J 11:CWS:RO2IX : FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY Office of the Regional Director 414 Dierks Building, Arkansas, Kansas, Kansas City 6, Missouri, Missouri, Oklahoma June 7, 1944 Dr. F. C. Allen, Director, Kansas University Health & Physical Education Department, Lawrence, Kansas Dear Dr. Allen: We are enclosing "What About Us," a pamphlet on youth activities, recently issued by the Recreation Division, Office of Community War Services, of the Federal Security Agency. We feel that this pamphlet is especially timely in view of the Nation-wide discussion of youth problems and of efforts and plans of numerous communities to solve these problems in a satisfactory manner. This pamphlet contains many suggestions for community cz ganiza- tion and planning for youth activities and describes plans already in operation in many communities throughout the country. We hope it will be of benefit to you and to other community leaders in developing such a program in your community. We should like to suggest that Mr. J. Lee Brown, our repre- sentative in Kansas, is available for consultation and advice on community recreation problems, His address is 800 Kansas Avenue, Topeka. Sincerely yours, ay! E. Ward Cole, Regional Recreation Representative, Community War Services Enclosure A Report of COMMUNITY RECREATION for Young People The Division of Recreation is the agency of the Federal Government responsible for help- ing communities to organize, develop and maintain adequate recreation programs for military personnel, war workers and their families, and young people. Through its 70 field representatives, the Division offers expert advice on organization, the develop- - ment of programs, the best use of facilities and funds, and the employment and training of leaders. Where local resources cannot be stretched to cover war needs, Federal funds are also available. However, it is the con- tinuing aim of the Recreation Division to help communities solve their own problems in the best tradition of local self-government and local initiative. CRhivuk Je Director, Division of Recreation / Undoubtedly there have been changes in programs since the experiences described in this booklet were assembled. The Division of Recreation will welcome reports of new developments. A. Report of COMMUNITY RECREATION for Young People FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY OFFICE OF COMMUNITY WAR SERVICES DIVISION OF RECREATION CONTENTS WOontIntT Were < Page Forewoatd.< 20.3 50. ks Fas slon te ee 1. OR to a Start 23 Fe ee NOutn Migkes Mero. ols. te Pe ee eee Communities Initiate Prosrams. 0. 22... a II. Community Organization and ‘Planning......... Ae Way-Recteation Committees... oo oh 8% The Youth Recreation Committee 00 2 a Siw The Neighborhodd Recreation Committee............ Planning the Prostam | a ee ee 10 isang Responsugity a. ee ee 14 PONG i orn ee re ee 15 Ill: _Programis in. Action 732005. ee 17 Sports abe thietion vo en ee 17 Outdoor-Fun, “2: ie Soe ee 19 MiGBIG oe gn eens Gre ee Se 20 LiteratureDebates. Fotums =... £22. ua ee 21 Social Cesterey ee Cees ce 22 War Service Projects... ye 25 Arte; Crafts, Hobbies eee es ee eee 27 Deamaticg, (v5 see 2 a es es 28 - The Milwaukee Program: 2 a a 28 Appendixcs i ee ee eel re See 31 Principles in Developing a Community Recreation Program tor Young People ic co 31 Planning ‘a Youth. Recreation Comittee. 5 x; 6. 2. 33 Guide for a Survey of Youth Recreation Needs........... 34 A‘ Check list-of Resources 3.29 ee 37 Check Listvot Recreation Activities, 2... 38 Directory of Regional Representatives, Division of Recrea- tion, Office of Community War Services..... Inside back cover IV sreaperee enemy i — is a SiR eA TR NG ERS SES CSS, SERN LESTE -FOREWORD This is the story of recreation for youth in wartime America. Here are examples from the big city, the small town, the rural area, the quiet village which over- night became a blue pin-on some- one’s production map. Here are the case histories. What they add up. to is not so much a formula or a set of instructions as the realization that every town in America needs recreation for its young people— and can see that they get it. Some towns are thinking in terms of community recrea- tion for the first time; others had programs that needed only easing at the seams to fit a war setting; many found that the half-measures they had limped along with for years just weren’t good enough to meet the demands of war. All these towns, however, have this in common: they are worried about their kids, troubled by the restlessness of youth, its craving for excitement. They are appalled—and with reason—by those few youngsters who get completely off the reservation, who fall down hard. They recognize some of the immediate causes: a big brother gone, a war effort that doesn’t seem to need the young, a disrupted home, or simply an overdose of battle news. But they see, too, that within the community are some of the immediate antidotes, and of these none is more effective than recreation. They are coming to realize that education doesn’t stop at 3 p. m.; that a sixteen-year-old’s free time is as much a part of his education and as much the community’s responsibility as his lesson in math. v So they are shifting their emphasis from curfew to can- teen. They are opening school buildings and social centers and municipal playfields, and keeping them open through winter evenings and summer vacations. They’re putting their weight behind a wholesome well-rounded recreation program. Not all the communities that are doing a job of youth recreation are mentioned in these pages, nor could they be. There are too many. Though many familiar names are missing, the common experience is there. It is presented in the hope that it may furnish some practical clues to the solution of problems that are baffling the boys and girls of America as well as their elders. Marck Q We Clee heey Director, Community War Services March 1, 1944. Vi OFF TO A START Every recreation program begins with the recognition of a basic human need: the need for relaxation, for play and for a satisfactory social life. At no time in our lives is this need more urgent than during the ‘“‘in-between”’ years of ado- lescence. War did not create this need, but war intensified it, pointed it up, brought it to the attention of hundreds of American communities. And hundreds of communities are doing something to meet it. Often the teen-agers themselves have been the first to recognize their needs and to lay them before their elders. Their practical ideas and enthusiasm have sparked many community