Emma Elsbeth Bruce, 15 of Short Hills Selected as a CBYX Youth Ambassador

The U.S. State Department-funded Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Program  (CBYX) selected Emma Bruce, of Short Hills, a student at Millburn High School and German Language School of Morris County (www.glsmc.org), as one of its 250 Youth Ambassadors for the 2013-2014 school year.  During the yearlong immersion program Emma will live with a host family in Germany identified through the youth exchange program AFS.  During the program year she will visit with Congressional representatives in Washington DC, as well as members of the German Bundestag (Parliament).

“I’m looking forward to a whole new experience to see a new place and discover more about myself,” said Emma, who will attend German High School called the “Gymnasium” on the outskirts of Berlin.

Immigration Comes Full Circle

Emma’s grandmother “Oma”, who arrived in the United States in 1964 on a Fulbright travel scholarship to study English at Bucknell University, with the intention of returning to Germany to teach English, met Emma’s grandfather, married and settled in Pennsylvania.  Oma took her children to Germany every summer to be with their grandparents, who spoke no English, which offered Emma’s mother Ingrid the chance to learn German and be exposed to another culture.  Ingrid continued the tradition with Emma, spending summers in Germany visiting relatives and supplementing the experience with German language school classes during the school year.

“We’re thrilled for Emma to have the opportunity to use her German skills and experience her heritage culture in one of Europe’s cultural capitals,” notes Michaela Greco, Principal of the non-profit German School of Morris County, where Emma has been a student for several years.

With more than 180 students, the German Language School of Morris County offers children and adults the opportunity to learn how to speak, read and write German, as well as “Weltoffenheit” – world-openness or the ability to experience and appreciate different traditions and cultures, which is a goal of the CBYX program.

According to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, "A testament to our relationship with Germany, and our mutual commitment to public diplomacy... CBYX has been so successful that we chose it as a model for other youth exchange programs." Former Secretary Clinton called exchanges like CBYX "an important tool of U.S. diplomacy. Few other experiences can substitute for seeing another country first-hand, learning more about its culture, and meeting people face-to-face."

About the German Language School of Morris County (GLSMC)

The GLSMC develops students’ communicative proficiency in the German language and increases academic excellence.  The non-profit introduces students to the cultural heritage of German-speaking countries, their modern achievements and their contributions to the US and offers an experience that helps increase Weltoffenheit. Visit us online at www.glsmc.org for more information about open enrollment and to register for our infant to pre-K, K-12 and adult language classes.

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About Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)/AFS USA

The U.S. State Department funded Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX) (http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org), is for motivated high school students who want to fully immerse themselves in German culture by living with a host family and attend a local school.   AFS USA jointly works with CBYX to vet host families and provide local AFS liaisons to assist with integration Students share their lives and culture with their German hosts and help build a greater international understanding of the United States and its diversity, fulfilling their roles as US youth ambassadors.  Initiated in 1983, the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program was created to strengthen ties between Germany and the United States through citizen diplomacy. The program was founded in celebration of the 300th year anniversary of the first German immigration to the United States. CBYX is jointly funded by the U.S. Congress and the German Bundestag, and in the U.S. is overseen by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Approximately 20,000 students have prepared themselves for success in an increasingly global world by participating in the CBYX program. Sue Fershing, New Jersey’s AFS Area Team Chair can provide information about hosting or studying abroad:  973-533-1341/ sfersh@juno.com or visit www.afsusa.org.