Tell your Germany story
81 million people. 137,847 square miles. 2,100 castles. 1,500 different beers. 26,000 football clubs. And your own hero’s journey.
The story of Germany is a long one. Even the first printed books in the western world started there. Innovation and discovery. Tradition and fellowship. Urban tunnels and mountain peaks.
But without your story, it won’t be complete. Join us, and share your experience.
What is CBYX Alumni Stories?
Alumni Stories is a project of the CBYX Alumni Association that seeks to spread the narrative of this shared German-American cultural ambassadorship experience with the world at large, and to demonstrate the depth of impact this scholarship has had on many thousands of American young people.
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange was founded in 1983 to strengthen ties between the United States and Germany through citizen diplomacy. Every one of the 350 U.S. participants each year since has built meaningful relationships, explored new career opportunities, learned another language, acquired new traditions, and grown exponentially as young Americans.
The CBYX Alumni Association was founded to help unite Americans who have participated in the high school, vocational, and young professionals CBYX programs to create a strong network of people who have experienced this life-changing exchange program.
Share your story—your way!
The CBYX Alumni Association invites everyone who participated in CBYX to share their photos, anecdotes, personal essays, videos, spoken yarns, poems, or other creative work. The goal of CBYX Alumni Stories is to build a narrative tapestry that reflects the lived experiences of every participant. Submissions will be collected and published on the CBYX Alumni Association’s public Alumni Stories website, and collected into a printed volume.
Every submission—from personal photos to recorded interviews—will be accepted, processed and cataloged for inclusion.
What if I have a story, but I don’t know how to share it?
Alumni Stories has lots of ways to help you record, express and otherwise share your story with the community. Start by checking out our Story Guide, which includes practical advice and downloadable guides to help you mine your photos, memories and even your network of fellow CBYXers, so that you can tell your story in your own way. There are also interview guides and story prompts to help you get started.
If you need help with technology or prep, Alumni Stories can help you there, too. A small number of story kits are available for CBYXers to borrow, which allow them to create all kinds of media or capture old documents and photos to share with the project. Find out more on our Story Guide page.
