Youth Movement. In Soviet Belarus, the only legal youth organization was the Communist Youth League, Kamsamol, which disintegrated along with the Communist Party. In its place, more than 45 scattered youth groups were active in 1997, the largest of which was the Belarusian Youth Union (former Komsomol). In March 1997, under the sponsorship of President Alaksandar Łukašenka, a steering committee of the Belarusian Patriotic Youth Union was set up to create a unified youth organization that would support Łukašenka's policies and counteract the rising affiliation of young people with the democratic opposition. According to polls, about 15 percent of Belarus's youngsters would like to be a member of a youth organization, while only 3 to 4 percent actually are such members.
