Atlantic Link

On behalf of Atlantic Link and the KLX Project team, we are very excited to release the findings from the KLX Project. Below you will find a link to a PDF document which provides summaries of our findings in the following areas:

• Work
• Life Philosophy
• Activities
• Life Stresses
• Family
• Friendships
• Spirituality
• Church

In the document, you will note that our findings reference both the Leipzig and Knoxville Co-researchers. The term co-researchers refers to the persons we interviewed in both Leipzig and Knoxville. The document lists findings from our co-researchers in two columns alongside our cross-cultural observations in a third column.

We invite you to download and read this document, and we encourage your further comments and participation on this website.

• KLX Project - Summary of Research Findings

With the KLX Project wrapping up last Thursday, we are now processing our findings. In the meantime, I’ve posted a slide show on my Flickr account:

KLX Flickr Slideshow 

With two evenings of interviews under our belts, the Knoxville portion of the KLX project is well under way. Here are some of the highlights:

• The response to KLX has been tremendous with our goal of scheduling 35 interviews being met before we got started on Sunday evening.
• Our German colleagues are proving themselves as excellent interviewers. They have been very adept at overcoming any language difficulties, and their hard work has paid off with the interviews yielding excellent data.
• The scene at The Lunchbox Café these past two evenings has been a bustling hive of conversation. Our interviewees (aka co-researchers) have shared with us that they have throughly enjoyed the opportunity to share their thoughts and views.

All of these details give us much energy and enthusiasm as we prepare to head into the final three nights of the project.

Kevin leads our team of researchers and translators in a final round of training.

Thomas, Tobi, Henner, and Mario crossed the Atlantic to be a part of this research.

After an evening of interviews, the team grabs dinner together.

We picked up the German half of our team at the airport last night. After a good night’s rest, today we’ll be doing a final round of training before the interviews start tomorrow at 5pm.

We’re Almost There
As of yesterday evening, according to David, our scheduling coordinator, we now have 33 persons scheduled for interviews. We are shooting for 40, so we are almost there!

If you would like to be a part of our research, it is not too late to sign up.

With KLX interviews set to start this Sunday (September 23rd @ 5pm), last night we met one last time to make some final preparations before our German counterparts arrive tonight at 9pm.

If you’re interested in lending your perspective to our research, it’s not too late to sign up for an interview.

For more information about Atlantic Link, we encourage you to check out our newly updated About page.

Online registration is now available for the KLX interviews. If you’re interested in participating in the Knoxville Leipzig eXchange, we encourage you to read about the project. Then, if you are between the ages of 25 and 35 and would like to be interviewed, we invite you to register using our online form.

In May 2007, seven Knoxvilians (six young adults and one adult leader) journeyed to Leipzig, Germany to conduct interviews of young adults in this city in former east Germany. The mission of the trip was to gather as much information as we could about the lives, interests, desires, goals, and values of people just like us living across the world in Leipzig.

The findings were spectacular. We learned that many east Germans highly value community and relationships, but often struggle to find those people or situations where they can “go deep.” A number grew up under the old GDR system, and during our research we found it had made a large impact on their view towards trust and community and where and how people sought out and maintained friendships.

The goal of the interviews was to listen. What was so memorable about the trip was seeing how favorably people responded to this sort of kindly treatment. It is rare in many circles for someone to listen to you long enough for you to be able to even begin to express and come to understand your own beliefs and ways of thinking about things. As we listened and asked questions, our co-researchers (interviewees) talked and thought about things which many said they had never talked or thought about before.

Immediately, upon returning to Knoxville (after resting our jet lagged bodies, of course ) we began excitedly contemplating the second leg of the trip which will bring seven Leipzig young adults to Knoxville. This should create some fascinating possibilities and unearth many remarkable discoveries. Please stay with the updates on the site as we continue to gather information about the project as well as the experiences that have come about through the exchanges.

In May 2007, a team of 7 Americans traveled to Leipzig, Germany to conduct interviews with German young adults as part of a cross cultural study. Now, in late September 2007, the second part of this research will be conducted in Knoxville, Tennessee by a group of German researchers.

The interviews will be 45 minutes to an hour in length and will focus on identifying cultural similarities and differences between young adults in Leipzig and Knoxville.

Stay tuned for more information on how you can participate! An example of the appointment card that we are using to schedule interviews is attached.

Consider this site a work in progress… 

Things have just gotten underway here at the Atlantic Link website. Soon, we will be publishing updates from the first half of the KLX (Knoxville Leipzig eXchange) project and announcements regarding the second half of the project. Until then, please read more about the first part of KLX.