recreation programs. Youth Makes Its Point Here is a record of successful teen-age projects which originated with the boys and girls themselves: The high-school boys in Kalamazoo, Michigan, began their campaign for a recreation center of their own by gathering facts to prove their need. They checked court records of juvenile delinquency, teen-age patronage of bars. They surveyed youth programs in nearby towns. Then they took their problem to the Council of Social Agencies, and with its help were able to open a part-time canteen at the YWCA. This fell short of their needs, but they still boycotted adult-organized dances, held out for their own program. Finally, they were allowed to take over the city’s dance-band contract, managed it well, and proved themselves capable of running their own show. ‘Today, they have a center of their own, self-supported, self-governed, and highly popular. A high school junior in Walla Walla, W ashiniceon, wrote to the mayor, asking for a youth center. He told of boys 1 and girls being crowded out of their old drug-store hang- outs, of friction between teen-agers and servicemen. The mayor invited high school leaders to submit their ideas for a center, and today a youth canteen is a lively reality. In Monroe, Michigan, a group of teen-age boys and girls rebelled because the town had eight taverns, but no center for youth. They told their story to every service club in town and raised money for a place of their own. The youth center in Moline, Illinois, originated with a group of high school students led by a 17-year-old girl. They petitioned the city, asking that liquor and gambling _ laws be strictly enforced, and that the city ‘‘do something © about providing places where Moline youth can enjoy decent, clean entertainment. ’”’ Three Riverdale, Maryland, girls took their troubles to a newspaper columnist. ‘“‘Our crowd spends its evenings idling,’ they wrote. ‘‘In stories, youth always has a place where friends gather to play games and talk. Shouldn’t we?’’ Now they have a center in the village councilroom over a firehouse. The clubwoman who sponsors it says the idea will work anywhere, ‘‘so long as stuffy adults 2 don’t try to run it instead of letting young people do their own planning.”’ ‘“Tune in for Teens’’ was the idea of a 17-year old Houston, Texas, boy. Hisclub, begun ona shoestring, hasa soft drink bar, a thirty-five cent cover charge, and a profitable juke box. The owner’s mother is chaperone, and most of the work is done by customers. Communities Initiate Programs Many good programs have originated with public and private community agencies, with clubs, schools, churches; with local officials or public spirited men and women, with newspapers and radio stations. Experience shows, how- ever, that even where adults take the lead, youth wants a voice in the program from the beginning. The most success- ful projects have had the cooperation of teen-agers in both planning and operation. City Government Takes Steps ' The mayor of Bainbridge, New York, called a town meet- ing to propose a curfew law. After talking it over, the gathering decided instead to appoint a five-member youth committee to consult with teen-agers. Out of their suggestions came a social center, a swimming hole, and a series of dances. The boys and girls helped to put the center in operation, took a hand in building the swimming hole, and managed their own dances. Young people in San Diego, California, found themselves high and dry in a war-jammed city, until the community came to their aid. Public officials, schools, business people, church leaders, the PTA, city government, and the recrea- tion department joined forces and, as a start, converted four vacant stores into recreation centers. When the city council of Atlanta, Georgia, voted down a $25,000 budget for youth recreation, two dozen civic groups appeared before it to recommend more money rather than less. An appropriation of $63, 000 was mae passed. 576800°—44—2 3 Schools and Parks School boards and park departments often undertake to organize after-school and vacation programs. An out- standing program, described in detail near the end of this booklet, has been developed by Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There are many other ex- Q amples: In Cleveland, Ohio, the i Board of Education, through its community center depart- ment, has recreation projects going on at 21 schools. Teen- agers go in for basketball, boxing, dramatics, tap danc- ing, music, craft work, model building and table games. In- struction is given in tennis, golf, bridge, personality devel- opment, millinery,. and in- terior decoration. The 100 play centers operated by the Chicago, Illinois, park district cater to wartime interests. Boys’ clubs, called Junior Commandos, emphasize physical fitness. Craft classes make games and equipment for the Red Cross, hospitals, and servicemen. In the summer of 1943, 15,000 school children cultivated 14,000 victory gardens, each 95 feet square. TUTTI Tr PTET TTT tt | + PLAYGROUND |) Public and Private Agencies Recreation agencies, both public and private, have stepped up their services to youth, and, in many cases, developed new programs. The city recreation council in Provo, Utah, sponsors a work-recreation program. Boys and girls help in the fruit orchards, and their work is balanced with sport and social life. The high school student council continues during the summer to plan dances and picnics. In Morgantown, West Virginia, the Recreation Commis- sion sponsors junior civilian defense programs on its play- grounds. In Charleston, West Virginia, a junior baseball school offers the attraction of a former big league player as coach. The Youth Activities Division of the Council of Social Agencies in Boston, Massachusetts, together with the United Settlements of Greater Boston, has expanded summer play facilities. A series of evening events competes for teen-age favor with downtown commercial attractions; neighbor- hood block parties, open air movies, band concerts, and street dances fill the program. The City-Wide Boys and Girls Work Conference also holds meetings and dances which bring together young people from all sections of the city. In Casper, Wyoming, the Coordinating Council opened a Campus Canteen. Boys and girls did much of the work, and raised money for equipment through benefit parties and donations. Churches The war has brought new problems to church leaders, and in the field of youth recreation these problems are being met in many communities by offering young people the kind of entertainment they want. A