One thing I do find interesting is looking at other youth organizations and movements and for many years in the Eastern Bloc/ Warsaw Pact, Scouting as we understand it was prohibited been seen as incompatible with Communism.
This left something of a void which was filled by the Young Pioneers which while having a good number of positives did purposely expose minors to political suggestion and indoctrination that I strongly disagree with.
This group of Young Pioneers from East Germany, the so-called German Democratic Republic (DDR/GDR) in 1965 shows that set plus and minus well in that they are dressed to play, undertake physical activities such as sport, go hiking which were great but all under the eyes of the Communist Party.
Sometimes their programs did result in rather more responsibility being entrusted in the young than those in West did and generally I hold with the view we wrap too many of our youngsters in cotton wool rather than teaching and expecting responsibility from them from the outset.
It's why for my welfare and political opposition to political control in all youth work I do feel sometimes we can learn from them.
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