A Year in America: Getting to Know America in a Completely Different Way – Furstenfeldbruck

Many young people dream of living in America for a year. This dream has come true for Emil Jaksch and Madeleine Heinicke from the district of Fürstenfeldbruck. This is made possible by the Parliamentary Sponsorship Program (PPP) of the German Bundestag. Her goddaughter is a member of the Bundestag Kathryn Stauffler.

Madeleine Heinecke, 16, from Eichenau, applied for a year abroad in May last year. Despite an early application and acceptance, the eleventh-grader had no idea when she would be able to move to America. Madeleine Heinecke explains that finding a host family in the U.S. is currently very difficult, and inflation is making the search even more difficult. Nevertheless, the woman from Aichena remains optimistic. Above all, she wants to improve her English skills and gain new experiences: “In a year abroad you get to know a country in a completely different way.” For them, everyday life, including normal school attendance, makes a difference to a normal foreign trip.

Half a year in college, half a year at work

Emile Jacques, 20, a fellow for young professionals, has been in the US for more than two weeks. After a three-day orientation event with 75 other scholarship recipients at the State Department in Washington, D.C., Gerlindner continued her journey to her family in Georgia. After completing his apprenticeship as a technical product designer, Jacksh says he wasn’t sure whether he should attend vocational school or university or go straight into a career. Staying in America allows him a combination of the two. “That was the deciding factor for me,” he says. After an academic semester in college, the program offers half a year of professional activities.

In the program for young professionals, Bundestag covers first semester expenses and college fees. During the professional semester participants must pay for expenses themselves only if they earn money independently. Jacques says PPP is unusual for him. Most programs abroad are aimed at students who spend a semester abroad, and there are no alternatives for young people who have completed an internship. The scholarship holder already has definite plans to stay in the US. He likes to make new acquaintances, go to Disneyland, and anyway enjoy live baseball game of American MLB.

You can register till 9 September 2023

PPP is a grant from the German Bundestag in collaboration with the US Congress. Since 1983, students between the ages of 15 and 17 and young professionals up to the age of 24 have had the opportunity to live with a host family in the United States for a year. There young people can go to school, work and socialize. This program is suitable for young people who want to speak another language and have political understanding and interest. Out of 299 Bundestag constituencies, 285 scholarships are available for students and 75 scholarships for young professionals. The representative of the respective constituency selects a candidate from among the applicants. The application period for the 40th PPP in 2023/24 closes on September 9, 2022. Information about Sponsorship Program Available on the website of the German Bundestag.