Social development

Preparing children and youth for broad social activities is one of the most important goals of the Scout Movement.

The Constitution of the World Organization of Scouts – the fundamental law – states this at the very beginning: “The purpose of the Scout Movement is to promote the development of young people to achieve their full intellectual, social and spiritual potential, to educate them as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of local, national and international communities”. The constitution also states that “all members of the Scout Movement shall be faithful to the Scout Promise and Law, which are expressed in the language of the respective culture of each National Scout Organization, approved by the World Conference, and based on the principles of Duty to God, to others and to oneself.” These principles have always been and remain fundamental in the activities of all National Scout Associations without exception.

The social development of the individual primarily implies that children and young people have the ability to interact with other people. In every small group, Baden Powell noted, it is necessary to learn how to work together with others, respect others, help those people who need it. Today, when integration processes are going on so actively in the world, the ability of a person to interact with others is of particular importance. Very often we pay more attention to the intellectual and physical development of children and do not teach them social communication at all. In a modern small family, this practice is difficult, children do not have the opportunity to learn social adaptation, show, prove and reflect with others, understand the behavior of others and adapt their own behavior to the norms of social life. The Scouting Movement plays an important role in the social development of young people, and it mostly happens in small groups.

Working in a group requires the skills of social contact from each of its members, and joint activities depend on the skill, position and value orientations of individuals. Scouting emphasizes the importance of both individual and community development. The concept of “social development” or “social development” denotes a certain level of an individual’s ability to interact in a group and in a one-on-one situation, the ability to come to certain agreements (consensus) in the social environment.

Social formation occurs where abilities are improved:

• understand and respect other people;

• adapt your behavior to the behavior of other people;

• help people, and therefore hope for their help;

• work together with other people.

Social development develops and improves:

• ability to speak in front of others;

• the ability to express one’s thoughts and feelings;

• the ability to explain the behavior of other people;

• the ability to control one’s own behavior.

Social development allows:

• be open to friendship and camaraderie;

• respect human values;

• understand the diversity of human experience;

• Recognize and recognize the importance of united efforts as a leading factor in progress.

It should be added to the above that social development is possible only when there is an interaction that stimulates the social development of the child in all directions. In Scouting, there are various ways and forms of improving this process, and, as we have already said, it provides unlimited opportunities for the socialization of young people, since its conceptual approach is the actualization of all the resources of the individual and the environment for the social adaptation of the individual and its comfortable integration into the environment. world.

In many cases of human life, the practice of social development has the same directions as the programs of the Scout Movement. Interaction, cooperation has always been inherent in people, but conscious interaction begins only with joint work in a group. Scouts learn to work on patrols, where, by communicating with each other, they broaden their horizons and acquire the skills of social coexistence. With all basic documents, Scouting emphasizes that the life of Scouts in most National Scout Associations is a constant process of forming an individual who is ready to take responsibility for another and come to the aid of anyone who needs it, who is able to be friends, respect the beliefs and beliefs of others and cooperate locally, nationally. and international levels. Scouting teaches that the most essential and dearest thing for a person is friendship, camaraderie, fraternity and necessarily a feeling of charity. His program is more focused on cooperation and commonwealth, on the education of a citizen, but not on the opposition of classes, religions, countries, etc. “Mutual understanding and interaction, – emphasizes Scouting, – will destroy the barriers between peoples and countries and create real lasting peace on our big planet.”