„For what is now over 30 years the “Am Torfend” School has provided education for children and young people who would not be catered for in mainstream schools. They find learning disheartening and often lack guidance when it comes to social behaviour. These young people are looking for role models, structures that will put them on the right track, and social and emotional security and stability. They need people who are there to support them and a place where they feel at home. We want our school to arouse the joie de vivre of these young people – give them courage to achieve something themselves, restore the trust they have lost in the reliability of adults and correct the distorted image that society at large has of them.
We were looking for a name for this school to represent the thoughts, role models and tasks described above. Our old name – “Am Torfbend”– is the name of our school’s first site, the place where it was “born” 30 years ago. In the intervening years, the school has established several departments at different locations in the town and the main site is now in the centre of Mönchengladbach.
When we were looking for a new name, Sir Peter Ustinov was initially one suggestion among many. He was familiar to us as an internationally famous performer and popular actor, who – as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador – was actively involved in the rights of children worldwide. When we examined Sir Peter Ustinov’s biography, it became clear to us that he was an exceptional person, who could justifiably be called multi-talented. Sir Peter Ustinov harnessed his popularity, his international reputation and the respect he enjoyed all over the world to become involved in social and political issues. For various reasons, including his own personal history, Sir Peter Ustinov saw himself as a citizen of the world, who put tremendous effort into promoting understanding between people, fostering democratic structures, and promoting peace, both in the world at large and on an individual level. Sir Peter Ustinov saw prejudice as a reason and trigger for many national and personal conflicts. His commitment in combating the fundamental evil of “Prejudice” is a very similar to what we do every day. Our children and young people themselves often feel that they are exiled, segregated, isolated and rejected. These experiences, which are frequently based on actual events, in turn engender hostility between the young people and their social environment. The aim and task of our school is to break through this vicious circle of rejection, prejudice and hostility.
Sir Peter Ustinov as a person and his life’s work stands for a great deal of what is significant for this task: humanity and philanthropy, openness and a willingness to help, the ability to observe and genuine authority, and – finally – joie de vivre and humour. An unknown internet user wrote: “Sir Peter Ustinov was what a human being ought to be like.” We cannot think of a better person to name our school after.“
Wolfgang Gans, School Principal, Peter Ustinov School
