"People to People" to Philadelphia

My jobs as a tour guide can include more than New York. Yesterday I joined a bus load of talented high school students from around the world, who are in residence at Columbia University for a trip to Philadelphia. As part of their ten days at Columbia, these aspiring business students - although not all were convinced that business was their ultimate goal - were to visit Philadelphia to see the National Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, and other sites as we could fit them in, followed by a short tour of the Campus of the University of Pennsylvania and particularly the Wharton School of Business. I met them under the pedestrian bridge at Columbia at 116th Street and Amsterdam Avenue at 7am - early!

But, there is an even greater significance to this group. These children are all brought together under the auspices of an organization called People to People International. People to People International is dedicated to enhancing cross-cultural communication within each community, and across communities and nations. Tolerance and mutual understanding are central themes. While not a partisan or political institution, PTPI supports the basic values and goals of its founder, President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

I learned that it was founded on September 11, 1956 (exactly 45 years before the fateful 9/11 we all seem to know only too well) by President Eisenhower, who said: "I have long believed, as have many before me, that peaceful relations between nations requires understanding and mutual respect between individuals."

They all came with box breakfasts, and all seemed to have made friends with each other during the week, certainly fulfilling at least one of the purposes of People to People's founder. I soon learned that "all over the world" was almost an understatement. There were three from Macedonia; at least three from South Africa, a number from Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, China, Taiwan, Latvia - and no doubt other places as well. All spoke English, and although interested in business, really had quite different interests after all.

We congregated in the entry Hall of the National Constitution Center, and I drew their attention to a very interesting "corner": "What Will You Do With Freedom?" Post-it pads and pencils are provided for anyone to post their response - anything from "drive a car," to "protest my grades" were up there!

We visited the University of Pennsylvania later in the afternoon, after lunch and a visit to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall - and a walk to the Betsy Ross House where we saw performers in period costume enacting scenarios from colonial to pre-civil war times. But, for many, the key attraction was Penn, and particularly the Wharton School of Business. In fact, as we got off the bus, a student from Lebanon asked: "Where is it? Can I touch it?"

Really, he has dreamed about Wharton since he was little, he said. Such stuff dreams are made of, right? So, here are some of those dreamers!

I think Benjamin Franklin will look out for them, don't you?!