Frankly ... visual Competition of the agave syrup squad
The Federal Youth Games are an integral part of German schooling - and are now to be reformed. Critics see this as a decline in the performance mindset. Susi Bumms is a fan of the so-called “softly softly approach to education” and gives everyone a certificate of honour.
Every year, on a weekday in Germany, teachers pull whistles, stopwatches and measuring tapes out of their pockets and put sun hats on their heads. It’s “ready, steady, go” for the Federal Youth Games!
The planned changes to the Federal Youth Games have become the subject of political debate and vociferous newspaper reports. They speak of the triumph of “the softly softly approach to education”, of mediocrity and the “German demise”.
But will little Matze from Class 4b miss his chance to become an Olympic shot-putter just because he didn’t get his certificate of honour? Probably not. So what is this really all about?
On an alternating basis each week, our “Frankly ...” column series is written by Susi Bumms, Maximilian Buddenbohm, and Sineb El Masrar and Marie Leão. In the “Frankly…visual” column, Susi Bumms observes pop culture and politics, commenting on what she sees through cartoons and pictures.