Plast, Ukrainian Scouts

Popular British Youth Movement

Youth and youth movement have be­come important factors in the life of the country. In Britain, numerous youth or­ganisations have been formed since the Second World War, uniting young people from all classes and sections of the po­pulation. There are about 60 youth organi­sations in Great Britain. The Youth Coun­cil represents the youth of the country both nationally and internationally. All youth organisations can be divided into three large groups:

1.non-political organisations;

2. youth organisations associated with political parties;

3. youth organisations controlled by religious bodies.

The two largest non-political youth organisations are the as­sociations of the Boy Scouts and the Girl Guides. There are about 1,300,000 boys and girls in them. The membership is vol­untary. The Scout Association was formed in 1907 by General Baden-Powell. His idea was to train boys in mapping, signal­ling, knotting, first aid and all the skills that would arise from 'camping and outdoor activities. Most important of all for a Scout was to make a promise that he would do his best to do his duty to God and the Queen, to help other people and to obey the Scout Laws. The Boy Scouts have a left-handed handshake, a special badge and the motto "Be Prepared". The Scout Laws embrace "honour, obedience, cheerfulness, thrift and cleanliness in thought and deed". The Scout movement was intended for boys from 11 to 14 (15), but in 1916 Baden-Powell introduced a programme for younger people. He called them Wolf Cubs. They had special uniforms, badges, a special training system and the motto "Do your best!". The Wolf Cub pack is based on Kipling's "Jungle Book" about learning to sur­vive. The Girl Guides Association was founded by Baden- Powell in 1910. It's divided into three sections age-wise: Brownies (from 7.5 to 11), Guides (from 11 to 16), Rangers (from 16 to 21). The programme of training is planned to de­velop intelligence and practical skills including cookery, needlework, and childcare. Like a Scout, a Girl Guide must be a friend to animals.

Plast, Ukrainian Scouts

The goal of Plast is to promote an all- round, patriotic education and self-edu­cation of Ukrainian youth on Christian principles. Being non-political and non- confession organisation, Plast educates youth as conscious, responsible and val­uable citizens of local, national and world community, the leaders of the so­ciety.

Plast was established in 1911, shortly after scout movement was founded by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907, and already in 1912 in Lviv, Ukraine, its members swore the First Plast Oath. Among the founders of Plast there were Dr. Oleksandr Ty- sovskyy, Petro Franko (son of Ivan Franko), and Ivan Chmola. The word "Plast" comes from Ukrainian word "plastun" which was the name of Scouts of Ukrainian Cossacks.

To reach its educational goals, Plast uses own unique edu­cation methods. Its basic principles include free-will mem­bership, education and learning through game and work, a gradual system of studies and trials, self-governing, encou­ragement of initiative and self-management, perception of na­ture and living in nature, support of special interests and tal­ents of children and youth.

Unlike most scouting organisations in the world where membership is limited by the age of 25, membership in Plast is lifelong. Conventionally, membership falls into four age groups: Cub Scouts (age 6-12), Rover Scouts (12-18), Older Plast members (18-35) and Senior Plast members (those who turned 35). All educational and administrative work in Plast is performed by Older and Senior Plast members solely on a voluntary basis.

Plast in Ukraine unites about 10,000 members of different ages and by that is the biggest scouting organisation in Ukraine. Plast in Ukraine conducts more than 100 educational out­door camps with different specializations: sporting, marine, aeronautical, arts, skiing, alpinist, archaeological, horse-rid­ing, ecological, etc. At these camps, Plast members master their knowledge and practical skills obtained during the year at weekly studies. Among the biggest events carried out by Plast on all-Ukrainian level are: the intellectual-art competi­tion "Orlykiada", the creative festival "Den Plastuna", the sporting event "Spartakiada", the distribution of Light of Peace from Bethlehem among local communities, and a number of tourist contests.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30