Youth organisations in modern dictatorships
Setting:
Present day, alternative universe. I have a youth organization constructed and controlled by a dictatorship, and I would like the details to be as close to reality as possible, so I hope someone here can help.
The youth organization's meetings are compulsory to attend for anyone up to 25 years old. My MC is 17 and in the second to last group, for youth aged 16 - 20 years. She will not be allowed anywhere near the younger members of the youth organisation since she is a newly reformed criminal.
Questions:
* Were there any tests to the youth member's obedience to the government? Would they be likely to find out that she is not as brainwashed as the rest if she tries to hide it? She won't do anything stupid like speak up against anything she is taught, but is there trap she might fall into if she's not careful?
* Who would most likely lead the group for teenagers that old? Older members of the youth group or someone employed by the government?
* I would assume that most activities of youth groups are similar with that of normal youth groups as the scouts, but what interests me are the differences. Which activities would they have to teach the children obedience to the state, instil the proper moral values into them, teach them to know their place in society and to tell on their neighbours and parents, should they break the law?
* How would a member of the group be punished, should he or she break the rules or norms of the group? I am thinking something too serious for just social shunning to be punishment enough, yet not something against the law.
Searches done:
Googled "Youth group dictatorship", "youth groups" + Belarus/North Korea, Socialist Youth League, Belarusian Republican Youth Union, Komsomol, the different youth groups + punishment. I have also read up about the Hitler Youth, but haven't found anything they did to brainwash their members but some leaflets with views that supported their cause and songs. Tips to books/articles/documentaries about the daily life in a youth organization controlled by a dictatorship would be VERY welcome :)
ETA: I am aware of the fact that Hitler Jugend and most other youth groups simply don't fit the bill the way I need it to, which is why I am looking into details on the areas in which they do fit my needs, as well as on dictatorships that have lasted over a generation (eg. Belarus and North Korea). Sorry if I wasn't clear in my post, but what I am looking for is:
* how propaganda would be spread in these organisations
* what punishments there would be for not conforming (whether they were sanctioned by the leader of the group or not), and
* how the youth groups for the teenagers are constructed, what they do that differ from every other social group for teenagers.
Present day, alternative universe. I have a youth organization constructed and controlled by a dictatorship, and I would like the details to be as close to reality as possible, so I hope someone here can help.
The youth organization's meetings are compulsory to attend for anyone up to 25 years old. My MC is 17 and in the second to last group, for youth aged 16 - 20 years. She will not be allowed anywhere near the younger members of the youth organisation since she is a newly reformed criminal.
Questions:
* Were there any tests to the youth member's obedience to the government? Would they be likely to find out that she is not as brainwashed as the rest if she tries to hide it? She won't do anything stupid like speak up against anything she is taught, but is there trap she might fall into if she's not careful?
* Who would most likely lead the group for teenagers that old? Older members of the youth group or someone employed by the government?
* I would assume that most activities of youth groups are similar with that of normal youth groups as the scouts, but what interests me are the differences. Which activities would they have to teach the children obedience to the state, instil the proper moral values into them, teach them to know their place in society and to tell on their neighbours and parents, should they break the law?
* How would a member of the group be punished, should he or she break the rules or norms of the group? I am thinking something too serious for just social shunning to be punishment enough, yet not something against the law.
Searches done:
Googled "Youth group dictatorship", "youth groups" + Belarus/North Korea, Socialist Youth League, Belarusian Republican Youth Union, Komsomol, the different youth groups + punishment. I have also read up about the Hitler Youth, but haven't found anything they did to brainwash their members but some leaflets with views that supported their cause and songs. Tips to books/articles/documentaries about the daily life in a youth organization controlled by a dictatorship would be VERY welcome :)
ETA: I am aware of the fact that Hitler Jugend and most other youth groups simply don't fit the bill the way I need it to, which is why I am looking into details on the areas in which they do fit my needs, as well as on dictatorships that have lasted over a generation (eg. Belarus and North Korea). Sorry if I wasn't clear in my post, but what I am looking for is:
* how propaganda would be spread in these organisations
* what punishments there would be for not conforming (whether they were sanctioned by the leader of the group or not), and
* how the youth groups for the teenagers are constructed, what they do that differ from every other social group for teenagers.