Meet US
Americans in Conversation with High School Students in Germany about Life in the U.S.A.
What is the American Dream?
What does a typical school day in the U.S. look like?
How does the U.S. election system work?
Americans only eat fast food.
Americans are very superficial.
Americans don’t care about environmental protection.
These are some typical questions and preconceptions that young Germans often have about the United States of America. The Meet US program is designed to help clarify the picture by bringing Americans – U.S. citizens from all backgrounds of life residing in Germany, as well as U.S. embassy/consulate staff – together with secondary school students in Germany to engage them in a dialogue about everyday life in the United States. The goal is to give youth in Germany a better understanding of the U.S. and to break down stereotypes.
The Meet US program is an important part of the cultural outreach activities of the U.S. Embassy and Consulates. The transatlantic exchange program Fulbright Germany supports the program as cooperation partner and facilitates school visits by American exchange grantees.
The Meet US program reaches out to all secondary schools in Germany. The Public Affairs Sections of the U.S. Embassy Berlin and the U.S. Consulates in Germany coordinate the program. It is free of cost to the schools.
How Does the Program Work?
The Americans meet with the students, either in their classrooms or virtually, to talk about anything that helps give the students a realistic impression of American society. The topics can be tailored to complement the school curriculum. However, the intention is not to provide scientific or academic lectures, but rather to offer a first-hand, personal look on social, historical or cultural aspects of the United States as well as on current transatlantic issues. The guest speakers usually start with a short introduction and then open the floor to discussion and questions. The main goal is to generate an open and direct dialogue between the students and their American guests. The discussions may be conducted in either English or German.
Occasionally, the U.S. embassy/consulates also welcome student groups for discussions with American diplomats. However, this depends on the individual capacities of the embassy/consulate.
How to Request a Meet US session
Interested schools should contact the U.S. Embassy or Consulate responsible for their region (see list) to request a discussion with an American diplomat or an American citizen volunteer speaker.
School visits by American Fulbright grantees can be requested by online registration with Fulbright Germany at: https://www.fulbright.de/projects-and-initiatives/meet-us
Be a Meet US volunteer speaker!
American citizens residing in Germany are invited to join the program as volunteer speakers. If you are interested in sharing your very own American story with high school students in Germany, please contact the program coordinator at the U.S. Embassy Berlin or the U.S. Consulate in your region for more information and to sign up.
Meet US Program Contacts at the U.S. Embassy and Consulates:
Berlin, Brandenburg
U.S. Embassy Berlin
Public Diplomacy Office – Meet US Coordinator
Email: MeetUS-berlin@usembassy.de
Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland:
U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt
Public Diplomacy Office – Meet US Coordinator
Email: MeetUS-frankfurt@usconsulate.de
Bavaria:
U.S. Consulate General Munich
Public Diplomacy Office – Meet US Coordinator
Email: MeetUS-munich@usconsulate.de
Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein:
U.S. Consulate General Hamburg
Public Diplomacy Office – Meet US Coordinator
Email: MeetUS-hamburg@usconsulate.de
North Rhine-Westphalia:
U.S. Consulate General Düsseldorf
Public Diplomacy Office – Meet US Coordinator
Email: MeetUS-duesseldorf@usconsulate.de
Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia:
U.S. Consulate General Leipzig
Public Diplomacy Office – Meet US Coordinator
Email: MeetUS-leipzig@usconsulate.de