Social, Cultural and Sporting Life
Each school or sixth-form college has its School or College Council. It helps to plan the policy for the whole school. It organizes the social and cultural life at the school. School Councils in many schools and colleges are chaired by a student and have a majority of student members. They run discos and parties, stage drama productions and decorate the student common room. Music-making is part of school life. Some students help in local hospitals, homes for the handicapped and elderly people. There are many clubs and societies. Very popular, especially with senior pupils, is a school debating society. Most clubs meet regularly: daily, weekly or monthly, at lunch time or after school. Extracurricular activities include various outings, visits to places of interest and dances. School choirs and orchestras give regular concerts. Sports are very popular too: running, jogging, swimming, self defence, football, soccer, badminton, aerobics, rugby, etc. There are many national voluntary youth organizations in Britain. You have probably read about the Scout and Girl Guides Associations. There are some clubs run by the churches. The three pre-service organizations (the Sea Cadet Corps, Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps) are not very large. Their activities are related to the work of the armed forces. But the largest youth organizations, as you probably know, are the associations of the Boy Scouts and the Girl Guides. There are about 1,300,000 boys and girls in them. The movement of Boy Scouts was founded by General Baden-Powell in 1908 and began to spring up in almost every town and village of the British Isles. Its aim is to help a Scout (a boy from 8 to 18) to develop into a good man and a useful citizen. He must be able to handle sails, to use a compass, to lay and light a fire out of doors, he must know first aid and develop his interest in music, literature, drama, arts, and films. A Scout is a friend to animals, he is 'clean in thought, word and deed'. He must obey the Scout Law. The Girl Guides Association was founded by Lord Baden-Powell in 1910. It is divided into three sections: Brownies (from 7.5 to 11), Guides (age 11—16), and Rangers (age 16—21). The programme of training is planned to develop intelligence and practical skills including cookery, needlework and childcare. The training and the Law are much the same as those of the Scouts. Like a Scout a Girl Guide must be a friend to animals. She must be 'pure in thought, word and deed'. She must be loyal to God and the Queen. There are several youth organizations associated with political parties. The Youth Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (YCND) unites thousands of young people of Great Britain. It co-operates with the National Union of Students and many other youth organizations. It organizes mass rallies and meetings, demonstrations, marches of protest, festivals. References 1. School Council — школьный совет учащихся 2. boy scout — бойскаут (мальчик — член ассоциации бойскаутов); бойскаут средней дружины (от 11 до 15 лет) 3. girl guide — герл-гайд (член организации герл гайдов) 4. YCND = Youth Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament — «Молодежное движение за ядер ное разоружение» (организация молодых сторонников мира) 5. debating society — дискуссионный клуб (в средней школе, обыкн. в привилегированной частной, или в университете) 6- the Scout and Girl Guides Associations— accoциация бойскаутов и организация герл гайдов (девочек скаутов) 7- Cadet Corps — организация военной подготовки (обыкн. в привилегированной частной школе) 8. Army Cadet Force— военизированная органи зация в английских школах (готовит юношей 14—18 лет для службы, в армии) 9. Air Training Corps — военизированная органи зация в английских школах (готовит юношей 14—18 лет для вступления в ВВС) 10. Brownies = brownie guides — брауни-гайды (младшая дружина девочек скаутов от 7,5 до 11 лет в организации герл-гайдов) 11. guide — гайд, девочка-скаут средней дружины 12. Rangers = ranger guides — рейнджер-гайды (старшая дружина девочек скаутов от 16 до 21 года)
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