Through our exchange programs in Germany we wish to help foreign young people, host families, host schools, etc. to develop life-long friendships and partnerships while they are broadening their own horizons. With our dense and experienced network of local representatives all over Germany you and your participants benefit from our bundled experience as well as from our permanent and close contact to the adolescents and their host families.
Every year, Open Door International e.V. (ODI) welcomes many students between the ages of 14 and 18 who attend a German high school and live in a host family in a time span of one to ten months. Each student's needs and interests are different and specific and so is the choice of programs we offer.
The general idea stays the same: We at ODI will help you and your students to make their stay in Germany a most enriching experience, to provide them with a warm and welcoming ambiance and to smooth their way into our country, our language and our culture.
Students who join the intercultural exchange of ODI in Germany live with a thoroughly selected German host family and share their everyday life. Attending the local high school is an essential part of this experience. In most cases, the student will go to school with the children of the host family, making new friends at school as well as in the family circle.
The goal of our long-term programs is for exchange students to truly feel at home in Germany. Our host families do not simply welcome a guest – they open their homes to a new, temporary member of the family. Students attend a local public school, often alongside their host siblings, and become part of everyday family life.
The experience goes far beyond improving language skills. As students become confident in German, they begin to immerse themselves in the culture and build friendships that can last a lifetime. Many participants come to see Germany as a second home and may even choose to return later for further studies or a professional career.This program combines the excitement of living abroad with the comfort, security, and warmth of a supportive family environment.
ODI is offering the following types of programs:
We work with various partner organizations in the students’ home countries to ensure complete preparation for both students and their parents in their native language. Our partners provide guidance, assist with the application process, run preparatory seminars, and are available throughout the exchange to answer any questions from parents.
If you are interested in applying for an exchange with ODI, please send us an email or give us a call, and we will connect you with the appropriate partner organization.
The Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) was established by the German Bundestag and the US Congress in 1983 on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of German immigration to North America. It is the program’s goal to improve and intensify the relations and connections of Germany and the United States. This can be achieved best by expanding mutual youth exchange.
Students who join the intercultural exchange of ODI in Germany live with a thoroughly selected German host family and share their everyday life. Attending the local high school is an essential part of this experience. In most cases, the student will go to school with the children of the host family, making new friends at school as well as in the family circle.
All participants of the program are high school graduates and about 18-19 years old. Some of them have participated in vocational programs and thus already have work experience in a certain field which they want to expand through this program.
All participants take part in an intensive orientation seminar on Georgetown University campus, Washington DC. Upon their arrival in Germany, the program’s participants will spend two months studying German at a language academy in Bonn where they are living in German host families. They also participate in intensive intercultural training and regional studies.
After the intensive language training, the scholarship students will intern at German business and attend a German vocational school or high school, while living with a host family. Their school attendance and their internships are considered of great importance to German-American relations.
Since 1985, OPEN DOOR Students Exchange USA (now Nacel Open Door Inc.) has been commissioned with the task of choosing the vocational high school graduates and preparing them for their participation in this program. Since the year 93/94, OPEN DOOR Student Exchange e.V. (now Open Door International e.V.) has been supervising the students’ stay in Germany, in which members of the Bundestag serve as sponsors.
Visit our partner NOD’s website for further information: How do I apply for the CBYX program?
| Mo. - Do.: | 10 Uhr bis 17 Uhr |
| Fr.: | 10 Uhr bis 15 Uhr |
