YOUTH'S LESSONS IN PUBLIC

The main problem now is not to repeat the 'elder comrades' mistake and reduce all to empty chatter. There are nearly 320 youth organizations in St. Petersburg. Yet only few of them are really active. The most important problem for the majority of them is money - where to take it from and how to divide it.

There is an exemplary inter-regional social movement 'The Northwest', whose members took authority in their hands by participating in this year's municipal elections. Now, they can implement their own policy in some city districts. In all 111 municipal units the six million St. Petersburg Region 1000 of deputies were elected. While their average age was 50, only 30 persons in their late twenties won mandates and only two were younger than 25.

'Class governors will replace the former pioneer leaders. The main thing for them is not to forget to work, and to study. '

In the Moskovsky district the 'Council of learning youth' was elected. It will represent young people in the local governmental institutions. The Council consists of 26 schoolboys from all districts. With special deputy certificates, they can participate in sessions of the council and will have a 'parliamentary immunity'. They will also receive the right to free travel.

Apart from this, the 'Elections in a democratic society' course started in two district schools. Children elected own 'presidents' of schools, used actual documents by political parties and worked on Russian electoral legislation and laws. Older boys proposed candidates, formed groups of support and developed propaganda. The programs of those seeking place in school parliaments touched upon all problems significant to children. These were democratic control of school, educational process, progress evaluation, discipline, order, attitude towards the nature, etc.

Then, the 'Republic of School-land' in one of the district schools was created. Students invented their own 'Duma', president, and own 'cabinet of ministers'.. Each class elected a governor, responsible for organizing boy's participation in school's public life. Also 5 departments were organized: administration, sports, education, culture and information. The responsibilities of the governor and departments were approved on the meeting of a school duma, which develops defending pupils' rights.

Young readers will read only about what they are interested in and troubled by. So… they have to write themselves

A project was created with the oldest children's newspaper of Russia 'Five Corners' . Once a week a city specialist on the child's rights responds to problems of the juvenile readers.

Also, the 'Yunkors' (young journalists) appeared in the city's landscape. Beside myself, there are about 30-40 youngsters in the age of 13-18. All of them have a status of 'youth correspondents' and they try to combine their studies of journalism with some practical work. They edit their own two pages: one is dedicated to all sides of everyday school life and the second is on 'the teenagers in nature' -the inner life of teenagers, their problems with parents, friends, the loved ones, etc. The newspaper's motto is: "the newspaper, which helps youngsters to become adults, and adults to understand youngsters'.

'The Yunkors' also actively participate in other activities related to school life, ecology, etc. They try to determine most vital topics of their life, sometimes unmask dishonest headmasters. Lastly, about 40 percents of articles in 'Five corners' are written by children and we also publishes children's letters. We have received over 5000 letters in 6 months-it's a real record.