United States Diplomatic Mission to Germany

An American Meet US speaker at a High School in Berlin-Koepenick

Meet US - Americans in Dialogue with Young Germans about Life in the U.S.A.

What is the American Dream?
What do Americans think about Germany?
How does the U.S. election system work?
What does a typical school day in the U.S. look like?

Americans only eat fast food.
Americans are very superficial.
Americans don't care about the environment.

These are some typical questions and preconceptions that young Germans have about the United States. The Meet US program is designed to help clarify the picture by bringing Americans – U.S. citizens from all backgrounds of life residing in Germany, as well as U.S. Embassy/Consulate staff – together with secondary school students in Germany to engage them in a dialogue about everyday life in the United States. The goal is to answer questions and clear up misconceptions German youth have about the U.S.

The program was initiated in 2003 and has since become an important part of the cultural programs of the U.S. Embassy and Consulates. It reaches out to all secondary schools in Germany.

We offer this program free of cost to the schools.

How Does the Program Work?

The American guest speakers meet with the students at their schools to talk about anything that helps give the students an impression on “how the Americans tick.” While the discussions can be tailored to complement the school curriculum, the visits are not structured as formal lectures, but rather offer an open and direct dialogue between the guest speakers and the students. The intention is not to focus primarily on current policy issues, but rather to offer a first-hand, personal look on social, historical or cultural aspects of the United States and the interests and aspirations of Americans.

The speakers usually present a short overview of a particular subject relating to American society and culture or talk more generally about their lives (their jobs or job goals, the schools and universities they attended, their hometowns) and then open the floor to discussion and questions. In some cases, they may even have some questions of their own! The discussions may be conducted in either English or German.

How to Request Guest Speaker for a School Visit

The Public Affairs Sections of the U.S. Embassy Berlin and the U.S. Consulates in Germany coordinate the program. Interested schools should contact the program coordinator at the Embassy or Consulate responsible for their region to request a visit by a guest speaker.

Speaker requests from interested schools should include:

• Name, address and information about the school (type of school, special profiles, etc)
• the name and telephone number/email of a contact person at the school
• desired date (requests should be made well in advance; please give alternate dates)
• the grade of the class
• number of participating students
• desired language (English or German)
• suggested or likely discussion topic

The Embassy or Consulate will make travel arrangements for the speaker. There is no charge to the requesting school or institution.

American Speaker Volunteers Welcome!

Any interested American living or studying in Germany is invited to volunteer as a speaker. The only “requirement” is an open mind and the desire to give young Germans an impression of their life, customs and experiences. While this program relies on volunteers willing to spare some of their time visiting the schools within their region, the embassy or respective consulate covers the travel cost for these visits. Americans interested in volunteering as a speaker should contact the program coordinator at the Embassy or Consulate in their area listed below for more information and to sign up.

Meet US Program Coordinators

Berlin and Brandenburg
U.S. Embassy Berlin - Public Affairs Section
Ms. Heike Mead
Pariser Platz 2
10117 Berlin
Email: MeetUS-berlin@usembassy.de

Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland
U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt - Public Affairs Section
Mr. Gerhard Wiesinger
Gießener Str. 30
60435 Frankfurt am Main
Email: MeetUS-frankfurt@usconsulate.de

Bavaria
U.S. Consulate General Munich - Public Affairs Section
Dr. Nina Gartz

Königinstraße 5
80539 Munich
Email: MeetUS-munich@usconsulate.de

Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein
U.S. Consulate General Hamburg - Public Affairs Section
Stefan Heumann
Alsterufer 27-28
20354 Hamburg
Email: MeetUS-hamburg@usconsulate.de

North Rhine-Westphalia
US-Generalkonsulat Düsseldorf - Public Affairs Section
Ms. Jutta Tatzelt
Willi-Becker-Allee 10
40227 Düsseldorf
Email: MeetUS-duesseldorf@usconsulate.de

Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia
U.S. Consulate General Leipzig - Public Affairs Section
Ms. Mechthild Hölker
Wilhelm-Seyfferth-Str. 4
04107 Leipzig
Email: MeetUS-leipzig@usconsulate.de