The Sister Cities of Franklin and Williamson Country U.S.- Germany Youth Exchange Program is a two-way exchange program promoting cultural awareness and sensitivity among German and American high school students by focusing on service learning and cultural awareness. The program brings together six Williamson County high school students with six German high school students from Bad Soden am Taunus, Germany.
U.S. – Germany Youth Exchange Program 2016
From February 9 – February 23, 2016 six U.S. students will be hosting six students from Bad Soden am Tanunus, Germany and from May 26 – June 9, 2016 the selected six Williamson County students and one chaperone will be traveling to Germany to participate in a true cultural exchange. The focus of the program is to develop friendship and understanding through in-depth content with a cross-cultural perspectives.
The overarching theme is Telling the Story, which will be informed by perspectives in each country about U.S. and Germany’s shared history, meeting engaged citizens addressing community challenges, and participants sharing their personal experiences along the way through active reflection, blogging and other avenues for sharing their experiences.
Last year Mathew Minor, of Battle Ground Academy, participated in the exchange and stated “As for the student exchange, the greatest and longest-lasting aspect of the experience was the ability to build relationships that transcend time zones, oceans, and cultural differences. There’s no better way to build friendships or see a culture firsthand, and the exchange allowed a deeper level of immersion than going somewhere on vacation.” In addition exchange participant John Newman of Centennial High School added “my whole family enjoyed hosting the student I stayed with while in Germany.”
Applications to be both an exchange student and a chaperone are now being accepted by the Sister Cities of Franklin and Williamson County. Applications are due by the 15th of October 2015. Please contact Patricia Kriebel at 615-202-7431 or [email protected]. Applications can be found at www.sistercitiestn.org.
There is a $1,500.00 cost for the exchange program to Germany to help defray transportation cots etc. Students will also need spending money. Traveling students will need a valid passport.
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