Hilton Village, Virginia, minister converted his parish house into a community youth center modeled on the Stage Door Canteen. Twenty Washington, D. C., churches have organized a committee to provide summer recreation for young people, with each church responsible for one activity. One hundred Detroit, Michigan, churches turned waste land and vacant lots into playgrounds; the plan succeeded so well that the same group is promoting it throughout the nation. More than 5,000 New York City clergymen of all faiths are opening their churches to recreation for the city’s million boys and girls. Clubs, Individuals, Press, and Radio Often the impetus for a community program comes from an unofficial source. In Spokane, Washington, the Active Club sponsored a center, called the Hi Nite Club, where youngsters now spend their leisure time. The Rotary Youth Committee of Oneida, New York, surveyed teen-age recreation and recommended a center; they made it a community project by setting up a teen-age committee and inviting 20 other organizations to share in its building and operation. A citizen of Buchanan, Michigan, stood for and won appointment to the school board in order to work for winter recreation activities, and went on the park commission to promote summer programs. A Dayton, Ohio, couple, learning that 9,000 boys and girls between 15 and 17 had no organized recreation, helped the county establish a youth center. A small group of citizens organized the Panther Club in Lufkin, Texas, and helped the town finance it for a year. Then they turned it over tothe youngsters to operate, with adult supervision. Newspaper and radio campaigns are also building the fires which start action. Many newspapers are campaigning for canteens instead of curfews, for positive instead of negative approaches to recreation for youth. And the young people of Raleigh, North Carolina, got their first recognition from the manager of a radio station. His interest was _ aroused by the letters he received from the local boys and girls, and he began a campaign which resulted ina program. | COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION ae AND PLANNING Youth clubs—‘‘Teen-towns,”’ ‘‘Reks’’ or ‘‘School-door- canteens’’—have captured young imaginations throughout the country. They represent a real community asset, but they are not the whole answer to youth recreation needs. They are important as part of a youth program, especially when they offer games, crafts, hobbies and club activities as well as dances and parties. But they are just a part. The goal of youth recreation is a program of many activities, serving all teens and satisfying all their interests. Every well-rounded youth program should be community- wide and neighborhood-based. Part of its appeal may be in the ‘‘down-town”’ attraction, but its strength is in neighbor- hood activities. For this reason, neighborhood centers, playgrounds and playfields are needed. Good leadership is needed, both professional and volunteer, both adult and teen-age. Equipment and funds are needed. A strong and representative committee structure is needed, to plan and act. Such a program is a sizeable job to be undertaken by the whole community. The War Recreation Committee = The experience of 1,300 communities shows that it is wise to place central responsibility in the hands of a War Recrea- tion Committee. Its job has become well defined: to survey the needs of the whole community, to assess existing facilities and programs, to stimulate their expansion, to map new programs, and to find the necessary funds and leadership. War Recreation Committees may be started by Defense Councils, by Mayors, by public or private agencies. But one thing is sure, no single group or interest can hope to 7 do the job alone. No program can succeed without the help of all interested people. The Youth Recreation Committee The War Recreation Committee will probably want to appoint a subcommittee for youth to represent the interests of young people in the whole community program. Some- times youth committees have sprung up independently, and later joined with the central committee. Providence, Rhode Island, has a Mayor’s Committee on Recreation, representative of 50 civic organizations. This became the city’s Youth Recreation Committee and a board of 25 was appointed to submit plans. The Mayor of Peru, Indiana, asked the school board to serve as the official Youth Recreation Committee, with an advisory group chosen from youth organizations, the Parent-Teacher Association and the school faculty. Membership of the Youth Recreation Committee should be representative of all interested community groups—not forgetting the young people themselves. This is essential if the program is to be not only for youth, but of and by youth. The city recreation, education, health, and police depart- ments, public and private welfare groups, the Parent 8 Teacher Association, the churches, service clubs, housing authorities, employers, labor organizations, commercial re- creation interests, as well as youth leaders from all sections of the community should be invited to join. The County Commissioner or other county representative may be in- cluded when the needs of youth outside the city boundaries must be considered. This is especially important when war industries and military areas outside the city affect the picture. The Alameda County, California, defense council organized a Youth Committee for Recreation and made plans for the entire county. Local Committees were named in each of the towns and unincorporated villages, and subcommittees of boys and girls work with them. Many large cities find county lines more useful than - city dividing lines. Los Angeles and Los Angeles County, Detroit and Wayne County, Chicago and Cook County, for instance, plan on a county-wide basis. The Neighborhood Committee In large communities the neighborhood committee has proved the best means of developing local programs close to home, of spreading recreation opportunities as widely as possible, and of capitalizing on neighborhood spirit.. On a smaller scale, the neighborhood committee parallels its parent, the Youth Recreation Committee, and collaborates with it in tapping neighborhood resources and planning year-round activities. Denver, Colorado, decentralized its projects by divid- ing the metropolitan area into 42 neighborhood districts, each with its own committee, which, in turn, is repre- sented on the City Youth Council. In other communities, the neighborhood committee is organized by a club, school or PTA, and represents all groups 9 in the neighborhood concerned with recreation. Often the neighborhood committee has the benefit of youth advis- ory groups or youth leaders as full-fledged members of the committee. The neighborhood committee is the base of an organiza- tional pyramid. It is responsible to the Youth Recreation Committee, which is in turn a subcommittee of the War Recreation Committee. Often a county committee coordi- nates several War Recreation Committees, while the State Recreation Committee plans on a State-wide basis and may also serve as a liaison between Federal services and com- munities. Planning the Program When Committees are organized, their first task is to make a survey which will answer these threz questions: What are the needs of young people and how many are neglected by existing programs? What resources are available and where can they be expanded to meet the need? How can projects ‘be financed? . Surveys are made in a variety of ways.