President Dwight D. Eisenhower proposed a peaceful solution as an alternative to the wars he witnessed as a soldier, general and Allied Commander. That solution? Give everyday citizens of different countries the opportunity to meet and get to know each other, and the result will be understanding, friendship, and lasting peace -- the People to People Student Ambassador Program.
On September 11, 1956, he called a White House conference of 100 top American leaders, who joined him in creating the People to People initiative, focused on creating cultural exchange programs. The idea for this conference came after a Geneva summit, where Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev expressed enthusiasm for exchange programs as a means to ease Cold War tensions. Participants in this conference included Joyce Hall, comedian Bob Hope, and Walt Disney, who became one of the founding directors of People to People and later drew inspiration from the initiative to create the "It's a Small World" attraction in 1964.
The program was originally sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency, a branch of the Federal Government. In 1961, Eisenhower decided that it should be preserved by private citizens and asked Joyce Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards, to facilitate the privatization. In 1962, the first delegation of university students traveled overseas and stayed with families all over Europe. In 2002, People to People International granted a license to operate student programs under the People to People Student Ambassador Program name to Ambassadors Group, which had been formed as a separate company out of the Ambassadors Education Group.
Today, People to People Ambassador Programs continue to play a significant role in increasing global awareness.
To learn more about the People to People Student Ambassador Program, please visit The People-to-People website.
