Boys' Uniformed Group: Sponsorship

Youth groups around the world and over time have varied. One of the key differences between the many different youth groups is sponsorship, especially the level of government control. Some youth movements have been totally controlled by governments (NAZI Hitler Youth and Communist Young Pioneers). Other youth movements were organized independently of government control, although they may receive varying levels of state support. Göring after the War claimed that the Hitler Youth were simply the Boy Scouts. They were not and the essential difference was state control. This some what mirrors education trends, although governments have tended more commonly to control school systems. The issue of sponsorship is not just that of government control, but also what non-governmental institutions are involved.

Figure 1.--The Hitler Youth was a government sponsored and controlled youth movemnents. It was one of the most successful of all youth movements, measured by accomplishments the goals set. The primary goal was to bond German boys to the NAZI Party and to prepare boys to wage agressive war.

Governmental Sponsorship

Youth groups around the world and over time have varied. One of the key differences between the many different youth groups is sponsorship, especially the level of government control. Some youth movements have been totally controlled by governments (NAZI Hitler Youth and Communist Young Pioneers). Here it was a political party controlling the governmnt that operated the youth groups. But in these instances the division between the governming parties and the government were blurred. Göring after the War claimed that the Hitler Youth were simply the Boy Scouts. They were not and the essential difference was state control.

Political Party Sponsorship

We notice some youth organizations sponsored by politicl parties. This has included both governing an oposition parties. The Hitler Youth, for example, were founded by the NAZIs who after they seized power made the Hitler Youth the only permitted youth group. Before the NAZIs seized power, they and other political parties sypported youth groups and the country's large youth movement was heavily politicized.

Figure 2.--The Boy Scouts are a non-political youth group sponsored by non-governmental groups. The American program actively supports parental involvement, but this is not the case in all countries. The Scouts were from Morgantown, West Virginia. Even without government sponsorship, patriotism has been an important value promoted by Scouting.

Non-Governmental Sponsorship

Other youth movements were organized independently of government control, although they may receive varying levels of state support. The issue of sponsorship is not just that of government control, but also what non-governmental institutions are involved. Here sponsorship can vary. Youth groups, schools, fraternal organization, factories and other, And important factor here is the degree to which the family was involved. The NAZIS and Communists actively sought to prevent parental envolvement. American Scouting actively promotes parental involvement. Cubbing is a home-based program and many Scout masters are drawn from the parents of the boys involved. A British Scouter tells us, "Cubs and Scouts is/was far more family/parent orientated in the USA than in the UK from my own experience of both. Over here there is parental involvement but often the kids are just sent to 'Scouts' and that is where the parents input ends. Not always but it isn't far off the majority. From what I saw Stateside there is far more involvement and support from parents and the community in general. IMO it's something Americans are far better at. The difference between the Hitler Youth and Young Pioneers etc compared with Scouting has been their political motivations more than anything else. I am a great fan of Scouting but it has not always been an entirely innocent player when it comes to promoting particular beliefs etc (mostly for the good I should add but there are still controvosies ref religion, homosexuals, promoting middle class views etc to name just a couple). I would agree that the HJ did a great deal more to divide the children from other inputs including their parents. It's probably also quite unfair to compare them with Scouting as although there are obvious similarities (especially ref some activities and methods) the motives and ideolgies behind them are completely different."

Education

This issue of sponsorship some what mirrors education trends, although governments have tended more commonly to control school systems. This is standard around the world. Totalitarian governments takes this one step further by closing and prohibiting private schools. Private education was not permitted in Communist countrides because it threatened the state's monopoly over the formtion of young people.