Is there any cost to participate in the program?
If selected to participate in the program, participants must pay a nominal fee of €600 (Germans) / $700 (Americans). All other program-related costs such as travel, accommodations, and meals are covered. The total estimated per participant value of the program is over $12,000 which is funded by the American Council on Germany and the grant from the Transatlantic Program of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany through funds of the European Recovery Program (ERP) of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Change.
How many times will I need to travel as a participant in the program?
Participants will spend one week traveling to Germany or the United States. They will also spend another week hosting the delegation from the other country which will include traveling to the state capital and joining site visits to organizations in their local communities. In Spring 2023, participants from all four exchange rounds will travel to Washington, DC, or one of the U.S. host cities, for the final two-day conference.
Do participants have responsibilities beyond participation in the exchanges and the final conference?
Yes. Prior to a participant’s exchange round, he/she will be expected to participate in online/conference call briefings, read relevant articles and content related to the project, and work with ACG staff to develop specific goals for the trips based on the needs of their local communities. Additionally, participants in each city will be required to set up a community task force consisting of 10-12 key decision-makers to involve a broader group of stakeholders in the communities and gather information for further research during the exchanges. Members of the task forces will also attend the briefings prior to the travels.
In the two months between the reciprocal exchanges, the partner city groups will participate in online workgroups that reflect on the experiences gained and identify the issues that need further examination on the second trip.
Upon completion of each round, the groups from paired cities will draft action plans identifying recommendations for each of their respective communities and will hold additional information sessions with the task forces in their communities. Participants will also submit individual reports on their experiences that will be shared with the ACG’s and its partners’ networks. Lastly, participants will be encouraged to submit op-eds to their local newspapers and use social media to highlight their experiences on the program.
What is the language that will be used during the program?
The working language will be English and materials shared with participants throughout the program will be in English. German participants must therefore have a working knowledge of English.
If one of the Advisory Council members recommends or nominates me for participation in the program, does that guarantee I will be selected?
No, members of the Advisory Council and their institutions help the ACG to promote the program and identify eligible candidates, but the selection of participants is competitive in nature and based on candidates’ fulfillment of the eligibility requirements and their application materials.