Council reviewing complaints about presidential youth conference

The Congressional Youth Leadership Council says it is conducting an “objective review” and setting aside $1 million to settle complaints by some of the 15,000 teens it brought to Washington for a conference centered on the inauguration of President Obama.

Hundreds of parents complained that their children missed the swearing-in ceremony because they were sitting on buses or were left without adult supervision during the five-day Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference.

Organizers said the program suffered from many of the same frustrations that affected the rest of the festivities: record crowds, long security checks and blocked roads that tied up traffic for miles.

“While the vast majority of students who participated in the program had a positive experience, we now know that some said they did not, and for this we are deeply and genuinely sorry,” council co-founder Barbara Harris said in a statement. “As an organization and as a former teacher and lifelong educator myself, we take our responsibility very seriously to deliver a high-quality educational experience for our scholars, and have successfully done so for 25 years.”

In the statement, the council said it had asked former U.S. Atty. Gen. Benjamin Civiletti to conduct a detailed review of the conference so the program could address participants’ complaints and improve future events.

To remedy any “serious mishaps,” the council is offering to pay restitution or provide scholarships to future events. It also plans to set up a parent advisory board, which will meet three times a year with council leadership to help develop future programs.

The Congressional Youth Leadership Council is one of numerous leadership and career programs run by Envision EMI, a for-profit education firm based in Vienna, Va. On a blog set up to coordinate complaints, angry parents expressed skepticism of the company’s efforts and said they were considering legal action.

“I spoke with the new lawyer Envision hired,” wrote Clara Baker, a Sherman Oaks music composer, whose 13-year-old daughter, Dylan, got lost in the crowd on Inauguration Day and did not see any of the ceremony.

“I asked him how he can be unbiased given that Envision is paying him. He said he'll do his best. ... I don't know that I believe that he's taking their money to make a bad report against them.”

She told The Times that she had asked the company to refund more than $3,000 in fees and her daughter’s airfare.

-- Alexandra Zavis

Comments

[CV]

CYLC and Envision are lying about having the same problems as other groups. Their problem wasn't that there were unprecedented crowds, it was their unprecedented greed. The thought that they could make $45 million by taking over 15,000 students instead of their usual 2,500, widened their eyes and they didn't have the capacity to handle all those people.

They got greedy and they weren't prepared. Other groups traveling at the same time didn't have these problems because they didn't overbook and they planned ahead.

Bad, expired, stale food eaten on the bus instead of buffets or sit-down meals as promised - how is that a result of "record crowds and security checks?". Emergency 800 numbers that didn't work - how is that a result of "record crowds and security checks?". Faculty Advisors who didn't care that they were losing students as they walked - how is that a result of "record crowds and security checks?". No plans for putting 15,000 students on the mall to see the presdient how is that a result of "record crowds and security checks?". The fact is, in previous Presidential Conferences, they had a small and manageable crowd that could be seated.

Barbara Harris and Richard Rossi didn't ASK former Attorney General Civiletti to conduct an investigation - they HIRED HIM. He gets paid over $1,000 per hour as a lawyer. That's a lot of money to pay for someone to "conduct an investigation". I wonder how unfavorable his report will be when they're paying the bills? I would suggest the government step in and do their own investigation.

About their claim that other groups suffered too - here's something someone else wrote after a Washington Post article:

dzud2008 wrote:
I was working with another youth group at Dulles Airport on the day in question. Our organization had many people greeting and helping the students locate and pick up their baggage and check in at our site. They were then escorted to their hotel on buses. There was no one waiting to meet or greet the Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference students as they came into the baggage area at Dulles. Nor were there any signs directing them to the staging area. The baggage claim area was a madhouse as hundreds of planes were landing and thousands of people were rushing around trying to find their baggage and escorts. Because there were so many of the PYIC group wandering around I found out where they were to go and personally helped a number of them locate their baggage and sent them to the baggage claim area where they were to meet the PYIC organizers. Our organization was quite disturbed by the lack of concern for these students and we did what we could to help them.
My college daughter, who has traveled a lot, so I was not worried about her in an airport, said it took quite a long time for her to find the UPIC people.

Also putting aside $1 million when they've probably cleared about $30 million isn't a big deal - it's the cost of doing business.

CV

[Anne]

The remedy that CYLC came up with two weeks ago still watches the bottom line of their business. It was not put together in good faith to actually give back to the students and their families what Barbara Harris and Richard Rossi unduly took. The public apology they made was a big slap.

We should all consider taking a class action lawsuit not only to recover, but also to prevent these scammers from victimizing more people.

[Christina's Mom]

Envision EMI sent a letter 2/6/09 with items to be checked for reimbursement. The total is far less than what I paid, it comes to @ $800.00. I requested hotel reimbursement and they agreed to reimburse the hotel for $150.00. I sent the form in had it notarized and they called me to say they would not honor the $150.00/night but only $50.00/night. Envision EMI is not negotiating in good faith and this whole situation has been a tragedy.
Also, what happened to the web site? It is no longer available. Does anyone know?
Is there anyone still out there?

[Cheryl Morrison]

A logistic mishap turns out to be worth $2200 in coupon that can only be used at their event and before 2010. Wow. Such a disappointment an not even a fair way to compensate our loss. Oh!! the gold coins. they were sent to make the family feel good..it didn't work.
I hope everyone looks at their future publications and see through the scam that was pulled.

[DeVann]

I went on this trip and it was terrible. The people gave us 5-10 minutes to eat lunch on a bus and many went hungry. We wandered around the streets alone while the adults did whatever. Thew was no medical service provided and they didn't even have band aids. If you didn't have a cell phone there was no way to talk to your parents and if you couldn't come through the dulles air port you were stranded.