Youth life

10.2.1. Youth and youth movement are important factors in the life of Britain. Hundreds of voluntary youth groups and organizations play an active role in the moral and physical nurture of young people in Britain. There are thousands of Youth Clubs which are part of a highly organized national network. These can provide good all-round facili­ties for games, music, project development and other activities and encourage young people to take part in dramatic productions, resi­dential visits, community work or environmental projects.

10.2.2. The Scout Association, founded in Britain by Lord Robert Baden-Powell about a century ago (1908), is still popular. Girls were admitted to the Scouts for the first time in 1990. Boys and girls scouts organize outdoor activities such as camping and social responsibility. Scouts wear uni­forms. Their motto is "Be prepared". Young Farmers' Clubs embrace thousands of members in country areas. The clubs visit farms and research stations and enjoy social meetings as well. Most of them are directly involved in community activities such as programs to help in the protection of the local environment. Youth organization Greenpeace deals with most urgent ecological problems of today's world. It protests against nuclear weapon tests, water and soil pollution, etc. Religious organizations are the largest voluntary sector provider of accommodation training for young people, particularly those who are homeless, unemployed or otherwise disadvantaged.

10.2.3. Most British people attribute their origins to the early invaders, calling themselves English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, or Ulsterites. The remaining share of the population are minorities who arrived, for the most part, in the decades following the end of World War II. These minorities— Chinese, Asian Indians, Pakistanis, Africans, and Caribbean people of African ancestry—came to Britain in substantial numbers after 1945. Immigration from the South Asian subcontinent (India and Pakistan) stabilized in the 1990s, but immigration from African countries continued to rise. These newer ethnic groups tend to live in the more urban and industrial areas of England, especially in London, Birmingham, and Leeds. It is estimated that 60 percent of black Britons live in the London area, along with 41 percent of the Asian Indian population.

10.2.4. The United Kingdom is generally a prosperous, well-educated, and tolerant society, and ethnic differences have sparked relatively little violence and hostility. Even so, black and Asian populations tend to cluster in certain urban neighborhoods, where economic and social disadvantages have become pronounced. Integration of these diverse ethnic groups into the workforce, as well as socialization into the broader society, including intermarriage, has been remarkably smooth. Percentages of employment for various ethnic minorities and whites are generally similar. Many individuals from ethnic minorities hold managerial and professional positions, and several sit in Parliament.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-07