Home > Cultural Vistas Blog

Cultural Vistas Blog

Participant Experiences

All Fake?! Why We Need to Talk About Disinformation

In May 2019, the Journalism in the Era of Disinformation (JED) Fellowship brought together eight aspiring journalists from the U.S. and eight aspiring journalists from Germany to discuss disinformation and ways to combat it during a week long study tour in the U.S.

As one of the eight journalists, there were many important lessons that I learned along the way, the most important one being how crucial it is to talk openly and critically about the challenges in today’s media landscape.

First Stop – the U.S. Capital

Our first stop of the journey in the U.S. was Washington, D.C., where the fellows connected, learned about each other’s respective backgrounds and discovered interesting insights about journalism in Germany and the U.S.

Read more of “All Fake?! Why We Need to Talk About Disinformation”

Posted on:

January 27 2020

Author:

Marie Menke

Participant Experiences

Will Gets His Ducks in a Row During CBYX Study Phase in Tübingen

Hey! I’m Will Thomas, a current Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals participant in Germany.

Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches Neues Jahr! Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to everyone! We’re not quite there yet, but it’s coming soon, and Germany is certainly already in the mood, but I might be getting ahead of myself…

My name is Will Thomas. I am a current 2019-2020 program participant with the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals, a yearlong  fellowship in Germany funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State. This is my third post providing on-the-ground perspectives from the program. If you don’t know much about CBYX yet, make sure to read my first impressions from the program here as well as my perspectives on the language training phase here.

In this post, I wanted to share my experiences from the study phase of the CBYX program to Germany—where participants complete coursework at local universities and are required to take part in volunteering.

If you enjoy reading about my experience, consider applying for the next program! The annual CBYX program application deadline is on December 1.

Read more of “Will Gets His Ducks in a Row During CBYX Study Phase in Tübingen”

Posted on:

December 18 2019

Author:

Will Thomas

Features

Eight Ways We Fulfilled Our Mission in 2019

It has been a busy year for our team and for all Cultural Vistans—what we view as our larger global community of exchange alumni, hosts, partners, and supporters throughout the world.

As I reflect on 2019, I am filled with immense pride for the impact we continue to make on the lives and careers of thousands of individuals and sincere gratitude for all those who make this impact possible.

This year, we have made incredible strides and successfully laid a deep and strong foundation that will allow us to expand and extend our global influence in 2020 and beyond.

Below I am pleased to share a glimpse into the thousands of lives we influenced and what we accomplished together with your support throughout 2019:

Read more of “Eight Ways We Fulfilled Our Mission in 2019”

Posted on:

December 17 2019

Author:

Jennifer Clinton

Alumni Spotlight

Alumni Profile: Lela Akiashvili ’18 – From #MuskieIntern to Human Rights Leader

She now runs intricate multi-component programs at the Georgian Human Rights Secretariat, but Lela Akiashvili’s first project at the age of eight was to take care of her siblings. While other kids her age watched cartoons and played games, Lela learned valuable lessons of compassion and care by supporting her siblings while their parents were away.

It’s not surprising that she grew up to be kind and caring, developing a career working on establishing and managing social justice and equality programs for Georgian women and children. From learning life lessons with her siblings, to starting a nonprofit human rights organization at her university, to working at Save the Children and the UN—Lela’s thoughtfulness and empathy have inspired her career choices throughout her life.

Celebrating International Children’s Day with national minority and IDP communities in Georgia.

Read more of “Alumni Profile: Lela Akiashvili ’18 – From #MuskieIntern to Human Rights Leader”

Posted on:

November 26 2019

Author:

Hafsah Sarfraz

Participant Experiences

Will Takes His CBYX Language Training Beyond Germany

Hey! I’m Will Thomas, a current Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals participant in Germany. Read my first impressions from the program here.

Hallo zusammen, and hey to all y’all!

My name is Will Thomas. I am a current 2019-2020 program participant with the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals, a yearlong  fellowship in Germany funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State. This is my second post providing on-the-ground perspectives on the program. If you don’t know much about CBYX yet, make sure to read my first impressions from the program here.

In this post, I wanted to share my experiences from the U.S. orientation that prepared us CBYX-ers to go to Germany as well as my experiences at language school in Radolfzell am Bodensee and how I was able to use my German language skills to my advantage.

Read more of “Will Takes His CBYX Language Training Beyond Germany”

Posted on:

November 19 2019

Author:

Will Thomas