ABSTRACT
Youth sport, especially in its traditional forms, reproduces dominant norms, values, and beliefs. The participation of young people in sport is thus important to socialization, as are the family and the school and relates to both. Youth at risk are characterized by social and pedagogical neglect, and by cognitive and emotional disturbance. The key concept now is that youth sport is not only a way of familiarizing the young with the constructive use of free time, but also addresses social problems such as alcoholism, drug abuse, and aggression. Opportunities for youth sport and healthy recreation are developing that are quite different from those of state controlled Soviet sport. There are difficulties in establishing criteria to measure the involvement of the Russian population, especially young people, in sport. The planning and preparation of the expedition is also of value educationally and socially. The project identified basic problems: a weak demand for sport; and poor organization of sport activities in the community.
