Document 141

Speech by Kosarev at Orgbiuro session "On Young Pioneer Work," 7 May 1933

RGASPI, f. 17, op. 114, d. 236, ll. 185-186. Typewritten copy.

Finally, I want to say a few words concerning children's recreation. This area is in extremely poor shape. Nobody is interested in how youngsters want to spend their recreation time. The Pioneer leader decides this issue. Instead of assembling the Pioneers and asking them how they would like to spend their recreation time, the leader presents them with a plan, which he has drawn up himself or has received from the organization.

The children have all been lumped together. It is impossible to figure out where the good Pioneers are and where the bad ones are. Nothing sets the good Pioneers apart. We are debating this issue in the TsK--maybe we should follow the Boy Scouts' example and introduce some kind of medals for Pioneers. Right now all Pioneers look alike. The top people in a detachment are usually not children. Who are these top people? There is a leader, an assistant leader and older Pioneers--who are already Komsomol members. The heads of Pioneer detachments also include nice youngsters, but for the most part they are appointed in a bureaucratic manner from the top, they do not have adequate pedagogical experience, and often these are already over-age youngsters and it is very hard for them to manage children, and uninteresting besides. Such heads, understandably, lack authority with the Pioneers.

A few words about voluntariness in the Pioneer detachments. There is no voluntariness. The detachments have existed for twelve years already. And what do they do? Still the same assemblies, the same discussions, and in the summer, group gatherings around a campfire. There are Pioneer groups that are interested in mathematics, in all kinds of inventing, and there are groups that are interested in studying nature. So the children establish their own associations and all kinds of groups for these purposes. This is the most precious thing that should enliven the Pioneer organization, that should make it breathe at full strength. This is lacking in the Pioneer detachments.

So the problem is not that there isn't enough assistance. A better job could be done, of course, in helping the Pioneer organization. But the problem is that we are applying a number of mistaken premises to the work of the Pioneer organization. These mistaken premises must be eliminated. The problem is that we are not selecting the best Komsomol members as Pioneer leaders. We don't have many leaders, and those we have quickly leave and a large number of detachments don't have any leaders at all.

I want to come back to children's recreation. The situation in this area is very bad. Just take Moscow. It has only one or two children's theaters, and morning movie showings for children are almost never organized. Nobody is involved in producing special children's movies, movies that interest children and educate them. Children's theaters don't have appropriate plays, either. You will recall, five years ago "The Bluebird" was produced at the Art Theater and how delighted the children's reaction to it was. We--and that includes the Narkompros--are not concerning ourselves enough about children's recreation.