<p>No, it is not a scam. We knew kids who went and loved the experience which is why we allowed our DS to go a couple years ago when he was invited. The experience was invaluable. It was not just ‘touring’ the DC sites. He had A LOT of work to do - mock congressional sessions, meeting with legislators, team meetings, homework… to name a few things. They had them pretty busy from morning til night with not a lot of free time.</p>
<p>If you have a child who is interested in that sort of thing, I think it is a good experience to send them. (We made DS earn his trip though, so he did a lot of car washing and lawn mowing around the neighborhood.)</p>