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18PATRIOTIC EDUCATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE AS A STRAND OF THE STATE YOUTH POLICY
The paper deals with the basic methodological aspects of patriotic education in contemporary Russia. The authors provide a definition of the essence of patriotism, patriotic education and its goal. The study also determines the specifics and criteria for the efficiency of patriotic education. Based on the analysis and comparison methods, the authors classify educational methods into two groups. The relevance of the study is based on the urgent need to reveal the basics of love for their country to the younger generation.
Keywords
patriotism, youth, patriotic education, state youth policy, Oryol
AUTHORS
Vitaly N. Lupandin,
PhD in Political Science, Assistant Professor, Oryol branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Oryol, Russian Federation
Evgeniya S. Matveeva,
PhD in History, Assistant Professor, Chair of History, Political Science and State Policy, Oryol branch of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Oryol, Russian Federation
DOI: 10.24412/2311-8806-2023-2-17-22 Introduction
In the current geopolitical situation, the need to initiate into young Russians the system of social relations based on traditional universal values and behavioral stereotypes is viewed as increasingly significant and important [1]. Preservation and transmission of such values and stereotypes become one of the priorities of Russian society, since the younger generation is its potential and actual future, determining the vector of development of the society and the state.
The study is based on the key concepts of «patriotism» and «patriotic education». «Patriotism» is a social feeling of love and affection for the Motherland, devotion to the Homeland, pride and willingness to defend one's home country. More specifically: «patriotism» is a complex set of values in which social and political consciousness come together, as well as feelings, ideals, value orientations, beliefs, etc. Patriotism, as a social feeling, is not inherited, but is developed during one's life. Patriotism can also be viewed as the most important political principle, which makes it possible to avoid multiple contradictions between political forces in the state and to direct their efforts for the fruitful development of the state and society. Being a complex multidimensional phenomenon, patriotism, on the one hand, presupposes the desire of individuals to identify themselves as parts of their country and their society, and on the other hand, their desire to preserve their cultural and historical achievements and features, desire to identify the history of their people and their Homeland.
Materials, Methods and Results
The term "youth" refers to a social age group, that is, persons from 14 to 35 years old, also it is a status in society, and, to put it simply, a stage in personal development where transition occurs from the age of mindlessness to social responsibility.
Young people are an exclusively functional element of civil society: they are more suitable for implementation of innovative plans and technologies in various fields, they are considered to be focused on fresh knowledge and thoughts, they are mobile and full of energy to build their own lives.
The Russian youth is an important strategic resource of the Russian Federation. Currently, the Russian Federation is going through a certain period of its development, in which new and novel criteria of interaction between the society and the government are required. Creation of advanced civil institutes and promotion of civil initiatives will stimulate the progressive development of the country.
The methodological basis of the work was the methods of structural-functional, statistical analysis, comparative legal method, elements of systemic and comparative approaches.
The national youth policy can be described as a system of development of values and measures aimed at creating criteria and opportunities for successful social adaptation, as well as self-realization of the younger generation, orientation in national and public interests, as well as socio-economic and cultural development of the state, formation of competitiveness and strengthening of national defense.
The significance of development and training of young politicians lies in the fact that at the moment we can say that in fact there is no mechanism for integrating young people into the system of socio-economic and socio-political relations. Most young people do not demonstrate initiative and energy, but rather prefer to either take part in activities suggested to them or to remain observers. There are still many young people who are absolutely phlegmatic about social work. This situation arises due to a lack of preventive measures and educational processes at the early stages of education, unbalanced participation of politicians in public work, insufficient educational work with young people. The concept of «state youth policy» is used in a broader and a narrower sense. In the broadest sense, this position is understood as a targeted activity of absolutely all public organizations (federal and regional), as well as regional self-government bodies aimed at interaction with young people in absolutely all possible spheres of their life. In the narrowest sense, the state youth policy is the work of the country aimed at the formation of socioeconomic, legal, coordinating criteria, as well as a guarantee of the social development of the young generation and youth societies, absolute realization of the creative potential of the young generation in the interests of the society.
Development of patriotism in the modern Russian youth is a rather complex process, because, unlike in previous generations, the mentality of young Russians is influenced by numerous mass media that sometimes broadcast contradictory and unreliable information about the world around them, about events taking place in it, about the values allegedly dominating the world, etc. If the modern Russian state wants to continue to exist as an independent subject of world politics still remaining ready for cooperation, it should not remain aloof from the process called «patriotic education». The choice of methods, means and technologies of patriotic education of young people depends on many factors, including age [2].
