50 Jahre German American Partnership Program 1972-2022

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©GAPP

1972-2022
Founding

The German American Partnership Program had its beginning in 1972, at the Goethe-Institut Boston. In late 1974, the GAPP office was transferred to Goethe House New York. It is managed to this day in the Goethe-Institut New York.

Read more about the milestone 1972.

With over 400,000 alumni, GAPP is the largest bilateral exchange program between the U.S. and any other country. There are over 750 U.S. schools in the GAPP network and over 9,000 students have the opportunity to travel to Germany each year. Grants and scholarships are awarded at an average of $2,300 per American GAPP school.

©GAPP

1978

Times Square, New York City | German GAPP Students visit the US

1980

1982
Berlin

New frienships are formed during a GAPP exchange between Canton High School, Massachusetts and Gymnasium Bocholt, Germany

Photo: Patricia Vallely

1985
Goslar

Cross-country skiing close to the East-German border during a GAPP exchange between Glendora High School, California and Christian von Dohm Gymnasium Goslar, Germany

Photo: Daniel Villanueva

1985
Alumni | Daniel Villanueva

Former GAPP student of Glendora High School, California visited Christian von Dohm Gymnasium Goslar, Germany in 1985

“All I really knew about Germany was what I had learned from my textbooks. There I could see pictures of half-timbered houses and medieval squares. The central part of the town I stayed in had all of that as well but my host family did not live downtown. We lived in a very modern environment. So I quickly learned that Germany is not all about half-timbered houses and fairy-tales.”

“When we went to East Berlin, the GAPP students and coordinators received a day visa that unfortunately got lost by the end of the day. So the border guards would not let us pass back to West Berlin but put us in a room with no windows and no interior door handles. We were in there for a couple of hours but ultimately they let us out and we were allowed to go. This all happened at the ‘Tränenpalast’, which is a museum nowadays. So today you can just walk in and out. I have been back to that same location a couple of times and for me, this place and this memory really shows how history changes. The Tränenpalast used to be a place to scare people. Now it is a place to teach people about history.”

Daniel Villanueva - Alumni Portraits - German American Partnership Programm

©GAPP

1986

Mary Beth meets her future husband Christoph during his GAPP exchange between Spring Woods High School in Houston and Max-Planck-Gymnasium Saarlouis, Germany. They got married in 1995, have two grown-up daughters and reside in Houston, Texas and Saarwellingen, Germany. “Lifelong friendships were made through the exchanges. We are close with many and see them often. They are like family to us. I married the ‘boy next door’ nine years after he arrived in Houston for the GAPP exchange” | Photo: Mary Beth Schmitz

Milestone

10,000

1989

for the first time over 10,000 students participate in the German American Partnership Program

Read more about 80s milestones:

1983 GAPP gets support from PAD

1989 GAPP and the German Reunification

©GAPP

1990

Eastern Berlin | students next to a Trabant during a GAPP exchange between Billings West and Skyview High Schools, Montana and Gymnasium Bad Bergzabern, Germany | Photo: Lisa Traxler

1990er

Cartoon GAPP Magazine — Cartoon from GAPP Magazine

Photo GAPP Magazine 1990 — Photo from GAPP Magazine 1990

Cartoon 2 GAPP Magazine — Cartoon 2 from GAPP Magazine

1995
Alumni | Danny Eickemeyer

Former GAPP student of Fichte Gymnasium Krefeld, Germany visited Palisades High School, Pennsylvania in 1995.

“My host family was absolutely amazing! It consisted of a dog, two cats, four children, a grandmother and, of course, the parents. They all lived in a big house in a forest with a pond. The three animals usually lounged in bed with me most mornings. I was fully integrated. Since my host family knew that I was really interested in the ‘Civil War’, they gave me literature on the subject and organized a trip to Gettysburg for me.”

“During the farewell ceremony at the end of the exchange in high school, I cried my eyes out. I was also very surprised that my exchange father was not there. At some point, he must have realized that I had never eaten a burrito in my life, so on our last day, he drove from work straight to the airport to buy me a burrito before I left. I will never forget that.”

Credits: Nicole-Perrine-Wilson

1997

Bergisch Gladbach | Happy student at breakfast during a GAPP exchange between Golf High School New Port Richey, Florida and Berufskolleg Bergisch Gladbach, Germany | Photo: GAPP Coordinator Nicole Perrine-Wilson

2005-2008

Students at GAPP Exchange 1995 — Bergisch-Gladbach | 2005

Students with bread — “We loved the bread so much, that we each ordered a kilo loaf of bread. We thought, that if we eat more bread we would speak better German.”- David Tarsha

2006
Alumni | Anna Patton

Former GAPP student of Stanley Lake High School, Colorado visited Comenius-Gymnasium Deggendorf, Germany.

“I loved the accessibility and independence that students were given. Both of my host families were too far for me to walk to school, but there was a city bus that came by, even on very rural roads. We didn’t have to rely on the school or a parent for transportation. The city was put together in a way that afforded us easy accessibility around town and that further fostered our independence.”

“We were there in the summer, so ‘Volksfest’ was taking place. I really enjoyed learning the cultural songs, traditions, and costumes. I remember my host grandmother was horrified (jokingly) that I was to attend Volksfest, and I did not have a traditional ‘Dirndl’. They were kind enough to buy one for me to wear. I appreciated that they truly wanted to share that authentic experience with me.”

Anna Patton - Alumni Portraits - German American Partnership Programm

2010
Host Mom | Lynn Wood

Lynn is from Litchfield, Minnesota and has been hosting German GAPP students since 2010.

“One of my favorite memories is when the students prepared a German meal for us. They cooked and cooked and cooked; it was a massive explosion of food and dishes. I believe they made schnitzel, cabbage, and beets. It was delicious! I think they used every pot and pan in the house. Of course like most teenagers, once the meal was over, they weren’t too interested in the cleanup. But it was still very nice, and my husband and I didn’t mind washing up.”

“Even our extended family benefited from the GAPP exchange. We have had students come to family gatherings, birthday parties, even thanksgiving. It affects far more people than just those in GAPP; I think it broadens everyone these students meet.”

©GAPP

2015

Frankfurt | Group of students in front of the skyline during a GAPP exchange between South Mecklenburg High School, North Carolina and Goethe-Gymnasium Frankfurt, Germany | Photo: Salim Fayeq

2015
Alumni | Miles Johnson

Former GAPP student of South Mecklenburg High School, North Carolina visited Gymnasium Schorndorf, Germany.

“Becoming embedded into a different culture for a month showed that there is more that goes into understanding a culture and people’s way of life than what you can learn in a textbook. The GAPP exchange made this real as the day-to-day interactions we had really shaped our understanding of the language and culture.”

“Cultural differences are something that students need to embrace and not run away from. Things might be very different from what you are used to at home, but at the end of the day, many people live and thrive in this new country and culture and are having amazing experiences separate from what is in your home country. And they are sharing it with you, literally, as you visit them.”
Read full Interview with Miles here