* Neighborhood recreation committees sometimes undertake the job. Civil- ian Defense Block Leaders make house to house canvasses; groups like the PTA divide the town into districts; schools poll their students for information. Needs Teen-age members to advise the committee on youth needs and pref- erences are not only helpful but essential. *See “Guide For A Community Survey” in the Appendix of this booklet. 10 Texarkana, straddling the Arkansas-Texas border, called a meeting of representative high school students, who were unanimous in their desire for a teen-age center. In Concord, Massachusetts, where the league of Women Voters initiated a youth canteen, questionnaires were sent to high school students. Returns showed which activities and hours youngsters preferred and the locations most accessible to them. The PTA of Alameda County, California, conducted a useful survey to find out the population of the area, the number and ages of children; number of children em- ployed; number of children left unsupervised day or evening; the facilities available; and specific wants of the boys and girls. Facilities Surveys should explore existing facilities and find out whether new ones are needed. They should ask—and answer—such questions as: that are not being fully used, such as schools, municipal buildings, churches, clubs, libraries, mu- seums, swimming pools, and com- mercial recreation centers. Even empty stores, auto showrooms, white elephant houses, and vacant fields offer possibilities. Federal Recreation Buildings can be put at the service of young people when not in use by military personnel or war workers. / Are community centers used to capacity? Are parks and playgrounds open at needed hours? Are programs accessible and attractive? They should look for facilities 576800°—44—3 +1 Personnel Both paid and volunteer leaders are needed. Professional “leaders may be found in city recreation departments, in social agencies and in colleges. These people, however, have many calls upon their.time, and the search cannot end there: A week before a city-wide summer program in Akron, Ohio, was scheduled to begin, only 15 of 100 leaders had been found. The mayor sent telegrams to teachers who had worked on playgrounds in previous years. ‘Help Wanted”’ ads went to the newspapers. The superin- tendent of schools appealed to teachers to take summer jobs. The program opened with a full staff. Denver, Colorado, employs high school seniors to supplement its regular trained staff. College students majoring in physical education are employed for more responsible jobs. Both these inexperienced groups are directed and trained by professional recreation workers. Volunteer workers come from all parts of the community usually through the Civilian Defense Volunteer Office as the central source. If there are not enough qualified volunteers enrolled in its files, the Volunteer Office will turn to sources such as musicians and artists, women’s clubs, service clubs, churches, labor unions and business groups. It can reach the public through press and radio and can arrange for house to house canvassing if this seems desirable. Agencies can often get more volunteers by asking those serving to bring their friends. However, it is desirable that any large-scale recruiting be done through the defense council or its volunteer office. * *For further information on volunteer training write for Volunteers for Youth Recreation Programs, available without charge from Office of Civilian Defense, Washington 25, DG, 12 * Finances Youth recreation committees are responsible for both the raising of money to finance projects and for using it well. Strong support usually begins with public funds. Many cities finance permanent recreation programs on tax levies, and increase the apportionment as the need arises. Others make appropriations from current school and general city funds. Richmond, Virginia, approved a $12,000 appropriation to extend the regular Recreation Bureau activities through the use of school buildings and playgrounds. San Mateo, California, a community of 22,000, bud- 'geted $11,000 from city funds and $1,500 from school department funds. The city commission in Augusta, Georgia, put up $56,000 to establish a department of recreation. Youth programs also receive help from the Community War Fund and from popular subscription. Los Angeles, California, is spending $234, 000 of War Chest money on youth recreation. Dayton, Ohio, budgeted $14,900 for the first year’s operation of a teen-age center. The War Chest fur- nished $8,500, and another $5,000 was raised through a scrap drive. With a population of 1,500, Fowler, California, raised $9,000 by popular subscription, and received $3,900 from a private foundation. The Saturday Nighter’s Club building in Dedham, Massachusetts, is supported by the Greater Boston Com- munity Fund. Running expenses come from salvage drives, benefits, and dues. Danville, New York, teens collected $100 for their center at a dance, and $103 at a firemen’s bingo party. The Community Chest pays the rent, and the young people are raising money to pay off a small deficit. 