Patrick Feuz
Nominated for
2015Records of a «Home Father»
Der Bund
2015
By Patrick Feuz
Nominated for
2015From today’s perspective, the compulsory welfare measures of the post-war period are regarded as inhumane. Patrick Feuz undertakes a historical excursion into the former reform school Landorf in Köniz near Berne. The notes of the then head of the home – who was his grandfather, serve as his source. In a factual tone, the author describes how, in the 1950s, this man rebuilt the boys home into a showcase home, in which discipline and order prevailed and every measure was taken to avoid waywardness and neglect. But then, in the 70s, the “home father” became open to pedagogical developments and accepted new insights, such as the promotion of self-confidence and self-worth and the importance of parental involvement.