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Union of Pioneers of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Savez pionira Jugoslavije, Савез пионира Југославије; sl, Zveza pionirjev Jugoslavije (ZPJ); mk, Сојуз на пионери на Југославија) also known as Tito's Pioneers ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Titovi pioniri, Титови пионири; sl, Titovi pionirji; mk, Титовите пионери) was the
pioneer movement A pioneer movement is an organization for children operated by a communist party. Typically children enter into the organization in elementary school and continue until adolescence. The adolescents then typically join the Young Communist League ...
of the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...
. Its members, basically all children of age seven and older, attended an annual ceremony and wore uniforms. The uniforms consisted of red scarves as well as navy blue hats called ''
Titovka Titovka may refer to: * Titovka (river), a river in Murmansk Oblast, Russia * Titovka (rural locality), name of several rural localities in Russia *Titovka (cap) The Titovka ( cyrl, Титовка) was a famous green side cap characteristic of th ...
''. These hats were sometimes white, and bore a
red star A red star, five-pointed and filled, is a symbol that has often historically been associated with communist ideology, particularly in combination with the hammer and sickle, but is also used as a purely socialist symbol in the 21st century. I ...
on the front. A white shirt was often worn with the Pioneer scarf (''marama'') and the Titovka, although this varied depending on which part of Yugoslavia the particular pioneer was from. Boys often wore navy blue shorts or pants, and girls wore skirts in the same colour, along with white stockings and black shoes. On special occasions, such as a visit from
Josip Broz Tito Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his deat ...
, ''Pioniri'' sometimes wore traditional costumes from their native regions of Yugoslavia. The organization was founded on December 27, 1942. It was a substructure within the League of Communist Youth and, after 1948, the League of Socialist Youth. It published ''Male novine''. The organization was divided into younger pioneers (7–11 years) and older pioneers (11–15 years). Unlike other pioneer movements the full military salute was used, honoring the children and youth who fought as part of the Yugoslav Partisans of the Second World War.


Induction and pledge

Typically, the induction ceremony took place in school for children aged 7 in the autumn of their first year in school, as part of the Republic Day celebrations. Following the ceremony, the children would be given a red Pioneer Booklet, similar to a communist party membership booklet. The booklet was signed by the "President of the Pioneer Committee", a senior pioneer and served as evidence of membership. The youngest generation that undertook it was born in 1982, which occurred during the 1989–1990 school year. The text of Yugoslav Pioneer
pledge Pledge may refer to: Promises * a solemn promise * Abstinence pledge, a commitment to practice abstinence, usually teetotalism or chastity * The Pledge (New Hampshire), a promise about taxes by New Hampshire politicians * Pledge of Allegianc ...
(''pionirska zakletva'') may have varied slightly from one school to another. Reconstructed from imperfect recollections, in
Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and ...
(
Ekavian Shtokavian or Štokavian (; sh-Latn, štokavski / sh-Cyrl, italics=no, штокавски, ) is the prestige dialect of the pluricentric Serbo-Croatian language and the basis of its Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin standards. ...
and
Ijekavian Shtokavian or Štokavian (; sh-Latn, štokavski / sh-Cyrl, italics=no, штокавски, ) is the prestige dialect of the pluricentric Serbo-Croatian language and the basis of its Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Montenegrin standards. It ...
pronunciations): :''Danas, kada postajem pionir,'' :''dajem časnu pionirsku riječ/reč'' :''da ću marljivo učiti i raditi,'' :''poštovati roditelje i starije,'' :''i biti vjeran/veran i iskren drug,'' :''koji drži datu riječ/reč,'' :''da ću voljeti/voleti našu domovinu,'' :''samoupravnu Socijalističku Federativnu Republiku Jugoslaviju,'' :''da ću razvijati bratstvo i jedinstvo'' :''i ideje za koje se borio drug Tito,'' :''da ću cijeniti/ceniti sve ljude svijeta/sveta koji žele slobodu i mir!'' In Slovene: :''Danes, ko postajam pionir'' :''dajem častno pionirsko besedo'' :''da se bom pridno učil in delal,'' :''spoštoval starše in učitelje,'' :''da bom zvest in iskren tovariš,'' :''ki drži svojo obljubo,'' :''da se bom ravnal po zgledu najboljših pionirjev,'' :''da bom spoštoval slavna dejanja partizanov,'' :''in napredne ljudi sveta,'' :''ki žele svobodo in mir,'' :''da bom ljubil svojo domovino'' :''samoupravno Socialistično Federativno Republiko Jugoslavijo,'' :''njene bratske narode in narodnosti'' :''in gradil novo življenje, polno sreče in radosti.'' In English: :Today, as I become a Pioneer, :I give my Pioneer's word of honour - :That I shall study and work diligently, :respect parents and my seniors, :and be a loyal and honest
comrade The term ''comrade'' (russian: товарищ, tovarisch) generally means 'mate', 'colleague', or 'ally', and derives from the Spanish and Portuguese, term , literally meaning 'chamber mate', from Latin , meaning 'chamber' or 'room'. It may also ...
/friend. :That I shall love our homeland, self-managed :
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...
. :That I shall spread brotherhood and unity :and the principles for which comrade Tito fought. :And that I shall value all peoples of the world who respect freedom and peace! Across the former-Yugoslav territory (
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
,
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
,
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
,
Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...
,
North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
), many remember their days as Pioneers, and as a result, it is not uncommon to hear people refer to themselves as "''Titov(a) pionir(ka)''", meaning "Tito's Pioneer".


Function

The social function of becoming a pioneer in communist countries was similar to that of
First Communion First Communion is a ceremony in some Christian traditions during which a person of the church first receives the Eucharist. It is most common in many parts of the Latin Church tradition of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church and Anglican Communi ...
in
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. In both cases, a child at the critical age of around seven is initiated as a member of a group within which the individuals share certain values and culture. This early initiation increases the likelihood that, once the child becomes an adult, they will identify with the group. Children were taught to be responsible and respectful, were asked to study hard and were considered the future generations of the nation.


See also

*
Pioneer Movement A pioneer movement is an organization for children operated by a communist party. Typically children enter into the organization in elementary school and continue until adolescence. The adolescents then typically join the Young Communist League ...
* League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia * Young Pioneer organization of the Soviet Union *
Young Pioneer camp Young Pioneer camp (russian: Пионерский лагерь) was the name for the vacation or summer camp of Young Pioneers. In the 20th century these camps existed in many socialist countries, particularly in the Soviet Union. The You ...


References

{{Pioneer movement League of Communists of Yugoslavia Youth organizations established in 1942 Organizations disestablished in 1992 Pioneer movement Youth organizations based in Yugoslavia Child-related organizations in Serbia 1942 establishments in Yugoslavia 1992 disestablishments in Yugoslavia