The low-lit bar in Kreuzberg, referred to as “No Name Bar” because it lacks a sign on the door, was packed on a recent Sunday evening for a poetry slam. The event was organized by Gangway, Germany’s biggest charity that helps disadvantaged young people.

Victoria Franco was one of the 12 young performers from Berlin and New York who took to the stage, to recite, speak and perform.

With her long, purple-dyed curls and resonating voice, the 24-year-old student from New York held the attention of the room as she read her poem about rejecting the corporate path her father planned for her and finding her own way.

As she closed with the words, “I can, I will, I will,” the crowd erupted with applause.

The evening was part of a Gangway exchange program called “Global Ambassadors.” It brings young New Yorkers and Berliners together during week-long stays in each city. The participants may live in exciting cities, but they generally come from less advantaged socio-economic groups and may never have had the opportunity to travel out of these cities never mind overseas.

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