HELPING YOUTH

Grey River Argus, 23 October 1936, Page 10

HELPING YOUTH

President Roosevelt EXPENDITURE UNDER PLAN. WII>E, SCOPE OF ACTIVITY. NEW YORK, September 23. The latest, bid made by President Roosevelt for ridding the United States of the handicap of mass unemployment is his effort to improve the economic condition of the youth of the country. He has now entered on the second year of his plan, for which Congress, List year, voted £10,00,000, inigreasing that amount by half for the coming fiscal year, “No greater obligation faces the Government than to justify the faith of its young people in the fundamental rightness of our demoepitie institutions, and to preserve their strength, loyalty and' idealism against the tini'e when they must assume the responsibilities of citizenship” Mr. Roosevelt said, in moving fo r the higher appropriation. “The record of the National Youth Administration, in helping some 600,000 young men iand women from the despair of idleness, seems to me excellent testimony that our means of meeting that obligation are sound.”

STATE CO-OPERATION. All the States except, one have cooperated in forming advisory committees made up of representatives of business, agriculture, Labour, youth, negroes, and other community groups. Social advisory committees have been organised' on a county, rural and urban basis. These operate’ through sub-com-mittees, which aim to investigate specific phases of the youth problem. Last year the student aid programme of the National Youth Administration embraced 390,500 high school, college and university students. Educational institutions have sole responsibility in selecting. the students to be assisted, by planning and administering the projects through which the students earn monthly allowances, rang’ng from £3 to £4. During the coming year they are authorised' to expand these projects by assisting in public libraries, museums and laboratories, and in furtherng research which could not otherwise be done.

SCHOOL PUPILS AIDED. For instance, the number of high school pupils aided in the past six months increased from 18,000 to 260,000. At the outset a statutory allownace of £1 5s a month was limited to children of families receiving relief; the programme gained momentum when tjhis requirement was relaxed 1 Eastern States have used less than their quota of public funds, while severe winter weather, flood tornado and drought in .the Middle West and south called for additional funds. In New York there are 1,174,138 persons between the ages of 16 and 25 years. Of this number, 390,000 are out of work and 176,000 on relief. The problem is beyond the scope of private agencies. State and Federal authorities co-operated in providingvocational training, in evening and continuation schools. The programme was widened' to include study circles, open-air meetings, festivals, lectures, trips and hostel activities. Teachers selected have been, given intensive training for their duties.

PART-TIME OCCUPATIONS (President Roosevelt increased the Federal appropriation this yaar at the instance of educational institutions, which saw in the plan a. prompt amelioration of the handicaps youth suffered. In 25 large cities junior employment agencies place their charges in touch with? prospective employers. In developing part-time work projects for those who have left school, the majority have been absorbed in education. r ecreation or the upkeep of publie buildings and parks. Many States are following the lead of New York in establishing camps for young women, in which they will be taught cooking, home economics, office routine and gardening. Each girl costs the Govern-

ment £2 a month, apart from 6s a week pocket money. Last year several thousand girls were placed.in employment through these agencies. The 2\ational Youth Administration has corned for itself a . wider volume of public than any other rehabilitation plan instituted durin" the regime of the New Deal. &