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What do entertainer Bob Hope, Olympic champion
Jesse Owens, Hallmark Cards founder Joyce Hall,
and amusement creator Walt Disney have in
common? People to People heritage.
In 1956 these citizen leaders sat shoulder to shoulder
with their friend President Dwight D. Eisenhower in
founding an organization to promote world peace and
understanding: People to People.
The president knew from his experience as a military
commander that ordinary citizens of different
nations could make a difference where governments
could not. He wanted people to know and understand
that while we are all very different, our values,
goals, and day-to-day issues are very much the same.
Through his discussions with leaders of the day came
several People to People initiatives, including
Project Hope and Sister Cities International.
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Soon after the People to People program was
established, he decided that the spirit of People to
People would be best preserved in the hands of private
citizens rather than faceless government entities.
Eisenhower turned to his good friend Joyce Hall to
help him launch the program in the private
sector. Hall agreed and relocated People to People to his own
hometown: Kansas City, Missouri in 1961.
Adult professionals were the first individuals to
embark on personal journeys to build bridges with
other cultures and regions of the world. They continue
that mission today with professional exchanges all
across the globe.
In 1962, the first delegation of
university students traveled overseas to meet and
stay with families all over Europe. Before they
left, Joyce Hall, chairman of the People to People
executive committee, told them, "In the weeks you
are in Europe, you will have a chance not only to
change the impression people have of you as American
youth but their whole image of America." The
university program evolved, and in 1963, the first
student delegation was organized.
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Since that time, thousands of delegates have explored
fascinating destinations — from North America to
Europe, Asia, Africa, the South Pacific and even
Antarctica — making friends all along the way.
The People to People Sports Ambassador program was
created to bring athletes together under the
umbrella of friendly international competition. Today
thousands of athletes join one another on the fields
of play and discover new cultures.
Added in 2000 were our leadership
summits across North America. Through programs in our
nation’s capital all the way to sunny California,
student leaders are learning to better themselves and
their communities. |
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Eisenhower believed strongly in the power of the
citizen ambassador. According to him, “the people want
peace; indeed, I believe they want peace so badly that
the governments will just have to step aside and let
them have it.”
In the broadest way possible, People to People is
reaching out to citizens in all walks of life, whether
doctors on a professional exchange in Russia to
Student Ambassadors exploring Australia. Eisenhower’s
vision of world citizenship is being upheld by People
to People alumni.
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