The woodcraft folk
The
Woodcraft Folk1
is the name of the Pioneer organization in England. Its members are
children from workers' families. The organization was founded in
1925. Boys and girls from six years up to twenty-one can join it.
They all wear green suits with a badge. On the badge you can see a
little green fir-tree2.
The Woodcraft Folk have three groups. The largest group are boys and girls who are eleven to sixteen years old. They are called Pioneers. Another group are boys and girls who are six to eleven years old. They are called Elfins3. There is also a group of big boys and girls who are sixteen to twenty-one years old. They are called Kins4,
The Elfins are not Pioneers; they are too young for that. In the Woodcraft Folk organization they sing and dance, play different games, go in for sports. When they are eleven years old, they become Pioneers. In summer Pioneers live in camps in the country. They learn how to make a fire5 and how to make tea on it. They also study trees and flowers, and pick berries. They must know how to find their way in the forest. They also play games and go in for sports.
The Woodcraft Folk sometimes work in the fields or in the gardens for money. In towns and cities they organize concerts also for money. They sing, dance and read poems. With the money which they earn6 they buy things for their life in camps.
There are ten members in a section of Pioneers or Elfins. At the head of a section is a Kin, he or she is the leader of the section. The Kin organizes the Pioneers and the Elfins, helps them in their games and studies.
The Woodcraft Folk have pen-friends in other countries. They write letters to children of other countries. They want to know how children and young people live there, how they learn and how they play.
The Woodcraft Folk are also fighters for peace in the world. Kins and the Pioneers often take part in meetings and demonstrations.
Youth movement in Great Britain and usa
Youth and youth movement over decades have become important factors in the life of both countries. Numerous youth organizations have been formed since the second world war, uniting young people from all classes and sections of the population. Youth movement is not free of some problems, which result from a number of factors, depending on the grounds, on which the organization was formed. In the USA exists a Young Republican Federation, a Young Christian Association, some religious organizations for Jewish youth. There also exist some political organizations like Students' Coordinative Committee of Non-Violent Action and Students For Democratic Society. Youth organization Greenpeace deals with most urgent ecological problems of today's world. It protests against nuclear weapon tests, sea and soil pollution, etc. Some young people work in their church organizations: help elderly people or work in hospitals. There are even some groups, where young people help released prisoners to start their life a-new. Sport clubs are characteristic youth organizations in the US and UK. They unite people, who are interested in baseball, football, basketball, golf, etc. There are also exist interest clubs. You can attend any club: from theatre clubs to bird-watching