens or materializes as we forecasted. In 2009 we had a similar plan when we heard of the first reported case of Swine flu in Mexico. We had no way of forecasting the magnitude that event achieved but we planned none the less. In that case the plan was executed and worked well to protect the interest of our students and their families.

I hope knowing that we take each of these situations very seriously helps ease any concerns a parent might have for allowing their child to visit Australia. My son will be traveling there this summer and he is extremely excited. He has also started reading the newspaper to stay current as the events down under unfold. We are excited, too, because we know People to People Ambassador Programs goes to great lengths to make sure students are going to be safe and not impacted by these tragedies.

In the meantime, our hearts go out to those families impacted by this historical event and most especially to our close friends and partners who we work with to deliver our unique life changing experiences in Australia.



As always, I wish you all safe travels and a healthy life!

Mike Bowers
Senior Director of Health & Safety

PTP Welcomes Registered Dietitian April Davis back for 2011

[Above: April holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa on her recent adventure with our Mediterranean Traditions delegation]

Who is April Davis?
Last year, April brought People to People Ambassador Programs valuable insight into health and nutrition for our delegates in response to feedback from our delegates and their families. She not only reviewed our meals and recommended changes to provide better and tastier meals on program, but field tested it with delegates on an actual program to make sure it was appropriate for them. Our commitment to a great travel experience runs that deep!

April’s current credentials include being a Registered Dietitian, Certified Dietitian, and American College of Sports Medicine Clinical Exercise Specialist®. For delegates and their parents, her blog posts showcase successful meal planning on our programs, and provide long-term education about healthy living and meal choices. Topics to be covered in upcoming blog entries include:

• Nutritional food remedies to common travel ailments;
• An introduction to micro- and macronutrients and why each is important during travel;
• How to make healthy choices at a buffet;
• Nutritional values in regional cuisine differences; and
• Many more important topics you won’t want to miss.

April's update is below. We're glad she's on board!
- Mike Bowers Senior Director of Health & Safety

According to April:
"Last year I worked with People to People Student Ambassador Programs to assist in making recommendations for quality improvement in student acceptability to overseas meals.

[Me with my delegation in Pisa last summer]

"I began by reviewing proposed menus that students follow while traveling. After submitting my suggestions, several adjustments were made as an initial stepping stone to improving post-travel evaluations related to food intake during travel. I also began writing monthly blog posts on the Health & Safety Blog to the parents of delegates to provide nutrition and physical activity recommendations pre- and during travel, along with general tips on hydration, healthy travel snacks, and basic macronutrient education.

"This past summer, I had the opportunity to travel through Italy and the French Riviera with a People to People Student Ambassador Delegation and observe nutrition practices, meals served, and overall acceptance by students. It was important to consider these factors in conjunction with their daily schedule and emotional and physical states. I also assessed adherence to meal plans, portions, presentation, palatability, hydration status, and quality of foods served, as well as student satisfaction. There were numerous positive experiences and reactions that I saw while observing the delegation. Some of these included adequate portion sizes, friendly and efficient restaurant service, agreeable palatability, and several unique food presentations.

"Reflecting on this experience, I am reminded how grateful I am to have had this unique opportunity as a dietitian. It encourages me to spread my wings and delve into any and all possibilities with an open, creative mindset. I whole-heartedly believe that life is what you make of it – so make it something worth remembering and find ways to explore the world (literally or metaphorically) through your knowledge of food science - I look forward to sharing with you in 2011!"
- April Davis, RD, CD, ACSM CES^®

Deadline for Health Forms: It’s not the Tax Date but every bit as important

Happy New Year to all our delegates and families. Can you believe it is already January 6th? In just less than 5 months our first student programs take off for their life changing experiences. In preparation for the launch of our 2011 travel season, we wanted to share with you a most important reminder that will help us ensure the health and safety of each delegate.

[Image Credit: MoonRhino via Flickr]

Pretty much everyone in the USA knows the importance of the date, April 15th. That’s the day each American’s tax return must be postmarked and sent to the IRS. (This year the deadline is being moved due to a holiday so tax payers will have until midnight on Monday, April 18th to mail their returns.)

Well here at People to People Ambassador Programs we have an equally important date and that is January 15th of each year, and no that date isn’t changing. January 15th is the due date for each enrolled student Ambassador to submit a health form to their local leader.

The leader then makes a copy of both pages of this important form and keeps the original health forms and then ships a copy the Health and Safety Department at the Program Office. The purpose of making a copy is to allow the leader to carry the original with them for each student in their care in the unlikely event a medical situation arises. That way any listed medications or allergies or other important medical background can be shared with the medical professional treating the student in the foreign country.

Adhering to this date is important. The information on each health form must be reviewed and entered into our computer system. (We are working on a new process which will allow for students to fill in the health form online, dramatically improving the collection process starting later in the year.) Once the health form is imputed, the computer system scans for any of over 300 medical conditions. If a student should have one or more of these conditions a medical hold is then generated.

If you would like to learn more about the medical hold process, you can review, “Navigating the Health form, a Vital Step in Your Child’s Safety,” a blog entry made by the Health & Safety Supervisor, Wendy Armes, posted back in September for more information and background.

My son will be traveling on the the Journey through the South Pacific program in June and we filled out his health form last night. He will be turning it in during his first orientation meeting which just so happens to be scheduled on January 15th, so we won’t be late.

Using Cellhire and don't have a cell phone number yet?

While filling out the health form (which I helped design by the way), I did notice one difficult question to answer. On the form it suggests you consider renting a cell phone for your child for safety reasons, which I support. It also asks you to supply us with the cell number that your child might be taking along with them. My son is planning to rent a Cellhire GPS phone with the new Panic Alert button on it. We won’t have that number until a couple weeks prior to travel, though.

Sometimes as much as we run simulations and plan, it takes participating as a parent of a Student Ambassador to get some of the minor annoyances to our system out. We will be modifying the health form for 2012 so that we don’t ask for the number yet.

Anyway, no worries, Casey will be able to provide the leader the number when he meets in the departure city so that the leader has his contact information in the event he ever needs it. It doesn’t happen often but like any parent I want Casey to be as reachable as possible in any situation.

Besides, the Cellhire phone will be local to Australia so the phone rates I get will be much less than if he were to take his personal cell and have me activate the international calling option. I have to admit that since I helped guide the development of the GPS tracking options I can’t wait to track my own son with it!

I will be able to see the same road he is standing on and freak him out by sending a SMS message commenting on something he is looking at from my home in Spokane. Talk about being a helicopter parent!

If any of you are interested in renting a Cellhire cell phone, just go to http://www.cellhire.com/ambassador and view all the many phone options you can select from.

So remember, get the health form in by January 15th. My staff is waiting with anticipation for them to arrive on-time in the program office so we can check that step off your list of things to do before embarking on your wonderful life changing experience with People to People Ambassador Programs.

As always, I wish you all safe travels and a healthy life!
Mike