<p>"A Vienna [Virginia] company that promised exclusive inauguration access to 15,000 youths is facing complaints from hundreds of angry parents that the program was a scam that left some students stuck on buses during Barack Obama’s swearing-in, unsupervised on the Mall or waiting for hours in hotels without participating at all.</p>
<p>On a blog founded by an Arizona mother, parents are demanding a refund from Envision EMI, the for-profit firm that staged the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference, which attracted students from middle school to college age from across the country. Each participant paid up to $2,900 in registration fees…</p>
<p>Envision rebuffed interview requests but issued this statement yesterday:</p>
<p>“While the vast majority of scholars who attended our presidential inaugural programs had a positive experience, we acknowledge that some of them have stated that they did not and this is unacceptable to us. We take pride in our history of more than 20 years of providing quality and life-changing opportunities for high-achieving scholars. We are urgently working to address each and every concern and to respond to the families’ inquiries as quickly as possible.”</p>
<p>The worst part is that particpants of similar programs or others famous four lettes “leadership” programs hate to admit they were taken by a bunch of “well-connected” crooks who prey on the easily stroked ego of parents. They prefer to find a silver lining to justify the hefty fees paid for questionable programs. </p>
<p>There is a reason why such programs love to target Washington, DC where money deposited in the right pockets ensure the survival of the fittest and … most crooked.</p>
<p>Sorry. I’m reluctant to be unsympathetic but I’m with Xiggi on this one. The parents were clearly suckers who willingly who should have anticipated a potential mess, considering that many folks expected unprecedented logistical difficulties for this special inauguration. Remember, pickpockets do pretty well in large crowds. Figuratively and literally.</p>
<p>There is no way, no way, that any tour group could possibly hope to successfully guide 15,000 teens through that weekend. It looks a lot like they took that money knowing that they were not going to be able to deliever what they were promising. Were they honest with parents who asked how many teens were going? And canceling taking participants to the Sunday concert because it was “too cold?” It was January in D.C., of course it was going to be cold. </p>
<p>The price alone should have been a red flag. $2900 per student not including airfare is insane. We spent a few hundred les than that for two adults and one teen. That included airfare, train tickets, metro passes, sublet, food, and a little spending money. </p>
<p>I feel for these kid who were so close but saw nothing.</p>
<p>My son did the Friday through Tuesday night for about $300. He and the Young Dem’s from his college stayed with families with students at the college. The college provided two large vans. The families provided food for the kids and even lent my son a tuxedo for the ball he went to. I think the fun part is doing an event like this on the cheap and being savvy on how to pull it off. All the events were free except the ball which he got in at the discount price of $75.</p>
<p>Didn’t I read that thousands of ticket holders were herded into a tunnel under the Mall and were stuck there for hours? I also saw reports of people from around here (North Carolina) boarding chartered buses to take them to Washington D.C. with no tickets and no place to stay. Sometimes the best plans don’t work out, or no plans at all can work out ok.</p>
<p>That’s part of the fun for me as well. We didn’t get tickets to anything. So I took a different approach and found some free, local events. We attended a beautiful interfaith peace service the night before the inauguration. And we attended a ‘ball’ sponsored by a local liberal group on Sunday night. It was so fun to get dressed up a bit and dance the night away. </p>
<p>I’m sure it would great to stay in a fancy hotel, have tickets to things and all that. But that’s not our life and I hope I’m showing my son the richness of experience does not depend on money. And, of course, how very lucky we are to be able to travel and participate.</p>
<p>I have to respond to this thread, because I think it is important to note that the majority of the people who sent their kids to this event wanted their kids to be a part of history. Many can say that parents egos caused them to be taken advantage of, but for this parent that is not true. </p>
<p>I/we signed up for the conference based on previous well runned events by this organization and no matter the outcome of the election history was going to be made. I wanted my child to be able to experience history personally. We submitted our materials and money by the deadline and yes, it was a huge sacrifice. In the past, this orgainzation had never extented the deadline and had a high degree of integrity.</p>
<p>We had no idea that the conference would increase capacity by more that 10 times the amount it could support. This was fraudulent and pure greed. This organization was recommended by my child’s school.</p>
<p>I/We learned some valuable lessons that I would like to pass on:</p>
<p>Whether recommended by a school or not, always get references and research fully the organization</p>
<p>Don’t assume intregrity - ask and ask until you are satisfied</p>
<p>Many can say that the parents got what they deserve, but you didn’t see the faces of the children that were stuck in the hotel rooms or who missed the inauguration all together. My child was one of the lucky ones, she was actually on the mall, but on the bus. </p>
<p>I officially filed a complaint and I have warned all my family, friends, colleagues and peers to never partcipate in anything associated with this organization again, but remember that in the end, the children were the ones who got hurt and they can no relive this day again.</p>