Although there were not 99 red balloons, there was as much "fired up"
   enthusiasm as a "Nena" concert at the 2004/2005 Asian Business Association
    (ABA), IBM and Gardena High School MentorPlace kickoff celebration held
      on November 18th, 2004, at the school's home in Los Angeles, California.

        The event marked the second year that ABA and IBM have joined

          together through
           MentorPlace to
            benefit students
            in the Southern
           California
           community.
          This year also
        marks a first for
      the program
-- the first US and

MentorPlace Coordinator Rene Nakasone, IBM Germany MentorPlace Coordinator Dorothee Winkler, ABA's past President Lily Chia Tsau, and Assistant Principal Cheryl Nakata.

Through the program, US students have the ausgezeichnet (opportunity) to share ideas and thoughts with their international counterparts in Germany. The program works closely with June Thompson, the Southern California International Business Academy (SCIBA) class teacher, to ensure that the online communications between mentors and students links, in an integral fashion, with their classroom learning. A key objective of the program is to let the students know that the mentors care about their issues and concerns.

Students and mentors in both the US and Germany were asked to provide questions for the exchange. Questions from the German students included:

• How do teenagers live in the USA and what do they do in their spare time?
• What ideas do they have about their future?
• If a fairy asked you about your wish: what would it be?
• What do you know about the European Union?
• What do teenagers in LA do more often: go to clubs or live concerts?
• What would you change about the USA if you could?

Questions from the US students included:

• At what age can a person get their driver's license?
• Do you guys wear Nikes or Jordans? And what other type of apparel do you like?
• Do you think that space travel is worth the cost?
• Tell me about the family habits of German families?
• Would you have voted for George Bush or John Kerry and why?
• What do you do when you go out with your friends?

The US students are all part of a special group from Gardena High School who participate in SCIBA. The German students are from different cities, including Munchen, Dresden, Boeblingen, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Berlin.

The mentors, who have distinguished themselves as generous volunteers, come from an array of different corporations and organizations in Southern California and Germany.

The MentorPlace International program with US and Germany demonstrates IBM and ABA's commitment to education and raising student achievement. To all of the mentor volunteers, teachers, faculty, leaders and students in both the US and Germany, we would like to say "Danke schön, darlings, danke schön."

Neunundneunzig Luftballons (By Rene Nakasone and Dorothee Winkler)
Three years of MentorPlace in Dallas (and beyond)
RTP MentorPlace Celebrates Successful Program
Coming full circle: A UK MentorPlace story
Sal Murillo brings MentorPlace to a Native American reservation
IBM MentorPlace: Bringing students, IBMers closer "Down Under"
Becoming a Role Model
IBM and ABA Join Forces in California
IBM MentorPlace Houston Honored
California's Next Generation of Decision Makers
IBM Germany MentorPlace: Girls for IT! / Mehr Mädchen in IT-Berufe
Helping Students Develop Into Lifelong Learners
Enhancing the Quality of Life Through IBM MentorPlace
An Outstanding Dedication to Mentoring