The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program
History
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX), known in Germany as the Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm (PPP), was inaugurated in 1983 through a bilateral agreement between the United States Congress and the German Bundestag. At its outset, the program was part of the President's International Youth Exchange Initiative designed to celebrate the 300th anniversary of German settlements in the U.S.
The program provides full scholarships to several hundred selected American and German students. Scholarships for the American students are allocated to each state based on representation in Congress.
The U.S. Department of State has chosen five educational student exchange organizations to sponsor the CBYX Program. AYUSA has been awarded this distinction annually since 1993.
Program Goals
The goal of the CBYX program is to provide participants with an opportunity to expand their perspectives and awareness of social, economic, and political institutions. The additional outcomes include fluency in a foreign language, personal growth, enhanced social skills, a higher level of maturity, and lasting friendships across cultural and political borders.
Program Components
CBYX students participate in activities which promote diversity, leadership, community service, and political inquiry. At the end of the program, AYUSA conducts a re-entry orientation in Washington, D.C. for German participants to experience American history first hand. These students also have the opportunity to meet with government officials. American participants have the opportunity to visit the German Chancellery and meet with Bundestag Representatives who are directly responsible for the CBYX Program. 2008 marked the 25th year for the CBYX Program and as result many high ranking government officials from both Germany and the United States took part in the end of the year program at the German Chancellery. The students were personally congratulated via a letter from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and a video message from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton!
Related Links
To find out more about the CBYX program, please visit the following websites:
Applicant Information for Americans
Partnership International
U.S. Department of State, CBYX Program
