In the 1920s, the "Children's Friend"1 (ODD) Society aimed to provide practical assistance to the Soviet state in organizing education, training, improving the life of the younger generation, and above all in eliminating child homelessness caused by the First World War and the Civil War. The "Friends of Children" groups, which included workers, students, and high school students, began to operate from the end of 1923 under the Moscow Provincial Commission for the Improvement of Children's Lives. Summarizing their experience, the commission appealed to the workers of the capital: "Those who care about children, who want to fight against the greatest danger posed by homelessness, should join the ranks of "Friends of Children" 2 .

In 1924, similar organizations began to appear in the regions, territories, and provinces. By September of the same year, they numbered over 310 thousand people3 . In August 1929, during the First All-Union Meeting of Pioneers, the question of combining the efforts of individual organizations that appeared on the ground was raised at a meeting in the Central Committee of the Komsomol, and on September 2, 1929, the Central Committee of the CPSU(b) adopted a resolution "On the results of the Pioneer meeting", in which it set the task of reorganizing the activities of groups "Friends of children" so that they show maximum activity in mobilizing the public to fight for the communist education of young people and the development of the pioneer movement 4 .

On the basis of the magazine "Friend of Children" published by the Moscow organization ODD, an organizing committee was created, and in May 1931 the First All - Russian Congress of the society was held, which formalized the creation of a mass public organization-the All-Russian Society "Friend of Children". The congress resolution "Communist education of children and the tasks of the DD" specified the principles and goals of the society's activities, and emphasized that "in the struggle for communist education, the DD society should play a very responsible role" 5 . At the congress, the Central Council was elected, which included representatives of the Komsomol, the People's Commissariat of Education, trade unions, etc.6. In 1932, the Central Council of the Society awarded red banners to its Moscow and Leningrad organizations as initiators of the creation of the mass public organization "Children's Friend" .7
By the mid-1930s, the society had over 1.2 million members: workers, teachers, employees, students, students, and peasants .8 Members of the society conducted raids to identify street children, sent them to orphanages, employed them in factories and workshops. They also established the patronage of street children by workers and peasants, as well as by industrial enterprises ' collectives. In 1923-1924 alone, more than 52,000 orphaned children were adopted in 32 provinces of the RSFSR. ODD cells examined the patronized, helped to establish everyday life in the families where they were taken. ODD cells in Moscow, Krasnodar and Orel 9 worked well in this direction . Foreign teachers who visited our country in those years highly appreciated the fight against child homelessness. "It is quite surprising that we managed to organize children who were in a helpless state so well," 10 a group of German teachers remarked after visiting-

1 For references to him, see, in particular: Krupskaya N. K. Pedagogical works. In 6 vols. Vol. 4. Moscow, 1979, p. 437.

2 Bulletin of MONO, 1924, No. 1, p. 25.

3 Narodnoe prosveshchenie, 1925, No. 1, p. 108.

4 Narodnoe obrazovanie v SSSR. 1917-1973 gg. Sb. dokl. m. 1974, p. 278; Krupskaya N. K. Uk. soch. T. 4, p. 98.

5 Drug detey, 1931, No. 6, pp. 6-7.

6 For the Communist Enlightenment, 22. V. 1931.

7 TsGA RSFSR, f. 393, op. 1, d. 172, ll. 179, 184.

8 Ibid., 221, l. 4.

9 Narodnoe prosveshchenie v RSFSR k 1924/25 uchebnom godu [National education in the RSFSR by the 1924/25 academic year]. Moscow, 1925, p. 12.

10 Okhrana detstva, 1931, No. 1, p. 41.

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shaya in the labor commune named after him. The Comintern. For conscientious work to eliminate child homelessness, the best teachers of orphanages M. R. Malyavko, P. I. Zimin, A. A. Kozlovsky and others were awarded diplomas of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee in 1936. The awards were presented by the Chairman of the Commission for Improving the Lives of Children at the All-Russian Central Executive Committee N. A. Semashko 11 .

ODD activists provided great assistance to orphanages, colonies and communes in equipping premises, workshops, purchasing clothes, shoes, textbooks and writing materials for children (the financial base of the society consisted of membership fees, income from paid events, etc.) In 1931, ODD cells patronized 268 orphanages, several colonies, etc. communes 12 . They paid great attention to general education, labor and professional training of orphanages, colonists and communards. In those years, almost every educational institution had, in addition to seven-year schools, production workshops, household plots. By 1935, there were 701 workshops in orphanages in the Russian Federation, where pupils received not only labor training, but also a profession13. ODD cells helped establish the work of workshops, contributed to the sale of their products. Pionerskaya Pravda, analyzing the work of workshops in the Nizhny Novgorod Pioneer children's home, highly appreciated the professional training received by 14 students .

