Over 50 Years of Excellence

People to People traces its heritage back to 1956, when our 34th president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, called a special White House meeting of American leaders, who joined him in creating the People to People initiative. Over the past five decades, the People to People mission has been built upon personal exchanges and firsthand experiences with other cultures.

President Dwight D. 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 - that people can make a difference where governments cannot - is People to People's foundation.

Since 2001, People to People Student Leader Programs have carried forth President Eisenhower's vision by enabling nearly 18,000 of America's best and brightest middle school, junior high and high school students to learn the important leadership skills they will need to succeed in today's competitive global society.