13 The Deck, a center in Robinson, Illinois, started with a drive for funds. Half the rent now comes from an industry, and operating expenses are paid by juke box and snack bar revenue. Business men and service clubs donated equipment to “The Cardinal Attick Club’? in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The YMCA provides the room and a snack bar pays most of the expenses. Slender budgets are often stretched by enthusiastic volun- teers. Teens and adults have built furniture, painted walls and waxed floors for their own centers. The contents of attics and basements have furnished many rooms. In one town, the mayor painted the basement floor of a club, as a surprise to the youth committee. Another youth group asked meter readers of a utility company to spot unused furniture in homes, and followed. up with requests for donations. Fixing Responsibility Its survey completed, the Youth Recreation Committee reports its findings to the War Recreation Committee. Teen-age recreation is thus integrated with the whole com- munity program. On the basis of its survey, community resources are put at _the disposal of the Youth Committee. On the basis of these resources the program is mapped and specific agencies are asked to take responsibility for specific projects. 14 The Youth Recreation Committee of Bend, Oregon, assigned a baseball program to the Elks Club, junior base- ball to the American Legion, softball to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and named a woman to take charge of a program for girls. Private interests were induced to build a commercial skating rink and boxing pavilion. The Kiwanis Club raised money to build a swimming pool in the Deschutes River which flows oeeear the center of town. Where several groups cooperate on a project, it is usually a good idea to make one of them chiefly responsible for it. The Greenwich, Connecticut, Social Planning Commit- tee of the Community Council approved a plan for a youth center and recommended it to the Community Chest. Responsibility was assigned to the YMCA, with other groups working under its direction. Publicity No youth recreation program can be successful without community support. To this end, a sound public relations program is essential, and public relations should be a concern of the Youth Recreation Committee from the start. The Committee may appoint a subcommittee on Information with members chosen from newspaper, radio, and advertis- ing people, who know the town’s information channels and can plan a campaign of broad scope. Their task is twofold: first, to enlist support for the youth recreation program, and second, to keep the com- munity informed of what goes on. A publicity program may start with the announcement that a Youth Recreation Committee has been formed. It should be sustained through radio programs and newspaper feature stories which highlight the need for teen-age pro- grams and tell what is being done. .Surveys of needs and resources should be publicized. As the program develops, speeches, interviews, picture layouts, spot news and cal- endars of coming events are all helpful. A four-page layout in a Palo Alto, California, news- paper announced a summer recreation program. Storics told of the need for better facilities, described the projects which made up the community program, and listed future events. Local advertisers financed the spread. When a Teen Town center in Watertown, New York, +5 was ready to open, the slogan, ‘“‘Have You Heard About Teen Town?’ was used for fillers by a local paper. Fliers, booklets, pamphlets, mimeographed material, and posters all help to put over the program. They should be given the widest possible circulation in public places. Util- ity companies, banks, and department stores can cooperate by using fliers as statement fillers. For more detailed suggestions, write to the Division of _ Recreation, Office of Community War Services, Federal Security Agency, Washington 25, D. C., for a leaflet, ““A Community Information Program, for the use of War Recreation Committees.”’ = SON 29. \\\B a \p Wy ww’’s JA\\\V WW WY my \\Wy WAN 16 = I |. PROGRAMS IN ACTION We have been talking about facilities and finances, com- mittees and subcommittees. These are the bases of every sound recreation program. The meat of the program is, of course, in its activities, in its opportunities for doing. To find out what teen-agers in a particular community are interested in doing is one of the main purposes of the Youth Recreation Committee’s survey. To develop and satisfy those interests is the aim of the program in action. Here are some signposts toward successful youth programs: They try to cater to the interests of minorities as well as those of the majority. They gear activities to seasons and vacations, and this means planning ahead. Recreation draws young people closer into the life of the community. Part of its job at this time is to satisfy the universal urge of young people to be part of the great national enterprise of war. Good programs offer boys and girls the chance to participate in community war services as well as to play. Sports and Ailiteiics In Atlantic City, New Jersey, teen-age recreation is built chiefly around a city-wide athletic program. In addition to school facilities, its children have 350 acres of outdoor play space where activities are directed by the superintendent. For its size, Atlantic City has one of the outstanding junior football leagues in the country. Over a thousand 13 to 16 year-olds belong to twelve baseball leagues, and over three hundred 16 to 21 year-olds belong to a single league. Others play softball, badminton, basketball, and touch football. Three basketball leagues of sixty teams of junior boys and girls were organized in 1943. 17 Los Angeles, California, has operated park programs for youth for many years. The city’s fifty-one playgrounds are now lighted for evening games the year round. Exten- sive sports programs are conducted in housing projects. New Haven, Connecticut, attracted over 3,000 youngsters to a series of Park Booster Clubs. Each club offers a super- vised physical fitness program that includes obstacle courses, baseball, track, touch football, dodgeball, flashball, folk dancing, and individual sports such as horseshoes and foot- ball throws. In Omaha, Nebraska, a centrally located building serves as a sports center. New park programs were developed and swimming pools which had been closed for years are now open. In Kenosha, Wisconsin, labor unions cooperate with the city recreation department in organizing baseball, softball, bowling, and other leagues. Under the banner of the union recreation council, 30 teams played a regular schedule during the summer of 1943. A number of cities have given sports the green light. Golf courses and horseshoe and volleyball courts are open nightly in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Riverside, California, YWCA swimming pool is used by groups of young people from the city playgrounds, and the Junior Army Corps put on a water pageant there. 