European Observation

JACKSON BABER’S “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” paper next school year could very well be novel-length.

Jackson, an eighth-grader at Hastings Middle School, will head to Europe for three weeks beginning in late June thanks to the People to People Ambassador Program.

People to People, started in 1956 by President Eisenhower, offers several international ambassador programs. Jackson will be part of the European Heritage Tour, a Student Ambassador program that travels through the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

It will be Jackson’s first time visiting Europe. His time will be divided between learning about the culture of the countries, visiting historic sites and contributing to service projects.

Highlights of the trip will include seeing a play or musical in London’s West End, going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, watching Belgian chocolatiers in action, floating through the canals of Amsterdam and planting trees in Germany’s Black Forest.

Though he expects his participation in the program will benefit him down the road when he applies to college, he’s also looking forward to expanding his horizons and gaining “a greater understanding of culture,” he says. He is especially enthused by the prospect of visiting Normandy Beach.

“War history kind of interests me,” he says.

Ambassadors are expected to complete one service project prior to leaving on their journeys, and Jackson and the other members of his group have chosen to collect pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House is able to turn in the tabs en masse and receive cash for the aluminum, which goes toward its programs.

Youth ambassadors are nominated by teachers, administrators, community leaders and even fellow students. Jackson found out about his nomination after receiving a letter in the mail, but nominations are kept confidential, so he does not know for certain who sent his name to People to People. He and his mother, Tricia Baber-Everson, suspect it was a teacher who noticed a marked improvement in Jackson’s schoolwork. Jackson struggled in sixth-grade mathematics, prompting him to get help from the Tutoring Center located off West Henderson Road – and it was a big help, he says.

“They bring you ahead of what you’re probably going to be doing (in class),” says Jackson.

A year and a half later, he has shown improvement in not only math, but in his academics across the board.

“Our guess is because he was showing initiative … it has encouraged him to bring his other grades up as well,” Tricia says. Jackson’s renewed drive to succeed could very well be what prompted his nomination for the program, says Tricia.

“His whole attitude and demeanor, when he walked out of the Tutoring Center, was totally different,” she says.

In addition to collecting tabs for his service project, Jackson must raise money to fund the trip himself.

Garth Bishop is a contributing editor. Feedback welcome at laurand@pubgroupltd.com.