During the program, participants meet activists, contemporary witnesses, media representatives, and politicians to learn from and with each other and to bring their experiences and findings back to their own communities. During visits to Georgia and Alabama, for example, participants in the first two exchanges in 2017 and 2018 took a close look at the American civil rights movement. In 2019, the Ambassadors in sneakers spent a week in Leipzig and Berlin, respectively, visiting Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois shortly after. Anna Steinbrich took part as the representative of the Vaihingen/Enz Youth Council. This is what she had to say about her experiences:
Gaining a new perspective of our own history
In Leipzig, the cultural exchange began even before Team USA had arrived. Team Germany consisted of four participants from Saxony and eight from Baden-Württemberg, some of whom, including myself, had never been to eastern Germany before. Issues like population decline made me realize that a piece of the Wall is somehow still standing. And the way we stereotype “the East" brought home to me that the Wall still exists in some ways – above all in our minds. So initially, there were one or two prejudices. But essentially, the city isn’t that different – it’s just been shaped by its unique and sometimes tragic history.
The highlight of my visit to Leipzig was the “Runde Ecke” memorial museum. Formerly the Stasi headquarters, the building has been a museum since 1990 and still contains the original furnishings and equipment. This creates an authentic, almost unpleasant atmosphere, and it exhibits the methods employed by the Stasi in a striking way. It made me realize how carelessly I treat my data online. The tech companies, most of which are based in the US, might not be comparable with the Stasi, but the exhibition did make me aware of the power of data ownership.
Short nights, long discussions and a piece of the US in the middle of Berlin
Second stop: Berlin. The U.S. Embassy, the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, the Jewish Museum Berlin – our itinerary sparked numerous discussions. Our evening talks in Berlin grew longer and longer and the nights shorter and shorter. "Because of the EU, Germany is simply a few steps ahead of us" is how one young American summed up the situation in Germany from his perspective. Unconditional US patriotism? Far from it! Even though not everyone would endorse this view, it triggered some interesting discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of the EU.
Once inside the U.S. Embassy, we were immediately hit by the cool a/c air and knew we had entered US-American territory. We talked to Cultural Attaché David Mees about how the diplomatic service can influence the human rights situation in other countries. Although the interview taught me a lot about the importance of this work, I came to the conclusion that this wouldn’t be a job for me. Later on, we sat down with the initiators of the Free Interrail initiative and the activist duo Herr&Speer to discuss European identity and how men, too, can be feminists.
Enthusiasm and passion for volunteering
Four weeks after the Germany program, we flew to the US. Everywhere in Ann Arbor, we saw the big yellow or blue “M” logo, which stands for the University of Michigan (UoM) and its sports teams. But US-Americans aren’t just into sport, they’re also heavily involved in their communities. Interest in voluntary work seems much stronger in the US than in Germany. US citizens often have a lower tax bill, but this means the government has less money at its disposal so many areas of life depend on the involvement of individual people. One example is voluntary participation in a committee that develops proposals for environmental protection measures, which are then discussed and voted on by the local council. This is time-consuming work, but people in Ann Arbor are passionate about it. We talked to four climate activists and realized their work has an impact – not just in the immediate neighborhood and on the UoM campus, but also at a local and national level.
During the last week of the program, we travelled by coach to Chicago. Walking through the city, we saw countless fast-food chains and realized that their popularity comes at a price: food containers are usually disposable, and plastic bags are free everywhere. Some young US-Americans have never heard of Fridays for Future. Chicago itself is a really cool city though, and it’s beautifully located on Lake Michigan.
Representatives of the Juvenile Justice Initiative explained to us how they work with judges, lawyers, and politicians to improve youth justice in the US. Young people often receive disproportionately harsh sentences, and conditions in prisons – especially compared to Germany – are very poor. I’m fascinated by US-American activism, which often depends on the dedication of individual people.
Out of the comfort zone, into the political arena
After numerous meetings, we celebrated the end of our trip. We spent the last evening all together: 24 young participants and four supervisors. Needless to say, a few tears were shed! The next morning, we said goodbye, which we hoped would be a “see you later”. These had been four incredibly informative and inspiring weeks. We got on really well as a group and made many new friends.
My personal resume: I learnt a lot from the program and gained a different perspective of the US and also Germany. It also reinforced my view that it’s worth taking an interest in social developments, getting involved in things, and stepping out of your comfort zone. I’ll finish my bachelor’s degree in summer 2022. Afterwards, I want to work in political consultancy for international security strategies – maybe even in Washington, D.C. …
