Schoolchildren revive old Soviet traditions
Published: 17 May, 2009, 18:02
Almost 3000 schoolchildren from across Russia have gathered at Moscow’s Red Square to enroll in the “pioneer movement”, which was the Soviet Union's answer to the cub scouts.
Back in the USSR, all schoolchildren had to enter the movement at the age of 10, of which they remained members of until 15.
The mass organization existed under the ruling Communist Party and was aimed at coaching the youth according to communist ideology.
When the Soviet Union collapsed, so did all the organizations associated with it.
When asked what the children would most enjoy about being pioneers, children said looking after war veterans and planting trees at school yard.
17.05.2009, 15:28
3 comments
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I opine, that the Pioneer Organization abolished back in 91/92 was a big mistake, and was not replaced by a large type of Russian Scout'ism, ( a foreign imported idea) , or the National Vitiaz Organization (as in France), under a National Patriotic sponsorship, such as the Churches, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, etc... It seems that the Russian "actual" Communist Party, has understood the situation of the Russian teens, and their needs, after school hours and vacation months, and is trying to do something about it!!! Privet vam vsem!
Defintely a great idea to bring back a voluntary movement for children. Teaching them respect and core values, and also letting us admire them as they develop and surprise us, with their own developmental accomplishments. I think a common purpose, and a feeling of belonging to our great country, is a definite benefit, both for the children involved, but also for us a nation. We should however, go even further, and develop this love of our country, into an undertanding for the wider world, though language development and the touching and respect for other cultures. A respect yourself and a respect others approach. With exchanges and visits and even foreign board members from different countries, to provide transparency and maybe new input. This will foster a good nationalism and allow the children to see the whole picture. Children with a love for their country,culture and their own citizens, who also understand a respect cultural and national diversity, would be a huge achievement for such a movement. However, the children must want to be part of it themselves, we must treat them and their parents as customers, and build step by step in a thoroughly moraly orientated way.
If the soviet union lost the great patriotic war, the only perceptable difference between living under hitler versus stalin would have been that german would become compulsorary as a second language. As a wise squirrel once noted, one nut is the same as another, and I believe that between the two of them there were only three, nuts that is.