Leisure time
It is not easy to say exactly what
teenagers in different countries do in their leisure time. I think that, in the
main our interests and tastes do not differ very much. They are engaged in
sports activities. They listen to their favourite music bands or take part in
different concerts. Teenagers discover the world and themselves. In the main,
all young people are individualists. Youth is the time when young people work
out their outlook. At the same time they need collective experience to share
their dreams and interests. Teenagers unite in specific organisations.
The first organisation that brought
together thousands of teenagers in different countries was that of the Scouts.
The aim of this association was originally to train boys in various different
skills such as lighting a fire and to develop their character. Now the Scouts
are active all around the world. The motto of the Scouts is "Be
Prepared." After the October Revolution a similar Pioneer organisation was
created in Russia. The Pioneers were supported and sponsored by the government.
Now the Pioneers do not exist in our country.
The Scouts and Pioneers were the
first, but not the only organisations of the young people. For example today
the volunteer movement is extremely popular among the teenagers. It dates back
to the year 1921, when a French soldier decided to restore a German house after
World War I free of charge. The movement flourished only in the late 1990s when
young people of Europe and the United States went to different parts of the world
helping local communities to solve their problems. Today volunteerism is very
popular in American community and political life. Volunteerism implies
assisting people through privately initiated agencies. Volunteers do not
receive any salary for what they are doing, but at the same time their work is
highly motivated. They react very quickly, immediately coming to help to
whoever may need it. There are several types of volunteer work: workcamps,
mid-term and long-term volunteering projects. Any young man from any continent
can come to workcamps. These camps attain certain objectives in social,
ecological, archaeological fields. Usually all works are done under the
supervision of professionals. The mid-and long-term projects usually concern
the social sphere. They include assistance to children, old people, crippled or
immigrants. Volunteer fund-raising groups unite to help the needy in all
spheres. They can do almost any work that is necessary. Volunteers can be found
in any part of the globe. In the United States six out of ten pupils are
members of some volunteer organisations.
All three organisations that were
mentioned above are more or less formal. At the same time there are many
informal associations of teenagers. Very often they are not even registered,
and if they are, no one cares about what they are doing. No records are kept of
their activities. They emerge, evolve and disintegrate without leaving trace in
history. Nevertheless such organisations are extremely important for their
participants. They serve as a means for teenagers to express themselves, meet
new friends that have common interests, discuss problems that are really
important to them. Quite often a famous book, a movie or a musical band can
serve as an impulse for creating such organisations. Fan clubs of different
rock and pop groups are numerous. Fan clubs usually consist of teenagers.
Members of such clubs listen collectively to their favourite songs, attend
concerts, write letters to their idols.
The most spectacular example of
unofficial organisation is presented by the Tolkienist movement. J.R.R.
Tolkien, the famous British writer created a magic world of elves, dwarves, and
hob-bits. Any person who likes Tolkien's novels can become a Tolkienist. This
community is open to everyone; young people come and go, they choose a race,
becoming, for example, an elf or a goblin. Their imagination will carry them as
far as they want. In Russia Tolkien is extremely popular now. In Moscow there
are several places where his fans assemble to share their views and ideas.
Other teenagers go much further.
They are not satisfied with the world they are living in, and the worlds
created by others do not attract them either. They create their own worlds and
universes. In this context Role-Playing Games (also called RPG) should be
mentioned. The first RPG was Dungeons and Dragons (D'n'D), a Dungeon Muster
(DM) is responsible for outlining the rules of the newly created world, while
other players act as the inhabitants of this world, Participating in such activity
can be really thrilling, but the danger of quitting the real world for an
imaginary one is always present. Such groups and organisations are escapists in
their essence. Unlike volunteers they are not aimed at making our world better.
- Why do the young organise their
clubs?
- The young do not want to accept
the world of the adults with their organisations for the teenagers. They rebel
against it in different ways, sometimes in the form of creating their
unofficial organisations and clubs. They organise according to their interests
into different sub-cultural groups.
- Do you belong to any group or
organisation?
- No, I do not. My elder brother
used to be a Pioneer, but now such official or semi-official organisations do
not attract me. For a couple of years I attended the meetings of the
Tolkienists, acting as a little dwarf. Although I am still a great fan of
Tolkien's books, I do not think any longer that I should waste my time living
an imaginary life in the imaginary world. The world we all are living in is
full of wonders. There is always somebody who needs our help. A lot of my
friends are supporters of Greenpeace, and I will soon join their actions.
Greenpeace is doing a very important job of rescuing the nature. People of
different ages help Greenpeace, and I believe that young people should
participate in the activities of this organisation more actively.
- What do your friends do in their
leisure time?
- As I have already said, some of my
friends help Greenpeace. I still have many friends among the Tolkienists. Some
of my friends are fond of RPGs. They meet every Saturday in groups of 5 or 6,
They draw a map and for hours discuss the fates of their heroes. One game can
last several months or sometimes a year. Although my best friend who is a Dungeon
Master often invites me to join his RPG, I am sure that the real life is much
more interesting than any imaginary adventures.
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