|
 Special 20th Anniversary Newsletter
|
|
|
|
German Bundestag Representative Dagmar Freitag (right) converses with Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX) participants at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. on June 23, 2004.
|
|
|
|
U.S. Senator Richard Lugar (left) is recognized at the Congressional Honors Breakfast as a dedicated supporter of the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Program. Seated from left to right are ECA's Youth Programs Division Chief Robert Persiko; Assistant Secretary for European Affairs Beth Jones; Deputy Assistant Secretary for Professional and Cultural Exchanges Travis Horel; and German Bundestag Representative Dagmar Freitag.
|
On June 23rd and June 24th, 2004, a variety of events took place in Washington, DC to recognize the 20th Anniversary of the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange. Over the course of the two days, alumni, host families, host college administrators, representatives from CBYX exchange organizations, as well as German and American government officials gathered to share their experiences and memories for a program that has touched the lives of 16,000 participants, more than 15,000 host families, 75,000 school classrooms, and countless others in both countries who have come in contact with participants in the workplace.
Reception at German Embassy, Wednesday, June 23
The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany hosted a reception in the Embassy House to honor German and American program alumni with representatives of the German-American community in Washington, DC. Klaus-Peter Gottwald, Deputy Chief of Mission, stressed how vital programs such as CBYX are to maintaining and strengthening the German-American relationship.
Congressional Honors Breakfast on Capitol Hill, Thursday, June 24
A Congressional Honors Breakfast was held in the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill. Alumni, host families and German and American dignitaries were in attendance. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), Representative Tom Lantos (D-CA), and Representative Ralph Regula (R-OH) were recognized for their participation and support of exchange programs over the years and respectively presented awards by AFS alumna Keri Dooley, AYUSA alumna Brooke Sahlin, Nacel Open Door alumna Angel Oakley-Kawa and CDS alumna Cheryl Perrault. Travis Horel, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Professional and Cultural Exchanges, presented an award to Members of the Deutscher Bundestag, accepted by Dagmar Freitag, MdB.
20th Anniversary Celebration at Georgetown University, Thursday, June 24
The afternoon event at Georgetown University was given added energy with the attendance of over 200 German CBYX participants completing their exchange year in the United States. Alumni from each of the CBYX administering organizations presented awards to dedicated host families, volunteers, program administrators and college representatives whose support of the program over its 20 year history has been critical to its success. Special recognition was given to Elizabeth Cecchetti, a longtime contributor to CBYX at ASSE.
Chris Dornfeld, an alumnus of the CBYX young professional program, provided an overview of the new cbyx.net alumni website designed to increase the external visibility of CBYX, enhance networking opportunities amongst alumni and strengthen continued alumni involvement in the administration of the program today.
The highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of a new CBYX promotional video, produced and directed by AYUSA alumna Thao Duong. An intricate blend of German/American sights and sounds, combined with interviews of current and past participants, the movie truly captures the tremendous impact this program has on participants' lives and will serve as a fabulous tool to recruit future participants to the program.
The celebration concluded with the following poem composed by YFU alumna Karen Maduschke:
|
Welcome Home the Stranger
Inspired by Youth For Understanding International Exchange Students
April 2002
|
I am just a girl in this great big world,
only one young woman, what difference can I make?
I am just a boy in a vast universe,
one young man in the sun's broad wake.
But I have ventured far beyond the safe, sound walls of home.
I've tested all my limits, pushed past my fear and dread.
And I've learned along the way just how strong that I can be,
and how the barriers we think we see are only in our head.
With an open heart and an out-stretched hand
I have met the foreigner in his own land.
And she is now my friend and he is now my brother,
and together we will build a world in which we love each other.
In the end our differences are really only few:
they boil down to country, race, and creed.
But we all have hearts, and minds, and dreams,
and with the blood that courses through our veins, we all still bleed.
Muslim, Christian, Jew,
we all laugh and we all cry.
Buddhist and Hindu,
as we all live - we all too die.
But if we sing with one strong voice and show sheer determination
we can prove to all the world that we are all one nation.
One nation under God, or Allah, or whomever,
we pray for peace and freedom, now and forever.
Husbands love their wives and mothers love their children.
It doesn't matter where you go the bonds of love remain.
Grown-ups go to work and children go to school.
In different ways we still pursue goals that are the same.
What matters is not money,
nor is it land or man-made powers.
It's living free in peace that counts
and taking time to smell the flowers.
Yes, I am just one woman and you are just one man.
But together we are family, and together yes we can...
Make the world a better place, a haven free of danger.
Eliminate the hatred and welcome home the stranger.
|
