November 16, 2009. Ambassador Murphy greeted 50 former participants of U.S. Government-endorsed exchange programs at the Alumni Connect 2.0 event, hosted at the Embassy by the Cultural Affairs section. The event was the first of its kind, bringing together alumni from a variety of exchange programs, such as Windows on America, Fulbright and the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange. After an enthusiastic welcome from the participants, the Ambassador emphasized the importance of mutual exchanges in a globalized world. The alumni were next treated to an inspiring modern dance performance by a group of Berlin students, who recently participated in the transatlantic project, Dancing to Connect, for which they travelled to New York at the beginning of this month. The event’s main feature was the “World Café”, led by two former Fulbright participants, in which the alumni got together in different working groups for lively discussions, exchanging ideas, stories, and impressions of their visits to the U.S. The evening cheerfully concluded with an informal reception during which the Embassy’s new exchange-related Facebook page was officially launched. Alumni Connect 2.0, with its overwhelming support and success, serves as a good starting point for the series to be continued in other areas throughout Germany.
• Facebook: Exchanges and Study in the U.S.
• Videos: World Cafe format explained | First Dance, performed by Ernst Reuter Oberschule | Second Dance