18 Berkeley, California, keeps a high school pool open daily throughout the summer, conducts twilight and Sunday baseball games, and offers skate days, swimming meets, tennis tournaments, and organized hikes. ' In Salt Lake City, Utah, where youth clubs are active, inter-club competition is scheduled in baseball, softball, basketball, and other sports. Outdoor Fun With gasoline rationing making distant camps less acces- sible, the city day camp came into its own. More than 4,500 boys and girls from Atlanta and Decatur, Georgia, took part in a regular camp program which ran from after break- fast to late afternoon. Counselors taught wood lore and nature studies, and, in general, followed the schedule of any good summer camp. Campers paid from 50 cents to $2 a week, and stayed from 4 days to 8 weeks. Eight stay-at-home camps in Camden, New Jersey, offered _arts and crafts, dramatics, music, dancing, nature study, games, and hikes. Most programs lasted 5 to 8 weeks, and some continued over week ends. Fees ran from 25 to 75 cents a week. , All boys in Fort Worth, Texas, were offered swim- . ming instruction in a public pool. Ten miles outside the city, a fishing camp was estab- lished, providing, among other things, a worthy destination for hikes. ; Housing projects in Seneca, Illinois, ran picnics, marsh- mallow roasts and hikes for their teen-age tenants. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, an old granary was converted into a youth hostel, for use by hostel pass holders. Another 576800°—44——_-4 19 hostel program is active in Washington, D. C., and a summer camp is operated there by the Boys’ Club. In Los Angeles, California, playground groups took camp- ing trips to Griffith Park, Los Angeles’ 3,000-acre city park. Schools of Topeka, Kansas, held week-end outings at a nearby summer camp. 5 In other cities, building an outdoor recreation center pro- vided an activity in itself. A Florida church congregation built its own playground, with boys and girls furnishing both labor and ideas. Music Only a few teen-age musical organizations have made the headlines, but hundreds of programs provide both fun and music appreciation. Many centers teach their members to play musical instruments. Several have organized club orchestras. A teen-age band led by a Lions Club member in Rockville, Connecticut, made its debut at a club dance and acquired a financial backer. A midwestern church has its own youth symphony orchestra, while the young people of another 20 church present costume musicales, with homemade settings and amateur dramatics. A symphony orchestra, sponsored by the Kenosha, Wis- consin, Musicians’ Union has built a fine reputation. Glee clubs are also popular with boys and girls and have an im- portant role in community activities. Drum and bugle corps add a wartime flavor. Musical quizzes are a highlight of the Ravenna, Ohio, sum- mer program for high school boys and girls. And in Dayton, Ohio, a youth center has a scheduled program of recorded classical music. Outdoor summer band concerts are an Amer- ican institution and attract all ages. Most famous among them is New York City’s band concerts on Central Park’s Mall. Literature, Debates, Forums Because a well-rounded recreation program stimulates minds as well as muscles, literary clubs, debating groups on current problems, and writing clubs all figure in the war- time recreation picture. The New Haven, Connecticut, Park Booster Club conducts forums in which teen-agers learn government procedure and help to decide policies in the operation of their parks. A large number of study clubs are under church sponsor- ship. A Kentucky church group, for instance, organized a 20th Century Prosody Club which studies American poets, writes poetry and has produced a giant scrapbook with auto- graphed letters and poems from well-known American poets. When the Dansville, New York, teen-age center was get- ting under way, the teens discussed its organization in their civics classes, as a model for studying the problems of self- government. Many teen clubs, in centers or elsewhere, have debates on current and future problems, with which their generation will have to deal. 21 Social Centers The most important factor in the success of a youth center is, of course, the participation of young people in planning and management. Here is something the teens can do them- selves, with unobtrusive adult guidance. It is something to build and to develop. Both making and using a center can be fun. The Teen-Age Club of Raleigh, North Carolina, is a pio- neer. center which has been copied widely. Sponsored by the Raleigh Recreation Committee, it originated at the request of teen-age boys and girls. A junior board of direc- tors governs it. The center is in an old garage. Boys and girls presented their plan to city clubs and raised money to pay 4 months’ rent in advance. They built a stairway, office, craft shop, library and orchestra platform, now used by their own band. They sanded floors, installed a soft drink bar and juke box, and went to work on tables and chairs; it was a thorough and handsome job of interior decoration. At the request of the teens, a parents’ club provides chaperonage. The Teen-Age Club does not stop at being a hangout. Hayrides, swimming parties, junk parties, are organized; a newspaper, ‘‘Tween-Teen Times,’’ is published at the club; ® wh tats yea cies rT| i E ~ ~ -~ ~ =; and on Thursday nights there is entertainment for young working girls. : A youth club, sponsored by a woman’s club in Lowville, New York, meets 5 days a week in a servicemen’s center. Three committees composed of town leaders, parents, and teen-agers joined in running the club. Activities include party nights, scavenger hunts, roller skating, and occasional formal dances. The Y’s sponsor many youth centers. Seattle, Washing- ton’s Flamingo Club in the YWCA is run by high school students. Every Friday night, up to 500 boys and girls gather to dance and drink cokes and have fun. Other YWCA projects include the Newcomers’ Club in Washington, D. C., the Bar None Corral in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the Bombardier in Des Moines, Iowa, and Tumble Inn of German- town, Pennsylvania. Teen-age parties are held every Friday night at the North- side YMCA in St. Louis, Missouri, with an average attend- ance of 175. Teen-age sponsors from schools and factories plan the programs, which include dancing, swimming, games, and contests. In Lake Charles, Louisiana, a town busy with war indus- tries and army camps, the Kow Kat Club on a beach pavil- ion is open 2 nights a week for more than 200 members. as X One of the most colorful