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President Eisenhower believed that ordinary
citizens of different nations, if able to communicate directly, would
solve their differences and find a way to live in peace. This simple
thought is People to People’s foundation.
In 1956, President Eisenhower called a special White House conference of
American leaders. My grandfather asked his guests to join him in
the creation of a new initiative to be known as People to People. He believed that if people could visit each
others’ homes, attend their schools, and see their places of worship,
then the misunderstandings, misperceptions, and resulting suspicions – which
were making war a viable option – would disappear. 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.
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower |
Soon after the People to People program
was established, my grandfather decided that the spirit of People to
People would be best preserved in the hands of private citizens rather
than faceless government entities. 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.” As a result, People to People’s mission
developed around individual, firsthand
experiences of other cultures.
My grandfather turned to his good friend Joyce
C. Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards, to help him launch People to People
in the private sector. Hall agreed and relocated the organization to his own
hometown: Kansas City, Missouri.
Although People to People first built
bridges between working citizens, Eisenhower recognized the
power of young people as future leaders. In 1963, Keith Tatham organized the first
delegation of Student Ambassadors. From that time forward, Ambassador
Programs has taken thousands of American young people across
international boundaries.
Our program encourages meaningful
exchanges between young people of different cultures through
official meetings, educational site visits, and athletic
competition, all of
which create deep cultural understanding, probe a nation’s history,
and launch long-lasting friendships.
I hope that today’s People to People travels will result in
continued exchanges on issues that require international
cooperation, resources, and priorities, such as the cures for cancer and
HIV/AIDS, the care of the environment, and the reduction of poverty.
The ideas and understanding created by exchanges with people of different backgrounds will be
the foundation of a lasting world peace.
As they travel under the banner of People to
People, Sports Ambassadors represent the best of our country: hope,
courage, openness, and a love of peace.
My Granddad would be proud.
Visit
People to People International’s website
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sprang
into existence
through my grandfather, President Dwight D.
Eisenhower. The 34th President of the United States developed People to People to be a new path to
international understanding.