German American Youth Program

Supporting the Youth Program of the Federation of the German American Clubs is near and dear to the heart of the GAWC Munich. For many decades it has been the goal of the German American Youth Program to promote friendship between young people, ages 14 to 18, from Germany and the US.

In past years, in order to learn about the people, history and culture of the others’ respective country, language- and get-acquainted trips, ‘Home Stays’, and various other meetings and and events were organized. During the COVID pandemic these activities were not possible due to travel restrictions. Now, the Youth Program is being started anew through the leadership of the Federation (VDAC). Educational seminars, youth travel, stays with host families in the US and youth meetings are in planning.

More information regarding the educational seminars as well as the yearly language- and get-acquainted trips to the US may be found on the home page of the Federation of German American Clubs, VDAC: http://www.vdac.de

Account about the Youth Trip 2025

The trip to America was an absolutely amazing and educational experience. There were so many highlights, like Times Square, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the White House in D.C. Now, I’d like to give a full recap of everything.

On the first day, right after we landed, we drove through downtown New York and took a tour through the city’s towering skyscrapers. It was incredibly impressive to see those massive buildings up close. Our destination was Times Square, where we had dinner at the Hard Rock Café. The burger I had there was super delicious — though not the best one of the whole trip.

On the second day, we had to get up early because we were heading to New Jersey. From there, we took a ferry to Ellis Island and visited the museum. Once everyone was finished, we continued on to Liberty Island. That was really cool because it’s where the Statue of Liberty is. We had some free time to walk around the island, but unfortunately, we couldn’t go up into the statue. After we got back to the mainland, we went straight to an organization that supports students in school. We got to chat with some of the participants and had pizza together. We ended the evening with some takeout from Wingstop, a fast food restaurant.

On day three, we were up early again and headed to Central Park — but it was extremely hot that day, and everything felt a lot more exhausting. Even just walking through the park felt like a challenge. But in the end, we reached a beautiful viewpoint, and the effort was totally worth it. After that, we went to Grand Central Terminal and had lunch there. We chose Shake Shack — definitely the right choice! It was the best burger of the entire trip, absolutely amazing. Then we visited St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which was very impressive. Afterward, we had some free time around Times Square, which was a lot of fun — just walking around and seeing everything. The free time flew by, and then we went to a restaurant for dinner. One of the major highlights of the trip came next: the Michael Jackson musical! It was unbelievable how well the actor could imitate the King of Pop. On the way back to the hotel, we had an incredible view of the New York City skyline — it was breathtaking.

On the fourth day, we set off early in the morning toward our next stop. Along the way, we visited a park that used to be a camp for American freedom fighters. We also toured the house where George Washington lived during the war. After that, we stopped at an outlet mall that was on the way. It was huge, with tons of stores for everything — food, shoes, clothes, furniture, you name it. Once everyone was finished shopping, we drove on and made one last stop to visit the Amish people. They’re a deeply religious community that uses little to no electronics and lives by traditional ways. Talking to a young woman there was really insightful. We ended the evening by relaxing at the hotel.

Starting on the fifth day, we were with our host families. We experienced so many amazing things, but I’ll just share a few highlights — like the day we went to Pittsburgh to watch a baseball game. The game itself wasn’t super exciting, but the atmosphere and everything around it was so cool. Just like you see on TV — all the food and the experience. It was a blast! We also went to a fair with lots of fun rides and other cool things to see. At the end, there was a demolition derby — an event where cars crash into each other and try to take each other out. We also went whitewater rafting, where you paddle through exciting rapids in a boat. Later, we got to swim in certain spots too, which was really nice.

At the end of the trip, we visited Washington, D.C., where we mostly saw important political landmarks like the Capitol, the White House, and the Lincoln Memorial. It was very educational, and we learned a lot about American history.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience with so many unforgettable moments. I also made lots of new friends from both Germany and the U.S. We’re still in touch and are planning to meet up again at Oktoberfest. The trip was absolutely incredible!

I really hope I can take part again next year.

Ferdinand