Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX)

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals is a fellowship that annually provides 65 American and 65 German young professionals the opportunity to spend one year in each other's countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program. The CBYX program for Americans consists of three phases: two months of intensive German language training, one semester of classes in one's academic or career field at a university, technical, or professional school, and a three to five month internship in one's career field. CBYX is open to candidates in all career fields, and applicants from a broad range of backgrounds are selected for the program each year. The program especially encourages participants in business, engineering, technical, vocational, and agricultural fields to apply, though applicants from all career fields who have some relevant experience in their field are encouraged to apply. CBYX was created by the U.S. Congress and German Bundestag as a public diplomacy program in order to promote understanding between the people of the United States and Germany. Participants are expected to immerse themselves in German daily life and to cultivate a deep understanding of Germany from an educational, professional, linguistic, and cultural standpoint.