ODD cells conducted educational work in orphanages, colonies and communes: they organized clubs, sections, wrote literature, and held meetings with interesting people. The magazine "Friend of Children" published a number of articles about the life of pupils of children's institutions sponsored by ODD. Among the best in patronage work among orphanages, he named the Nizhny Novgorod provincial organization that provided assistance to the Nizhny Novgorod pioneer children's home. Telling about him, the magazine especially noted the friendly life of his pupils 15 .

Competitions and reviews were held in the center and on the ground for the best staging of the educational process, the organization of the fight against child homelessness. Among the winners of the competition in the Moscow region in 1931 was the ODD cell under the OGPU administration, which was much engaged in educational work in the sponsored Losinoostrovsky orphanage. Awards of the regional competition jury were also awarded to the ODD under the Central Election Commission of the USSR, the Kursk Railway and other 16 . Among the winners of the All-Russian competition for the best staging of the educational process in orphanages in 1931 was the Kardymovsky orphanage of the Western region, whose teachers and pupils created a household farm that became a model for both orphanages and nearby collective farms. At the same time, it was noted that children here "are brought up in the communist spirit"17 .

Pupils of orphanages, colonies, and communes corresponded with Communist Party officials, telling them about their educational, labor, and social affairs. In a letter to N. K. Krupskaya, pupils of the Ufa Pioneer Commune reported in 1932 that they were attracting "old Bolsheviks, old Komsomol members" to their work and cooperating with their boss, the ODD cell under the Bashkir Central Election Commission, which awarded the pioneer commune team" for a shock graduation and exemplary work " with the prize 18 .

ODD activists implemented the decision of the Commission for Improving the Lives of Children under the All-Russian Central Executive Committee to launch a mass movement for preschool education of children. In August 1929, at the meeting of the Commission, together with the delegates of the First All-Union Meeting of Pioneers, activists of the Moscow organization "Friend of Children"were also present. It was decided to launch a mass movement for preschool education of children 19 . In 1932, in 14 regions of the RSFSR, 2772 preschool institutions were created with the participation of the ODD, and teachers were employed in the creation of kindergartens, nurseries, summer playgrounds, etc.-

11 XV years of work to improve the life of children. Moscow, 1935, pp. 14, 15.

12 Activity Report for 1935, Moscow, 1935, p. 15.

13 Ibid., p. 1.

14 Pionerskaya pravda, 12. I. 1928.

15 Drug detey, 1927, N 11-12, p. 21.

16 GAMO, f. 876, op. 1, d. 97, l. 2-3.

17 Young Pioneer, 1. VIII. 1931.

18 TsGA RSFSR, f. 7279, op. 11, d. 10, l. 69.

19 Children's home, 1929, N 6, p. 17.

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3,613 people went to work on ODD vouchers. In the vanguard of the "preschool hike" were Moscow, Leningrad, Magnitogorsk 20 . In the same year, the most active members of ODD 21 were awarded awards from its Central Headquarters for their hard work in the "preschool campaign".

ODD cells made a significant contribution to the organization of school education, especially after the XVI Congress of the CPSU (b), which set a course for the early implementation of universal compulsory education. ODD activists conducted a census of school-age children, helped open new schools, and equip school premises. ODDH played a great role in creating universal education funds to provide financial assistance to students in need. In the 1930/31 academic year, the ODD allocated more than 980 thousand rubles for universal education, which provided free meals for more than 205 thousand schoolchildren .22
ODD cells in the 30s began to pay more attention to extracurricular and recreational work. In 1933, with their active assistance, 415 different circles and sections were organized, as well as 89 children's groups.-

kov and 3 pioneer clubs. The Leningrad and Ural organizations of ODD 23 were the best in developing extracurricular activities . A year earlier, 448 children's playgrounds, 82 ice rinks, and 19 ski stations were opened at the expense of ODDH. The society had children's rest homes in Orel and Alushta, provided 116 thousand children and teenagers with free vouchers to pioneer camps and rest homes 24 .

In 1934, the workers of Serpukhov came up with an interesting initiative. A competition for the best upbringing of a child in a family was announced here. The results of the competition, during which eight children's libraries and a House of Art Education were opened in the city, and more than 25 thousand schoolchildren were involved in technical circles , were widely promoted by both the local and central press.

In 1935, the "Children's Friend" Society was dissolved as having fulfilled its mission. Today, its traditions, but at a qualitatively different, higher level, are continued by a three-million-strong army of youth mentors, as well as a large group of freelance leaders of children's clubs and children's rooms.

20 TsGA RSFSR, f. 393, op. 1, d. 102, ll. 1, 2, 40.

21 GAMO, f. 876, op. 1, d. 61, l. 14.

22 TsGA RSFSR, f. 393, op. 1, d. 194, l. 44; d. 172, l. 104.

23 Ibid., 151, l. 31.

24 Ibid., 221, l. 9.

25 Vozhaty, 1935, N 4, pp. 18-20.

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