Youth Group Chronology: 21st Century

Figure 1.--Youth groups in the 21st century generally give less attention to unifirms than was the case in much of the 20th century. Some traditional groups, however, still maintain string uniform standards. Put your cursor on the image to see the rest of this group..

Many youth groups continue to operate in the 21st century. The best known is the Boy Scouts which is active in many countries around the world. Scouting has changed a great deal. Cubbing which began as a junior part of the larger Scouting movvement is now the largest part of the program in most countries. Scouting suffers from the fact that there are many more activities available for boys than was the case in the early 20th century. And Scouting has to compete with the fact that modern children with computers, games consuls, and other electronic devives have many ways of diverting themselves at home. As a result the memberships of Scouting groups have declined from peak levels reached in the 1950s-60s in many countries. Scouters differ as to how to confront this problem. Some want to maintain a traditional program. Others have tried to introduce modern program elements to interest more boys. Scouting in America also faces challenges in the increasingly sharp divisions between religious beliefs and an increasingly secular society. The Young Pioneers disappeared in many countries with the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The Young Pioneers continue in Cuba and the Communist Asian countries. These are mandatory programs and as a result include very large numbers of members, especially of course in China. There are also a variety of different smaller groups in various countries around the world.

The 2000s

The major event in the 2000s will of course be the celebration of the centenial of Scouting in 2007. The World Scouting Organization (WSO) and national Scout association have already begun planning the event.