Hudson globetrots to gain perspective

Kaylene Hudson of Libby recently returned from a People to People International trip to four different countries—England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

People to People is an international educational exchange program created by President Eisenhower in 1956 to give thousands of young people the opportunity to travel to areas across the globe. The program aims to create global citizens and bridge the gap between cultures through volunteer work and interactions with other citizens around the world. 

Hudson received several letters in the mail during the past few years that requested her admission to the program before finally deciding to take the trip this summer. When she made the decision to take the trip, she also took on the responsibility of raising $8,000 to cover the program expenses. 

To qualify for the program, a student must be nominated by a teacher, who remains anonymous. After the student receives a letter from the program, an interview process is conducted to select those who will go on the trip.

Kaylene started fundraising in November 2013, and with the help from her family and friends, she made her last payment at the end of April 2014.

To raise money for the trip, Hudson, 16, conducted several different fundraisers including: gift wrapping, photography, selling her beanie baby collection and knitting and selling scarves and hats. 

Kaylene’s mother, Blanch Hudson, said she told Kaylene not to ask for donations from businesses as it was her trip and she need to raise the money for herself.

“We are just so proud of her,” Blanch said. “She raised all of the money she was supposed to. She worked so hard to accomplish her goal and it really meant a lot to see her go through with it until the end.”

On July 19, when Kaylene returned from her 19 day trip, she had a new perspective on life. After helping out with several volunteer projects and interacting with different cultures she was amazed at the simplistic lifestyle of others.

“Most of the people we met were very conservative,” Kaylene said. “They recycled everything, they did their laundry by hand and they have compost piles. It was really life-changing to see the things that I saw on my trip.”

Kaylene said because of her trip and her experiences she learned how better interact with others. She said one of the most important things she learned is how to listen to people and be accepting of them. 

“I could not have done it without the support from my friends and family,” Kaylene said. “I just don’t know how to thank everyone for what they did to support me.” 

Kaylene is planning to take her final trip with the program next summer to visit France, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria.