Ernst Thälmann Pioneer Organisation session

A pioneer afternoon in the GDR was a regular gathering of all members of the Pioneer organization a school class. The meetings were generally held on a Wednesday afternoon and were mostly under the guidance of the class teacher. In 1989, 98 percent of all students of the relevant age groups Member of the pioneers, so that the pioneer afternoon can be regarded as extra-curricular activity of the respective class. Pioneer afternoons found, as far as thematically possible in school instead. They served alongside the leisure and political influence.

Contents of the pioneer afternoons

The contents of the pioneer afternoons were varied. In addition to more or less apolitical leisure activities such as hiking, cinema, theater or zoo visits, it was also explicitly politically oriented afternoons. Among the pioneer afternoons guests could be invited. Sometimes parents or members of the Patenbrigade were involved, particularly in excursions and trips, as in these cases to 9 students at least one supervisor had to be involved as an invigilator.

The "Handbook for friendship pioneer head " mentioned the following aspects and examples:

In the manual for friendship pioneer conductor states that " between sides of the political and sides of a proper specific activity " could not be distinguished. " According to the character of the Pioneer organization as a political mass organization bears all activities - no matter in what area -. Political character " In reality, this is very dependent on the class teacher or head of the pioneer group.

Ernst Thalmann

An important role was played by the transmission of knowledge about the namesake of the Pioneer organization, Ernst Thalmann, the former party leader of the Communist Party of Germany. The friendship pioneer head manual saw it before a pioneer afternoon per school year. Thus, for example, should according to the manual students of class one of pioneers of class four out why the organization bears his name, collecting images of labor leaders and make a wall newspaper. The knowledge was coordinated with the curriculum in German and Music

Learning conferences

A special form of pioneer afternoons were the learning conferences, at which the performance level of individual students was discussed in class. The late 1950s and early 1960s, which also intense criticism and self-criticism were used in these meetings, there was a requirement that each student had to formulate in writing a commitment that should be the expression for an achievable goal. Later, a few pioneers undertook it to achieve a particular performance target at school. In addition, weaker students was offered a sponsorship learning. Under certain circumstances, took place in subsequent conferences reporting on the success achieved or the non-fulfillment of the project "Learning sponsorship ".

Recyclables collections

As part of pioneer afternoons were also recyclable recyclable materials, so-called secondary raw materials, especially glass and paper, collected and brought to the SERO - buying sites. For this, the students brought the old substances in the school or moved from door to door. The money raised was for relief operations (eg in Vietnam) donated or used for recreational activities. In the school year 1979/80, 73 million bottles and jars, 20,000 tons of scrap metal, 30,000 tons of paper and 9,000 tons of waste textiles were collected by students for example.

Writings

• Siegfried Schmidt: As Ernst Thalmann - faithful and bold. Handbook for friendship pioneer Head, The Children's Book Publishing, 1973.