Will my summer program actually hurt me?

Last summer I went to a program at Georgetown University on international relations. I did have to pay to attend this program, but I didn’t go to ‘pad my resume’ or do it because it would look good on my college app, I did it because I wanted to learn about my prospective major. The more I read, the more I keep seeing how paid summer programs will actually hurt you because you paid to go, so it really isn’t ‘prestigious’. Is this true?