Cultural Vistas’ June/July Newsletter

Last week, the Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship program came to a close, following a 37-year run supporting and inspiring over 500 accomplished professionals from the United States to strengthen friendship and understanding between the U.S. and Germany. Cultural Vistas has worked with the Robert Bosch Foundation as its partner during this entire period, supporting the aim of advancing transatlantic relations.

To reflect on this moment in history, I reached out to members from the first cohort who went to West Germany in 1984. It was a time when the Allied and Russian forces still occupied East and West Germany, Helmut Kohl was the Chancellor, the Green Party had just emerged on the national stage, and the Opel Kadett was named European Car of the Year. I also received feedback from Fellows who just completed their Fellowship amidst the world’s worst pandemic in 100 years, the first female German Chancellor announcing her retirement after 15 years in office, and the world celebrating the 30th anniversary of German unification.

I asked a few alumni from both the first and the last cohort to reflect on what the program meant for them personally and professionally, how it advanced the transatlantic relationship, and their responsibility for alumni and Cultural Vistas to carry on the legacy. Here’s what they said:

Jackie Renner, Bosch I
“For me, the program broadened my understanding and network at an early stage of my career, so it was very formative, and the connections became very important. As I have seen the Bosch I group evolve over the years, I have been blessed with the friendship of the group and have been witness to their commitments and impact to the transatlantic relationship.”

Peter Bird: Bosch XXXVII
“Spending a year in Berlin with my wife and son during a pandemic was a major endeavor. While it was more difficult to cultivate the same type of professional relations as I would have in an office, I did get a glimpse into a Berlin that no one else gets to see: a quiet, introverted one trying to navigate COVID. That said, my wife and I have both been offered permanent jobs here, our son is thriving in a 100% German daycare, and we’re excited to stay in Berlin for longer. I think, in time, I’ll come to regard my Bosch year as a year both of introspection and personal and professional inflection when we first became acquainted with our new home.”

As I reflect on this milestone, I can’t help but ask: what should the next iteration of a transatlantic exchange program look like, given the needs and environment in which we operate?

  • Should it be multilateral?
  • Should it be a year, a month, a decade?
  • What role should technology play?
  • Who should the target audience be?

These are some of the questions we need your help with answering and supporting. We have so many lessons to learn from the last 37 years to help inform the decades to come. We need your help in shaping what comes next.

Please view Cultural Vistas’ Case for Support today, which provides a blueprint of the areas in which we need your support and partnership.

With gratitude,
Jennifer

Dr. Jennifer Clinton
President & CEO | Cultural Vistas

 

Donate Now to Support Future Leaders

 

News + Blog 
Introducing the 2021 Class of Edmund S. Muskie Interns

The Edmund S. Muskie Internship Program is excited to announce the 2021 Class of Muskie Interns! These students are distinguished participants of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, completing internships with host companies across the United States.
Cultural Vistas has built upon that foundation by providing hands-on, professional skill-building opportunities across the United States for nearly 300 graduate students over the last seven years. View the Press Release


DAICOR

The transatlantic exchange program ‘(DAICOR) New transatlantic synergies: Building a Diverse and Inclusive Culture of Remembrance’ is a joint program by Cultural Vistas gGmbH and the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Washington DC, and is supported by the Transatlantic Program of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The program will examine: treatment of memorials and cultural heritage with legacies from the times of slavery and colonialism to renaming of streets, schools, public places, and military bases and questions of provenance. View the Press Release

Program Updates 

Internship Abroad

Running on the success of the Virtual Internship Corps, the Internships Abroad team placed 15+ university students at remote internships with German host companies. These students came from our long-established internship programs with the University of Michigan, College of Charleston, and James Madison University. Despite pandemic restrictions, placements were secured with great companies like the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Humanity in Action, and the Green Party of Bavaria.

YSEALI Seeds for the Future
Projects in Full Swing!

Meet project Kilang ReRoot from Brunei. The team is aiming to raise awareness about food consumption and waste through educational workshops and food upcycling projects. Project Kayamanan is from the Philippines, the team is creating online peer-to-peer financial education programs for public high school students. Project PantiCT is helping orphanage residents in Indonesia to develop their communication and technology skills by providing tech-based training and certification programs.

Korea West
The 2020 Korea WEST virtual program is underway as participant interviews concluded last week.  The program will begin remotely in August where students will participate in English language training in South Korea.  Additionally, they will receive business culture sessions on interviewing skills, US vs Korean business culture, and tips for successful remote work.  From November to January they will complete their internships remotely from South Korea and complete the AFS Global Competence Certificate (GCC).

Follow @CulturalVistas on Twitter for live updates and in the meantime, learn more about the program here.