Mission Statement
The Goethe-Institut is the cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany with a global reach.
The Goethe-Institut Washington is responsible for providing cultural programs and pedagogical and language services to the District of Columbia and to the states of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Delaware. A special, wider-ranging focus of our work involves projects using the electronic media (internet, radio, and television) for audiences in the USA, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba. We organize and provide advice about electronic media projects in the areas of cultural programming, language services, and information on behalf of the Goethe-Institut locations in these countries.
Description
We promote knowledge of the German language abroad and foster international cultural cooperation. We convey a comprehensive picture of Germany by providing information on Germany's cultural, social and political life.
Through our network of Goethe-Institutes, Goethe Centres, cultural societies and reading rooms, alongside our examination and language learning centres, we perform the principal tasks of cultural and educational policy abroad. We work in partnership with public and private cultural bodies, the German federal states and municipalities, and the corporate sector.
We draw on the rich variety of our many-faceted open society and Germany's lively culture. We combine the experiences and conceptions of our partners in Germany and abroad with our professional skills and engage in a dialogue rooted in partnership. In doing so, we function as service providers and partners for everyone taking an active interest in Germany and the German language and culture, and act independently with no political affiliations.
We face the cultural policy challenges of globalisation and develop innovative concepts for a world made more human through mutual understanding, where cultural diversity is seen as an asset.
The Goethe-Institut Washington organizes and supports cultural events that present German culture abroad and that further intercultural exchange. Of special interest to us are film and exhibition projects. Our language department offers German courses, workshops and seminars for teachers of German as a Foreign Language, as well as a wide-ranging testing program to prove proficiency in German.
