With its CrossCulture Internships support programme, the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, ifa) shows its commitment to intercultural dialogue and strengthening the formation of networks between Germany and the Islamic world as a partner of the German Federal Foreign Office.
Since 2005, it offers young working people and committed volunteers from the cultures involved the opportunity to expand their professional and political competence as well as to gather international experience through a stay in the other cultural area – also with the aim of strengthening the structures of civil society. Aims of the funding programme
The CrossCulture Internships give young people from Germany and countries of the Islamic world the chance to gather varied experience abroad within their fields of activity and to enable them to act as multipliers in their home countries.
Besides the objectives of vocational and specialist qualification, the participants also gain an overview of the social and political structures in the host country and establish new professional contacts which they can use for future co-operation after returning home.
Furthermore, involvement in the vocational structure and everyday life allows the participants to familiarise themselves with cultural characteristics and behavioural patterns of the host country.
The integration of the interns returning home into their respective organisations ensures that the experience gained abroad is incorporated into their activities there. This intercultural exchange boosts the formation of networks between organisations in Germany and the Islamic world in a sustained manner and stimulates transnational co-operation.
Areas of emphasis and target groups
• Knowledge society & education
• Legal dialogue, justice & human rights
• International politics & political education
• Environment
• Economy
• Media CrossCulture Internships are mainly offered in the fields of work listed above on account of their being regarded as particularly relevant to reform according to the results of the Arab Human Development Report.
The target groups on the part of the Islamic world are young working people and committed individuals in different areas of civil society as well as multipliers in media and organisations relevant to reform.
The target groups on the German side are people working in the appropriate partner organisations as well as young workers and committed people in organisations in which intercultural experience is a requirement for performing their work successfully. Organisation of the internship
The internship lasts for up to three months and is scheduled individually according to needs and availability. Depending on the requirements of the candidates, the internships are complemented by a subject-specific support framework programme – such as accompanying events or individual visits and meetings.
One of the outstanding features of the CrossCulture Internships Programme is that it can be adapted extensively to the requirements and wishes of the participants in terms of both content and organisation. The individually needs-oriented concept makes the internships ideally suited to assisting and supporting the participants in acquistion of professional and intercultural competence in their specific fields of activity, thus extending both the participating cultures' ability and willingness to engage in dialogue.
The CrossCulture Internships Programme is a flexible and unique instrument based on tried-and-tested dialogue structures and it is supported by funding from the Federal Foreign Office.
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