Childhood secret club
Encyclopedia
A childhood secret club is an informal organization
created by children.
Names. Unlike clique
s, these associations have names. Giving a name
to the group is what creates the club. These younger groups don't have the social competition that adolescent cliques do, or the level of bad behaviour that street gang
s have.
Peer leadership. Unlike group activities like Scouting
, which are led by adults, these groups are led by children.
Pro forma
secrecy. The secrecy may be more imaginary than real. For instance the name of the club and its membership are usually obvious to all. There may be a desire to create secret codes
and plans, but they are rarely implemented. A ramshackle den, tree house
, clubhouse, fort, or "secret base" may be built in nearby scrub-land or an abandoned building.
Single-sex membership. Such clubs are usually either all boys or all girls but not mixed but exceptions do occur. There may be a sense of competition between the genders, as well as independence from adult authority.
Catch-phrase/greetings/secret words. Sometimes the clubs develop one or more secret catch-phrases or (sometimes nonsensical words) and greetings. This is illustrated in the 1982 film P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang
.
The fact that interest in these clubs tends to be a passing phase at a certain age What age? may result from the stages of children's cognitive development
. After growing out of the "egocentric", or "preoperational" stage, reaching the "age of reason
", one is able to understand other people's intentions. The next step is the ability to understand groups and the desire to belong to a club.
Written material about these secret clubs, such as the external links listed below, cites eight- and nine-year-olds most often. While slightly older children may also participate in secret clubs, they would be less expected to use fantasy elements in their activities.
Juvenile comics and literature often feature such clubs as a plot device
, often with spy or detective themes, and often far more organized than their real-life counterparts. A more realistic depiction is found in Zilpha Keatley Snyder
's novel The Egypt Game
, in which six children gather in an abandoned storage yard to enact fantasy adventures
and recreate actual ceremonies based on and adapted from their knowledge of ancient Egypt.
Movies have featured such clubs, notably the early Ealing
comedy-thriller Hue & Cry
. There are also juvenile non-fiction books that serve as "how-to's" for code-making and surveillance
, most notably the Usborne
Good Spy Guide series.
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
created by children.
Key elements
Some defining features of a childhood secret club are:Names. Unlike clique
Clique
A clique is an exclusive group of people who share common interests, views, purposes, patterns of behavior, or ethnicity. A clique as a reference group can be either normative or comparative. Membership in a clique is typically exclusive, and qualifications for membership may be social or...
s, these associations have names. Giving a name
Name
A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person, and may or may not include a middle name...
to the group is what creates the club. These younger groups don't have the social competition that adolescent cliques do, or the level of bad behaviour that street gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
s have.
Peer leadership. Unlike group activities like Scouting
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
, which are led by adults, these groups are led by children.
Pro forma
Pro forma
The term pro forma is a term applied to practices or documents that are done as a pure formality, perfunctory, or seek to satisfy the minimum requirements or to conform to a convention or doctrine...
secrecy. The secrecy may be more imaginary than real. For instance the name of the club and its membership are usually obvious to all. There may be a desire to create secret codes
Code (cryptography)
In cryptography, a code is a method used to transform a message into an obscured form, preventing those who do not possess special information, or key, required to apply the transform from understanding what is actually transmitted. The usual method is to use a codebook with a list of common...
and plans, but they are rarely implemented. A ramshackle den, tree house
Tree house
Tree houses, treehouses, or tree forts, are platforms or buildings constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level...
, clubhouse, fort, or "secret base" may be built in nearby scrub-land or an abandoned building.
Single-sex membership. Such clubs are usually either all boys or all girls but not mixed but exceptions do occur. There may be a sense of competition between the genders, as well as independence from adult authority.
Catch-phrase/greetings/secret words. Sometimes the clubs develop one or more secret catch-phrases or (sometimes nonsensical words) and greetings. This is illustrated in the 1982 film P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang
P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang
P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang is a television film first shown on Channel 4 on its second night, 3 November, 1982.Written by Jack Rosenthal as part of his First Love series, it is a simple coming-of-age film set in a grammar school in the outer London suburbs of the early 1950s...
.
