For many years, our gymnasium has been home to a student chapter of the international organization People to People International. People to People International (PTPI), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, was founded by the President of the United States of America Dwight Eisenhower on September 11, 1956, to strengthen international relations in the educational, cultural and humanitarian fields.
The remarkable history of PTRI has been created by the efforts of many people, including such prominent figures as Joyce Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards, Mary Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Eisenhower, Walt Disney, Charles Schulz, artist, famous actors Bob Hope and Gary Sinise, and an impressive number of tireless volunteers who work around the world to proclaim PTRI's motto “Peace through Understanding.”
PTPI's mission is to strengthen international understanding and friendly relations between countries in the educational, cultural and humanitarian fields, including the exchange of ideas and experiences among people from different countries and diverse cultures. PTPI cooperates with many other organizations that have the same type of activity and the same goal.
People to People International aims to strengthen cultural ties within each society and between different communities and nations. Tolerance and mutual understanding are the main themes around which RTRI's activities are centered. Not being a governmental or political organization, PTPI supports the main goals and objectives of its founder Dwight Eisenhower. He believed that a deeper understanding between individuals and peoples around the world reveals inherent human values and inspires cooperation. As a result, we all benefit from different approaches to solving common problems. If people have a better understanding of other cultures, they will be more tolerant and able to accept differences. “I am deeply convinced that ordinary people can be far more effective than governments in strengthening relationships and establishing world peace,” said Dwight Eisenhower.
The members of People to People International are a diverse multicultural network that aims to promote international understanding and cooperation through the exchange of ideas and experiences. They participate in a variety of local and international events organized by community centers.
The community centers, which are the backbone of People to People International, bring the ideas of international understanding and education to life at the local level. Thousands of students and adults are involved in networks of community centers in the United States, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.
RTRI's public chapters are divided into adult, student and pupil chapters. Student chapters are groups of association members that give students (13-18 years old) the opportunity to implement the basic principles of People to People International on a daily basis. They participate in activities dedicated to cultural understanding and humanism. Thus, members of the student centers acquire leadership and teamwork skills, which result in the formation of students' personalities and respectful attitude towards representatives of other nations and cultures.
Dwight Eisenhower himself repeatedly proclaimed that today's youth are tomorrow's leaders. He also passionately believed in the desire of all peoples to live in peace. Following his principles, PTPI's student chapters are committed to developing young people in a positive way that will enable today's students to become worthy citizens of the world.
Such a center was established in the First City Gymnasium in Cherkasy in 2006 on the initiative and with the support of the Vice President of the Ukrainian Movement “Teachers for Peace and Mutual Understanding” V. Dzyabenko. Thus, we became one of the first student centers of RTRI in Ukraine. The same year, our gymnasium was visited by Verena Denk, coordinator of RTRI's European branch, who held a fruitful meeting with our students, organizing a seminar and practical classes. Today, the student chapter of People to People International at the First City Gymnasium in Cherkasy has 22 members. The president of the chapter is Karina Lyashenko, an 11th grade student.
Over the past years, the activities of our chapter have been covered 16 times on the pages of such publications as European Newsletter, Europe, Our World, Student Chapters and the People to People International website. The students of the gymnasium participated in numerous local campaigns (“No to Bad Habits”, “Clean Environment”, “Let's Save Dnipro for Future Generations”, etc.), as well as in international projects implemented by RTRI (“Global Youth Service Day”, “Team Peace Challenge”). In 2006, the members of the center raised about 500 hryvnias to build a garbage dump in our neighborhood, and in addition, they cleaned and removed 300 kg of garbage from the slopes of the Dnipro River. In the same year, representatives of the chapter, headed by President Valeria Ionan, participated in the National Forum in Kyiv, where they met with members of the Verkhovna Rada and representatives of the European Community. In 2007, our gymnasium students held a number of events dedicated to the International Water Day and took an active part in the celebration of Europe Day, which included lectures for junior high school students, a brain-ring for senior high school students and a survey among the city's residents on Ukraine's accession to the EU. In 2008, members of the student organization prepared a number of multimedia projects dedicated to overcoming bad habits among young people. In 2009, they took part in an international project that involved correspondence with other student groups and discussion of the problems facing young people today. The year 2010 was marked by a fundraising campaign to purchase furniture for the gymnasium, and the students were part of the group that hosted the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Argentine Republic to Ukraine, Lila Roldan Vazquez de Muan.
Members of the chapter have repeatedly participated in international forums and conferences held under the auspices of PTPI. In 2013, Karina Lyashenko, the president of the gymnasium chapter, received a grant to participate in the World Youth Forum in Washington, DC, USA. For its contribution to peace, understanding and positive changes in society, the PTPI student chapter of the First City Gymnasium in Cherkasy was awarded four times with Certificates of Honor, and in 2010, 2011 and 2012, the chapter members received the Bronze Award from People to People International and a personal thank you from PTPI President Mary Jane Eisenhower.
We have big plans for the future and hope that over the years, when new generations of students replace the current students, they will continue to be as active and inspired in their efforts to promote peace, cooperation and understanding between peoples.