and successful of all youth centers is the Open Door at Hudson Guild House in New York City’s Chelsea area. In the neighborhood once known as ‘‘Hell’s Kitchen,’”’. the Open Door has brought many teens into the settlement house for the first time. More than half of the Open Door’s regulars. are newcomers: to Guild House activities. There is little regimentation at the Open Door. Teens may not gamble but those who want to, play cards and smoke. To critics of this policy, the sponsors have two answers: It is better to let teens smoke and play cards at the canteen than to send them away. It is noticeable that there-are fewer teen-age smokers as time goes on. The Open Door is noisy and the lights are bright. Chap- eroning is provided unobstrusively by a young married woman who grew up in the neighborhood and knows most of the youngsters. “‘We’re all here together, girls and fellers,’’ one of the members said. ‘“‘You say what you want, do what you want, dance, come and go as you want, and the more noise the better we like it. We know we have to keep in line, or they'll close the place, and then we’ll have no place to go.”’ Pattern for Success By now, the pattern for such youth centers is fairly well | set. Club atmosphere prevails; tables, a dance floor, milk bar and juke box are standard equipment. Club names must sparkle and entertainment must be varied. Often the high school orchestra becomes the club orchestra, and plays for amateur floor shows. Home-made decorations, changed from time to time, add a theme to the program. A teen-age Gay Nineties club may have singing waiters, costume parties, and music to carry out the period. Again, the club may be decorated in Mexican trappings, and the orchestra or juke box will ‘‘give out’’ rhumbas. An occasional radio singer or popular actor is a tremendous drawing card. 24 The ideal of most centers is to be self-supporting, at least after opening costs have been paid. Club dues help defray expenses and give youth a sense of belonging. A member- ship card must be presented at the door. The fact that it may be revoked for reason places high value on a club.. Dues vary. A.San Diego, California, boys’ club fixes membership dues at 50 cents a year for high school juniors, $1 for seniors. The Club Kasbah in Greenwich, Connecticut, pays most of its expenses on a dollar annual membership fee. Another club is self-supporting on a 35-cent cover charge for each evening’s entertainment. A recreation center in a large city charges 25 cents a season, and offers a wide variety of activities. War Service Projects Boys and girls have done their share in national salvage programs, bond selling, civilian defense, and similar war services. They have done a good job as tin can and paper collectors, blood donor recruiting agents, and bond salesmen. One outstanding volunteer job is protecting the nation’s forests. In the San Bernardino National Forest, California, 75 high school boys served as Civilian Defense forest fire watchers during the summer. Before going on duty, they were trained in forestry and fire prevention. 25 Teen-age boys and girls often help in recreation programs for younger children. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, they serve as aides in playgrounds, city parks, and settlement houses. Youth employment bureaus are popular in many commu- nities. The Girls Cadet Corps in Arlington, Virginia, opened a bureau through which mothers may find girls to | stay with their children while they shop. A teen-age manager keeps a chart of available girls. Other successful bureaus have been opened in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Nevada, Missouri. _| sauvace |__ DEPOT | | The Junior Citizens Service Corps, sponsored by the Office of Civilian Defense, provides many opportunities for war service. These include recruiting blood donors, victory gardening, messenger work and scrap collecting. The corps enrolls youngsters under 16; above that age, they are eligible for the U. S. Citizens Service Corps. The Baltimore, Maryland, Youth Mobilization Committee recruited teen agers to help with all the war drives. They saved the Eastern Maryland asparagus crop. They give valuable service in child care centers. And Boy Scouts above 15 serve in hospitals, working night shifts and Sun- days in accident wards. Provo, Utah, organized a work-recreation program under the sponsorship of the City Recreation Council. Work in 26 fruit orchards was varied with dances, picnics, and sports. New York City Girl Scouts went to Ulster County to help > farmers in harvest time. They picked 30,000 quarts of currants in 10 days, harvested thousands of crates of onions, carrots, tomatoes, beans, and fruits, and were valuable helpers at weeding, hoeing, haying, and packing. Arts, Crafts, Hobbies Hobbies begun in youth can become life-long inter- ests. In Salt Lake City, Utah, where the community plan provides a boy and girl club es within half a mile of every hs SR, : Vi LYNN home, each club has its own x workshop or sewing center with instructors for these crafts as well as for music and photography. - A Washington, D. C., woman has turned her basement into a workshop for a group of civilian defense messengers. Here the boys can do clay modeling, record foreign broad- casts, collect coins and stamps, build model planes, carve woodwork, and print war posters. The Racine, Wisconsin, Art Association offers groups of all ages a community program which includes painting, sculpturing, photography, gardening, interior decorating and sketching. The Museum of Fine Arts serves as head- quarters. There are handcraft classes for various age groups at the Highland Park, Illinois, community center. In Detroit, Michigan, the YWCA has classes in clay model- ing, leather, metal and woodwork. : In Seattle, Washington, night programs include crafts, music, photography, and dramatics. Ki oO 27 + oo a LE RRR oN ROL RT Many housing projects also bring their teen-age residents into hobby groups. Settlement houses have long understood the value of arts and crafts for all. Dramatics Ever popular high school dramatics have multiplied into extensive out-of-school theatre activities in many com- munities. Often full-length and one-act plays are produced on regular schedules. Boys and girls act in them, build scenery, hunt props, and do the thousand and one things necessary to get a play before amateur footlights. Settlement houses, housing projects, church groups and youth centers also find in dramatics a first rate creative activity. One metropolitan church presents two full-length playsa year and many one-act plays. Puppet shows furnish an interesting variation. Dramatic coaches and directors can be found in most com- “munities. Members of adult Little Theater groups, radio actors, production men, and the housewife who once taught dramatics, are all potential directors. THE MILWAUKEE PROGRAM Among recreation programs worthy of study by commu- nities embarking on experiments of their own is that of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where a city-wide recreation program has been an integral part of community life for more than thirty years. Organization Milwaukee’s recreation is directed by the Department of Municipal Recreation and Adult Education, a division of the public schools. A State law places organization and financ- ing in the hands of the School Board, which can request a lax levy of 8 mills on each dollar of city valuation. The money must be used exclusively for recreation. 