Youth

You have heard, most likely, of the FDJ (Freie Deutsche Jugend/Free German Youth), an organization that counted over 75 percent of the East German youth between 14-25 years old among its ranks. But what were East German youth interested in, beyond FDJ? What were their concerns? How did they express resistance? How did they negotiate the space between control/surveillance and their desire to simply have fun? What did their West German peers think of their East German contemporaries on the other side of the border- and vice versa?

Student Panel Diana Erinna Natalie Borman

Growing up in the East, Growing Up in the West

Sofia Sepulveda-Pizarro (East Brunswick High School, NJ) Luiza Vazquez (Mt. Lebanon HS, Pittsburgh), Fox Rifenberg- Stempel (Shaker HS, NY) and Bert Mocklebust (Mahopac High School, NY) engage in a vivid conversation with Diana Erinna and Natalie Bormann about their experiences growing up around the same time, but on different sides of the border.

What remains of East and West?

David Gill, German Consul General in NY, discusses with Sofia Sepulveda-Pizarro (East Brunswick HS, NJ), Anna Mares (Mt. Lebanon HS, Pittsburgh, PA), Jack Schneider (Shaker HS, NY) and Donald Zoffel (Mt. Lebanon HS, Pittsburgh PA) the East German educational system, religion, peaceful demonstrations, fake news and obstacles in unifying East and West.

Youth activism

Sofia Sepulveda-Pizarro, East Brunswick HS in NJ asks German General Consul David Gill: Should young people be actively involved in politics and current issues? What role should the government play in encouraging teen activism?

A GDR-Childhood

Mario Röllig, born 1967 in East Berlin, takes you on a tour of his childhood and teenage years in the GDR. In German with English subtitles.

My Ducky

Memories of a young girl on summer vacation just outside Berlin, in the GDR. The girl, now a woman, reflects on her past life. In German with English subtitles.

Freedom, restriction and coded language

According to GDR propaganda, East Germany was a state for young people. The balance between allowing them some freedoms, while restricting others, proved tricky. Though basic needs like food, shelter and clothing were met, the GDR youth had to negotiate the space for all other extras that make life fun, like music and fashion and often applied coded language and subversive messages to address these.

Freedom of Speech: East Germany

The GDR state labelled "negative decadence" those youth cultures that it thought were vestiges of Capitalism that had not been expunged. Skinheads were literally a punch in the face of a state that called itself anti-fascist.