The ‘participation trophy’ culture is no good

Ihave two contradictory observations on this issue. Firstly, I would say, yes, young adults are under too much pressure to achieve because I have discovered that in Indian culture, for example, it is common to push yourself a lot, especially during examinations. If they happen to fail, some teenagers tend to commit suicide.

Coming from the Philippines, looking at my own experience, I would say that I am an achiever myself — I came from a very poor family, pushed myself and worked in order to sustain my studies. I did a day job and a night job because I had a goal. There was no pressure. Whenever I did not meet my goals, I would think radically and look at what went wrong. I am also a blogger, and blogging helped me give feedback to myself.

Coming to my contradictory observation, I have also noticed a lot of times that millennials are not exerting enough effort. Without generalising an entire generation, based on my own experiences, I would say that they can behave in an entitled manner, wanting everything instantly. As a teacher, I have noticed what we would call the ‘spoon-feeding culture’. Students don’t have the patience to sit down and listen to instructions, they binge through the process and don’t go through things step-by-step.

Additionally, I also think the culture of ‘participation trophies’ is not helping, I am completely against it as it devalues actual achievement. How will we motivate children when we are giving away trophies or certificates for participating? You lose but you still achieve a medal? How does that work? If this continues, I don’t think students will push hard and try their best. From Mr Nicart Obsuna Physical education head at a Dubai-based school