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Problems of youth in Great Britain
Life used to be fun for "teenagers". They used to have money to spend, and free time to
spend it in. They used to wear teenage clothes, and meet in teenage coffee bars and
discos. Some of them still do. But for many young people, life is harder now. Jobs are
difficult to find. Things are more expensive, and it's hard to find a place to live. Teachers
say that students work harder than they used to. They are less interested in politics, and
more interested in passing exams. They know that good exam results may get
them better jobs. Most young people worry more about money than their parents did
twenty years ago. They try to spend less and save more. They want to be able to get
homes of their own one day. For some, the answer to unemployment is to leave home and
look for work in one of Britain's big cities. Every day hundreds of young people arrive in
London from other parts of Britain, looking for jobs. Some find work and stay. Others
don't find it, and go home again, or join the many unemployed in London. There used to
be one kind of teenage fashion, one style, one top pop group. Then, the girls all wore
mini-skirts and everyone danced to the music of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. But
now an eighteen-year-old might be a punk, with green hair and chains round his legs, or a
skin head, with short, short hair and right wing politics, or a "rasta", with long uncombed
hair and a love for Africa. There's a lot of different music around too. There's reggae, the
West Indian sound, there's rock, there's heavy metal, country and western, and disco. All
these kinds of music are played by different groups and listened to by different fans.
When you read the newspapers and watch the news on television, it's easy to get the idea
that British young people are all unemployed, angry and in trouble. But that's not true.
Three quarters of them do more or less what their parents did. They do their best at
school, find some kind of work in at last, and get married in their early twenties. They get
on well with their parents, and enjoy family life. They eat fish and chips, watch football
on TV, go to the pub, and like reading about pop stars. After all, if they didn't, they
wouldn't be
British, would they?

Life of youth in Great Britain

The home is the central focus of most peopleТs lives in Britain, particularly for those
who are still attending school. The majority relies upon their home environment as a
place of security and upon their parents as the main providers of food, money and other
necessary amenities for life, as well as general advice. Young people spend a lot of their
leisure time in the home with other members of their family or with friends.

After the home, school is the main social environment where children not only receive
their formal education but also develop their identities within peer groups. All
schoolchildren in Great Britain are encouraged to take up activities, which complement
their academic and vocational education and help to identify their individual talents, such
as sports, drama, music and creative pursuits. Many of these form part of school
curricula.
The Youth Service in Britain also promotes the personal development and informal social
education of young people aged 11-25. A recent survey estimated that nearly 6 million
young people in this age group are either current or past participants in the Service.

Youth clubs and centres are the most common types of Youth Service provision. They
encourage their members to participate in sport, cultural and creative activities, and
community service.

Many foundations and trusts provide finance for activities, which develop the latent
talents of BritainТs youth. The PrinceТs Trust and the Royal Jubilee Trust, for example,
help individuals and organisations active in youth-oriented projects related to urban
deprivation, unemployment and young offending.

Youth Organizations in Great Britain

Youth and youth movement have become important factors in the life of the country.
Numerous youth organizations have been formed since the Second World War, uniting
young people from all classes and sections of the population. There are about 60 youth
organizations in Great Britain. Youth Council, which represents the youth of the country
both nationally and internationally. All youth organizations can be divided into three
large groups: 1. non-political organizations; 2. youth organizations associated with
political parties; 3. youth organizations controlled by religious bodies. The two largest
non-political youth organizations are the associations of the Boy Scouts and the Girl
Guides. There are about 1300000 boys and girls in them. The membership is voluntary.
The Scout Association was formed in 1908 by General Baden Powell. His idea was to
train boys in mapping, signaling, 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 Law. The Boy Scouts had a left-handed handshake, a special badge and
the motto “Be Prepared”. The Scout Law embraces “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
Pawell in 1910. It’s divided into three sections: 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, childcare. Like a Scout a
Girl Guide must be a friend to animals. The Girl Guides Association has extensive
international links. There are some other non-political organizations: the Combined Cadet
Force, Sea Cadet Corps, the Woodcraft Folk, the Youth Hostels Association, the National
Federation of Young Farmers Clubs, Greenpeace. Youth Organization Greenpeace deals
with most urgent ecological problems. It protests against nuclear weapon tests, sea and
soil pollution, etc. Sport clubs are characteristic youth organizations in the UK. They
unite people who are interested in baseball, football, golf, etc. There also exist interest
clubs. You can attend any club: From theatre to bird-watching clubs. By the way,
birdwatching clubs are very popular in Great Britain. There are several youth
organizations associated with political parties. The Youth Campaign for Nuclear
Disarmament (YCND) unites young people and organizes mass rallies and meetings,
demonstrations, marches of protest, festivals. It co-operates with the National Union of
Students. Religious young organizations and groups aim at helping to elderly people or
working in hospitals. There are even groups where young people help released prisoners
to start then life a-new. Religious organizations pay attention not only to the study of
religious views but involve youth into such activities as music festivals and amateur
theatre. As you see, all there organizations aim at preserving and strengthening the social
and political system existing in the country. Many of them have done and still are doing
useful work in providing leisure facilities for young English people.
Our youth is mostly similar to the youth abroad in many aspects of life. Numerous
youth organizations have been formed since the Second World War, uniting young
people from all classes and sections of the population. In the USA exists a Young
Republican Federation, Young Christian Association, some religious organizations for
Jewish youth. Youth organization Green peace deals with the most urgent ecological
problems of today's world. It protests against nuclear weapon test, sea and soil pollution,
etc.Sport clubs are characteristic youth organizations in the US and UK. They unite
people, who are interested in baseball, football, basketball, golf, etc. You can attend any
club: from theater clubs to bird-watching clubs. Bird-watching clubs are very popular,
especially in Great Britain.And at the age of 14 children have regular part-time job to
earn some pocket money. Some young people work in their church organizations. They
help elderly people or work in hospital.There are even some groups, where young people
help released prisoners to start their life anew. Youth and youth movement over decades
have become important factors in the life of both countries.

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