Alana's Journey with Up With People

Hello everyone.  My name is Alana Persson and I am an 18 year old from a small town in New Hampshire, who has been given the opportunity to make a huge difference in the world, starting in just a few short months. But, I am going to need your help.

Beginning in July, I will begin my world tour with the international non-profit organization Up With People.  Along my journey, I am hoping to be able to positively impact the lives of people from around the world by delivering a common message of hope and goodwill, while pursing my own global education and personal growth through service, music and travel.

So, just in case you don’t know about Up With People (UWP), allow me to give a little background about the organization. The organization is entering its 50th year and, since its inception, has visited more than 4,000 communities in 42 countries, completed over 3 million community service hours, partnered with 500,000 host families, and impacted an estimated 22 million people worldwide. I am happy to say that I am one of the 22 million people the organization has impacted.

I first heard of Up With People in seventh grade from my math teacher, and UWP alumnus, Beth Clay. Over the course of the year she showed us videos of her performances and told us stories about her own journey in the program. My interest was sparked, but the time to join was so far off in the distance I let it fade into the background. Thankfully, my interest was rekindled this past September, when Up With People came to our town through the sponsorship of various local organizations and businesses. During that time, my family had the good fortune of hosting cast members from Japan, Iowa, Sweden, Mexico, and Belgium.  Over the course of their week with us, they performed service to our community each day, including work in our schools, churches, day care centers and in other settings.  Each night, we spent time getting to know each individual’s story, sharing laughs around the dinner table, learning about their culture – transforming from strangers to friends and from friends to family in just a matter of days.  At the end of the week the cast put on a high-energy, two hour live performance, filled with music and dance. The moment in which individuals from 18 different countries came together, lifting up their voices to promote peace and acceptance, sealed the deal for me. I knew I wanted to be part of their mission.

I feel extremely blessed to have been accepted into this program and look forward to spending next year giving back to people around the world, sharing a little about our American culture and in turn learning and growing from my time spent with host families and partaking in community work throughout my travels.  To make this experience possible, I am contributing most of the savings I have accrued from my four years of work at a local newspaper, and my parents will also be contributing to the cost in whatever way they can. However, the program is nearly $25,000 and, unlike college, there very little scholarship opportunties and there are no student loans to defray these costs.  As this is the case, I will need to fundraise to cover the total tuition cost. It is my hope that others will see the benefit of this Up With People yearlong experience and donate whatever is possible to make this dream a reality. I hope to apply the lessons of the importance of community, acceptance, tolerance, and positivity that emanates from this organization to all my future endeavors, including college, jobs, and service to my community for years to come.

Thank you all, in advance, for supporting me in this wonderful endeavor.