Their status
Many schools have rules against secret clubs, and some jurisdictions even have laws prohibiting secret or invitation-only societies in public elementary or secondary schools.The fact that interest in these clubs tends to be a passing phase at a certain age What age? may result from the stages of children's cognitive development
Cognitive development
Cognitive development is a field of study in neuroscience and psychology focusing on a child's development in terms of information processing, conceptual resources, perceptual skill, language learning, and other aspects of brain development and cognitive psychology compared to an adult's point of...
. After growing out of the "egocentric", or "preoperational" stage, reaching the "age of reason
Age of reason
Age of reason may refer to:* 17th-century philosophy, as a successor of the Renaissance and a predecessor to the Age of Enlightenment* Age of Enlightenment in its long form of 1600-1800* The Age of Reason, a book by Thomas Paine...
", one is able to understand other people's intentions. The next step is the ability to understand groups and the desire to belong to a club.
Written material about these secret clubs, such as the external links listed below, cites eight- and nine-year-olds most often. While slightly older children may also participate in secret clubs, they would be less expected to use fantasy elements in their activities.
Juvenile comics and literature often feature such clubs as a plot device
Plot device
A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot....
, often with spy or detective themes, and often far more organized than their real-life counterparts. A more realistic depiction is found in Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Zilpha Keatley Snyder is an acclaimed author of books for children and young adults. Snyder was awarded three Newbery Honor Book awards for The Egypt Game, The Headless Cupid and The Witches of Worm. Since 1964, Snyder has completed 43 books...
's novel The Egypt Game
The Egypt Game
The Egypt Game is a Newbery Honor award winning novel by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. The story, set in California, follows the creation of a sustained imaginative game by a group of children who share an interest in Ancient Egypt...
, in which six children gather in an abandoned storage yard to enact fantasy adventures
Storytelling game
A storytelling game is a game where two or more persons collaborate on telling a spontaneous story. Usually, each player takes care of one or more characters in the developing story...
and recreate actual ceremonies based on and adapted from their knowledge of ancient Egypt.
Movies have featured such clubs, notably the early Ealing
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
comedy-thriller Hue & Cry
Hue and Cry (film)
Hue and Cry is a British film directed by Charles Crichton and starring Alastair Sim, Harry Fowler and Joan Dowling.It is generally considered to be the first of the "Ealing comedies", although it is better characterised as a thriller for children...
. There are also juvenile non-fiction books that serve as "how-to's" for code-making and surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
, most notably the Usborne
Usborne Publishing
Usborne Publishing, often called Usborne Books, is a United Kingdom-based publisher of children's literature.Founded by Peter Usborne in 1973, Usborne Publishing uses an in-house team of writers, editors and designers and is translated into over 55 languages...
Good Spy Guide series.
See also
- Calvin and HobbesCalvin and HobbesCalvin and Hobbes is a syndicated daily comic strip that was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a precocious and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his...
- have a secret club called G.R.O.S.S. - Children's street cultureChildren's street cultureChildren's street culture refers to the cumulative culture created by young children. Collectively, this body of knowledge is passed down from one generation of urban children to the next, and can also be passed between different groups of children . It is most common in children between the ages...
- GossipGossipGossip is idle talk or rumour, especially about the personal or private affairs of others, It is one of the oldest and most common means of sharing facts and views, but also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and variations into the information transmitted...
- ParacosmParacosmA paracosm is a detailed imaginary world involving humans and/or animals, or perhaps even fantasy or alien creations. Often having its own geography, history, and language, it is an experience that is developed during childhood and continues over a long period of time: months or even years.The...
(fantasy world) - Secret societies in popular cultureSecret societies in popular cultureSecret societies appear in many works of fiction. They are often involved in elaborate conspiracies.-Real organizations depicted as secret societies:* Freemasonry, as depicted in such works as National Treasure and From Hell....
- Secret societySecret societyA secret society is a club or organization whose activities and inner functioning are concealed from non-members. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence agencies or guerrilla insurgencies, which hide their...
- The GooniesThe GooniesThe Goonies is a 1985 American adventure-comedy film directed by Richard Donner. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. The premise surrounds a band of pre-teens who live in the "Goon Docks" neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon hoping to save...
- Enid BlytonEnid BlytonEnid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...
- author of numerous novels for children, featuring clubs and fantasy elements
External links
- "Child.com: Secret Clubs" – parental advice column
- "Florida Statute 1006.14: Secret societies prohibited in public K-12 schools" – example of law prohibiting
- "Headroom: Stages of Emotional Development" – including where secret clubs fit in