The Young Pioneers were members of the Vladimir Lenin All-Union Pioneer Organisation of the Soviet Union, known for their good behaviour, encouraged by activities that benefited the community. They looked after animals, helped in libraries, gathered food and clothes for soldiers, assisted the elderly, and much more.
"Rise high our campfires into the blue night, we are pioneers, the children of the workers, near is the time of our best years and the pioneers' motto is, 'Always be ready'!" the famous Pioneer song reads, perfectly describing the atmosphere of that time.
Despite the organisation being disbanded in 1991 right before the fall of the Soviet Union, its spirit and its songs live on in Russian society and popular culture.
A bugler and drummers participate in a morning parade at the Lastochka (Swallow) pioneer camp near the city of Cheboksary in Chuvashia, 1983. Pioneers learned social cooperation and attended publicly funded summer camps.
A Soviet schoolgirl with a duck, 1961. Pioneers tended animals and looked after children.
A parade at Red Square in Moscow dedicated to the celebration of the 41st anniversary of Lenin's All-Union Pioneer Organisation, 1963.
USSR pilot-cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union Yuri Gagarin visits the All-Union Pioneer Camp "Artek" to meet with pioneers in 1963. Pioneers learned social cooperation and attended publicly funded summer camps.
Pioneers at the "Young Sailor" pioneer camp, 1966. Pioneers learned social cooperation and attended publicly funded summer camps.
Soviet pioneers from secondary school No. 4 make booties for babies in the framework of the school factory "Red shoe", Rostov-on-Don, 1988.
Pioneers from the Kazakh SSR on Red Square while celebrating the 50th anniversary of the All-Union Pioneer Organisation named after Lenin, 1972.
Pioneers help to harvest tomatoes at the kolkhoz (collective farm) Soviet Russia in the Pavlovsky district of the Krasnodar Region, 1984.
Pioneers of Samarkand, 1969. The main symbols of Young Pioneers were the red banner, flag, Young Pioneer's red scarf, and organisational badge.
A Moscow schoolboy drawing during an art class at the City Palace of Pioneers, 1959. According to the pioneers' solemn promise, "the young builder of communism is working and studying for the good of the motherland, preparing to become its protector".
Pioneers perform dances of the various nations of the USSR during a celebration of the 45th anniversary of the pioneer organisation in 1967.
Pioneers rest near Tuapse on the Black Sea, 1969. The "Pearl" pioneer camp near Tuapse on the Black Sea was set up for children of workers from the Taganrog factory "Krasny Kotelshik". Pioneers learned social cooperation and attended publicly funded summer camps.
Young pioneers dressed as firefighters participate in a parade on Red Square in Moscow, 1967.
Soviet kids get birdhouses getting ready for the spring arrival of birds, 1960. "A pioneer is a reliable comrade, respects elders, looks after younger people, always acts according to their conscience", one of the pioneers' solemn rules says.
Young rocket designers at an aviation and sports festival at the Tushino airfield, Moscow. According to the pioneers' solemn promise, "the young builder of communism is working and studying for the good of the motherland, preparing to become its protector".
A Soviet pioneer attends a computer technology lesson, 1986. Only the best and most well-behaved students were allowed into the ranks of the Young Pioneers.
Pioneers congratulate war veterans on Victory Day, 1989. During the Soviet era, pioneers put up symbolic "Stars of Heroes" on houses where veterans lived, so residents knew that a participant in World War II lived in that house.
Soviet and Indian kids ride a boat on the Black Sea, 1968. The establishment of the "Artek" children’s camp was announced on 5 November 1924, on a holiday dedicated to Moscow’s pioneers. The first 80 children came to Artek from Moscow, Ivanovo-Voznesensk, and the Crimea.
