About the Program

If you didn't already know, I have been choosen as one of the 250 students that are being sent to Germany this next year for The Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Scholarship. This is a program that is jointly funded by the United States Congress and Bundestag (German Parliament.) It was founded in 1983 to promote peace and understanding throughout the two countries. The 250 scholarships are divided regionally throughout the United States, and AYUSA handles the South Western region of the United States. The sisted program of CBYX in Germany is called Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm or PPP and the partner program for AYUSA in Germany is called Partnership International or PI. I also have a support organization to help me prepare and inform my parents of things they need to know while I'm gone, called Youth for Understanding or YFU. If your confused by all the organizations, don't worry, so am I. The cool part, is that this scholarship is entirely funded by the two governments. The only expenses we have to pay for are the flight from our home state to and from Washington D.C. and personal expenses. The program requirements were pretty broad, the only requirements were that you had a 3.0 GPA or higher, be between the ages of 15 and 18, and a U.S. citizen. It is not a requirement to have any prior knowledge of German before going. We spend the first month in a language camp in a small town called Hedersleben, we have a mid-year seminar in Cologne, and a seminar at the end of the program in Berlin. I will be staying with a host family, and I could find out that information anytime from now to when I'm at language camp. I cannot believe I stumbled across such an amazing organization, I am so excited to be a part of this tradition.