Speaking about the focus of the Russian state on patriotic education, researchers identify three such main areas: military patriotic, cultural patriotic, sports patriotic education [3].
As part of the military patriotic education of the youth, a willingness to serve and defend the Motherland is formed, devotion to the Motherland is cultivated, the young man focuses on the honorable fulfillment of civic duty [4]. The key aspect in this case is the study of military history and military traditions. This area also implies introduction of basic elements of initial military training. It includes the following methods of patriotic education: visiting military units; meeting with veterans; conducting quizzes dedicated to days of military glory; lessons of courage; creating small local museums of military glory [5].
In the sphere of cultural and patriotic education, familiarization with the culture, traditions and achievements of the country is carried out, a sense of pride for them is nurtured, and a desire to preserve its values is developed. This area includes the following methods: publication of wall newspapers; visiting exhibitions and museums; making trips to places of military glory; tourist trips to historical sites; homerooms; participation in patriotic contests and quizzes; holding round tables [6].
In the sports and patriotic area of patriotic education of young people, young citizens develop discipline, stamina, courage and readiness to defend the Motherland. This area includes the following methods: conducting competitions in applied military sports; holding sports festivals; taking part in sports workshops; participating in hiking trips.
It should also be noted that there is a close relationship between the two bases for classification and the methods included in them. For different ages, only some particular methods may be more suitable to a certain extent. When selecting a method of patriotic education, it is necessary to take into account all the features of the group to which the methods will be applied.
Moving from the main areas of patriotic education of the Russian youth to the forms and methods of its implementation, we believe that currently one of the most effective and efficient methods of patriotic education of the Russian youth is direct participation of young people in the activities of the search movement. The search movement in Russia operates on a voluntary basis and has an established structure, its own methods, and often has unique information about events of the past [7]. It «... is aimed at solving a package of the most important state tasks: perpetuating the memory of the defenders of the Motherland, finding out the names and destinies of the dead, restoring historical events, and, as a result of solving these tasks, educating young patriots ...» [8,9].
In modern Russia, the search movement is gaining momentum. The beginning of the special military operation in many ways provoked another wave of renewed interest in this field. The students were the first to respond to these calls, which manifested itself in the growth of student search teams. Currently, there are over 100 student search teams in Russia, whose work becomes more active by the time of anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The Association of Student Search Teams of the Search Movement of Russia coordinates the work of these teams on the basis of universities, colleges, etc. The Association develops a strategy of behavior and activities in 4 areas: work with college and university students; work in social networks in the Internet; work with the projects of the Search Movement of Russia, supervision of these projects in the student community; organization of the student field season. Student participating in search teams are initiators of the All-Russian Gathering of Student Search Teams, as well as the All-Russian event Memory Watch of the Search Movement of Russia. The Memory Watch is a large-scale All-Russian event that has been held annually since 1989, and in fact is fundamental to the entire search movement of Russia. The Memory Watch project annually carries out its profile work at the sites of important battles, in order to restore memory. It is gratifying that now the interest of the state in the Search Movement is increasing.
There are also military historical reenactments, this is a kind of historical reenact-ment, which includes reproduction of a specific historical event, in particular a military
event of a certain time period. The purpose of such reenactment is the desire to show how the events took place in real life with maximum historical accuracy [10].
In the modern period, military historical reenactment in most cases can rely on primary sources: reports of combat events, various orders of the command, regulations of the armed forces, maps of combat operations and front-line reports, memories of eyewitnesses of events, memoirs, videotapes, etc. Archaeological activity helps a lot in this area. Findings clearly confirm or refute official information. Analyzing known data and new sources, military reenactors receive the amount of information that is necessary to prepare for the reenactment per se [11].
However, there are a number of problems in this sphere that have a significant impact on the reenactment activity in general. In our opinion, the most common problems include:
1. The problem of caring for historical truth and filling in the missing historical information. Any actions of the opposing sides should be reflected as realistically as possible. Every reenactor should know the history of those events and the people involved in them from the most general facts to the smallest details. Their clothes, equipment, weapons and actions must correspond to the reenacted time and event. Hence follows the second part of this problem. Many people are engaged in reenactment on the basis of superficial knowledge. This leads to historical discrepancy [12].
