My First Website in the Local News at the Age of 16

11/1/2022 4-minute read

With the age of 16 I appeared in the local news as I built a website for an evangelic youth center. It was the first website I built for someone that reached a bigger viewership. It attracted three local newspapers and I framed and hanged every single article. Now, 16 years later, they will help me make my case as I am applying for an O-1 nonimmigrant visa for the United States of America. As I had to translate the articles, I thought, why not share them with the world to show that with some luck you can earn your living by following your passion in life. It is incredible to see what long way I’ve gone and I remember how important it was for me to have these HTML 4.01 valid badges as a sign of quality. I know that I am very fortunate to have experienced all of this and I am infinitely grateful for it.

Scan of one of the original newspaper articles

Kanufreizeit Kusey is part of the worldwide network

Now they can be seen on the worldwide internet: the pictures from the canoeing leisure time that the evangelical rural youth center (ELZ) Kusey organized for the eleventh time in the summer. Christian Bromann from Röwitz, who was there for the first time this year, made it possible and created his own website. For five weeks, the 16-year-old high school student worked hard on the special task and delivered a remarkable first work.

“I am totally thrilled,” said Pastor Bernd Schulz about the commitment of the tenth grader and hopes that the guest book on the website www.kanufreizeit-schweden-elz.de will fill up quickly and that the first registrations for the 2006 canoe tour will be received. “The date is fixed”, says Schulz. On Friday after the school year-end report cards have been passed, there will be another water hike for two weeks. A corresponding pre-registration form is on the page.

But not only that. On more than 40 pictures of the canoe trip, which Christian Bromann received from the pastor this year, potential comrades-in-arms can get a foretaste of the overwhelming nature, fun and conviviality in the individual groups and the base camp, but also on the efforts of the tour and getting to know your own limits, “Canoeing is by no means as dangerous as some mothers and fathers think”, Schulz has experienced in the eleven years - he has been there himself every time. However, he does not hide “that the canoeing leisure time represents a great physical challenge”.

Visitors to the homepage who would like to find out more about the tour will also have the opportunity to do so on the site. Christian Bromann has set up a contact. The questions asked here will of course be answered as soon as possible.

“He thought things through really well,” said Schulz and the first visitors to Bromann’s work in praise. Some of them have even signed up in the guest book, which is aptly called the Canoe Book. Only chatting is not yet possible on the website, explains its developer. Once he had acquired the basic knowledge of creating Internet pages in school, it was then necessary to learn more through specialist books in order to solve the task so well. “To set up a chat, I still need a book that tells me exactly how to do it,” he says. “We’ll give that to you as a reward from the Young Congregation,” said Pastor Bernd Schulz spontaneously. Although Christian was humble and said: “Just being allowed to do the page is enough wage”, Schulz was not dissuaded from his plan. “The commitment should not be underestimated”, he said and immediately placed the order for the book.

The canoe rides have been taking place for eleven years with growing response. In the beginning, one or two minibuses went on long journeys with a few students and team members, but in recent years it has always been a large touring coach. The canoeists aren’t only based off the area around Kusey, but from the entire Altmark and even beyond.

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