2. Issues related to legislation. The fact is that, as is clear from the name, military historical reenactment involves the use of weapons and military equipment, which certainly needs coordination and legal settlement with the authorities. These issues can be divided into the following components:
2.1. Permission to hold events of this type. Organizations that are seriously engaged in conducting military-historical reenactments reveal strict order, correct documentation and do not violate the rule of law, thereby easily obtaining permission to hold such events [13].
2.2. Operation of replica weapons. This problem is solved within the framework of the Federal Law on Weapons, which gives a clear definition of a replica weapon - this is a decommissioned weapon with the possibility of simulating a shot from it with a light-and-sound action cartridge. The main problem is that this type of small arms is completely identical to combat weapons. Therefore, to avoid problems, organizers of the event must have documents stating that the weapon is not combat weapon [14].
2.3. The most serious problem in the issue of military historical reenactment is the issue related to the symbolism of the armies of the states that took part in the war. In particular, it concerns the symbols of Nazi Germany. It is important to note that symbolism in reconstruction is used to reproduce historical reality, and not to promote it [15].
The main goals of effective patriotic education at the state level are:
1. Creation of a resource platform (premises, equipment, curators) and an information base (educational classes, seminars, web resources, communities on various topics, etc.) to reveal young persons' capabilities, potential and implement ideas, start-ups, projects;
2. Provision of opportunities for young people not just to implement their ideas, but also to use them in future in their business operations;
3. Professional training and retraining of highly qualified specialists certified by the state for work in priority areas of development of the youth policy of the Russian Federation.
The following key areas will include the work of established Centers for Innovative Youth Creativity:
a) additional education of young people interested in technical and creative training;
b) development and implementation of projects (including innovative ones) of students;
c) receipt and performance of orders for various organizations (in order to improve and modernize technological processes) from the small business sector;
d) fulfillment of small-scale orders for release of various products.
It should be noted that there are many companies that may be interested in working with the Centers for access and use of productive resources. Not all newly established companies have their own production base or sufficient resources to carry out full-fledged work, in this regard, projects for the performance of about 3-4 production orders by the Center from these companies are likely, which will undoubtedly be a good practical experience for those involved and financial support for work of the Centers themselves.
Access to the Centers will not be limited by age category, but it is assumed that the main cohort of those involved will be the younger generation (schoolchildren, college students, graduate students, doctoral students, young scientists). Particular priority will be given to the target audience involved, i.e. students of schools and universities, with regard to their employment, age and active creative potential.
In order to attract a new flow of students to the Center, it is proposed to carry out campaigning work directly in educational institutions, with further invitations to schoolchildren and college students on excursions and demonstration classes in the Centers. It is also planned that the Centers will participate in youth forums of the regional, interregional and international levels, various conferences and festivals, participation in these events is necessary to attract creative and active youth. In addition, in order to attract creative youth, the Centers will organize their own competitions, contests, scientific and technical conferences for schoolchildren and college students.
The websites of the Centers may also contain information about their day-to-day activities to attract new students, in addition, such sites will have an educational focus for those involved or potential applicants.
At present, the main driving force behind the development of innovations in the state is information technology, but, unfortunately, not much attention is paid to the use of advanced materials and the use of modern technical means. The creation of the Centers will arouse the interest of modern youth in work with modern technology for the further creation and implementation of innovative products.
Conclusion
The concept of «state youth policy» is used in a broader and a narrower sense. In the broadest sense, it is understood as the targeted activity of absolutely all public authorities (federal and regional), as well as regional self-government bodies to interact with young people in absolutely all possible spheres of life of the young generation. In the narrowest sense, the state youth policy is the work of the country aimed at the formation of socioeconomic, legal, coordinating criteria, as well as a guarantee of the social development of the young generation and youth societies, absolute realization of the creative potential of the young generation in the interests of the society.
Thus, «patriotism» is a social feeling of love and affection for the Motherland, devotion to the Homeland, pride and willingness to defend one's home country. More specifically: «patriotism» is a complex set of values in which social and political consciousness come together, as well as feelings, ideals, value orientations, beliefs, etc. As patriotism is a social feeling, it is not inherited, but is developed during the life of an individual. Developing of patriotism among modern Russian youth is a rather complex process, because, unlike in previous generations, the consciousness of young Russians is influenced by numerous mass media.
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