28 The law provides for cooperation between the Depart- ment of Recreation and other municipal bodies which have facilities. In this way full use is made of public parks, school grounds, and city swimming pools for which the Recreation Department provides all supervision and instruction. The city program has grown steadily since its start in 1911. Its activities today are centered in 62 organized play- grounds and 32 buildings, all but 4 of which are schools. Eleven of the buildings are used chiefly for athletics and games; the rest operate as full-time social centers. Personnel _ The Department of Recreation Mnaintains a corps of about 50 full-time professional workers. In addition, part-time workers are hired for specific activities having from one to three sessions a week. The school principal heads the social center, with the aid of a full-time assistant to direct activi- ties. Almost 1,000 volunteers help in the program. Sports and Athletics Milwaukee’s Municipal Athletic Association promotes no less than 28 sports. In 1941, more than 26,000 people be- longed to 1,871 teams organized into leagues, which run a regular schedule of tournaments and meets. A handbook reports the year’s activities and lists individual, team and league champions. A separate boxing program for boys includes training, tournaments, and exhibition bouts. The Women’s Municipal Athletic Association promotes an extensive sports program for women and girls 15 years old and up. Besides competitive sports, there are gymnastics, keeping-fit classes, informal games, and social andrhythmic dancing. Daytime and evening leagues are a part of the women’s sports schedule. . Social Activities To watch one of its 32 neighborhood centers in action is to - know a good deal about Milwaukee. On any evening there will be classes, meetings, lectures, hobby groups and indoor 29 sports going on simultaneously. Neighborhood dances and parties are held on week-ends. | The teen-age hangout is also part of the Milwaukee social center. Teen rooms and lounges are set aside for meetings, | games and parties. There are 124 boys’ clubs, 102 girls’ clubs, 36 co-recreation clubs and many informal groups, all _ organized under an All-City club council. Scientific, dra- matic, and debating groups cater to special interests. Competition between clubs is keen, particularly during charter club week when each club elects its king and queen, and the all-city king and queen are chosen. The Department of Recreation also sponsors the Munic- ipal Children’s Theater, an adult group producing plays for children, and the Milwaukee Civic Light Opera Company. Readjustment for War Though designed for peace-time, the Milwaukee program has stood up well under the demands of war. Many of its regular activities have been given a war service slant. Craft classes are devoted to making table games and other articles for servicemen. A Women’s Auxiliary Service has been organized for high school girls’ clubs, with physical fitness as the major objective. Centers are open from 3:30 p. m. to 10:00 p. m. Many boys and girls are organizing into uniformed drill. groups. For instance, 450 boys from 13 to 17 meet in social centers under the sponsorship of Marine veterans. The Victory Corps, which is part of the regular school system, as one of its many volunteer war activities sold $744,000 worth of bonds in one drive. . The Department of Recreation interprets its responsibility broadly as education in the wise use of leisure. It has, like scores of other recreation departments, grasped certain fundamental principles: to begin where people are, to help them develop the interests and talents they have, to reach all the people, and to make the fullest possible use of the resources the community has. 30 APPENDIX Principles in Developing a Community Recreation Program for Young People 1. Plan for the whole community Bring together all community groups concerned with recreation for teen-age youth. Learn what the total needs are, what resources can be mobilized to meet them. Determine how the job is to be accomplished. Reach all children—omit none. 2. Let youth participate Give much of the job of organizing their own lesiure-time activities to teen-age boys and girls. Given the opportunity, they will demonstrate ingenuity and enthusiasm, develop self-discipline. Success depends on the extent youth is allowed to inject its own thinking and planning into the program. 3. Allocate responsibility for providing services Fit all public and private youth agencies into a broad community plan and allocate responsibility to each for the various areas in the com- munity. Gaps in existing services can thus be filled and overlapping or duplication of effort avoided. 4. Develop neighborhood activities The neighborhood should be the central point in planning recreation activities for teen-agers. Keep boys and girls in their own neighborhood with their own neighborhood groups by developing varied programs that youngsters themselves want. : 5. Strengthen existing services Secure wider and fuller use of existing recreation facilities—private and public.- Adjust hours of service. Broaden and revise programs to answer all present-day needs of the teen-age group. 31 6. Use school and church facilities Make full use of school and church facilities—during afternoons, evenings and holidays—for clubs, hobby groups, social activities and athletics. Lighted school houses are symbols of community concern for its adolescents. 7. Develop new play spaces Encourage the establishment of youth centers and playgrounds where needed. War-created problems are calling the attention of many com- munities to the fact that their services to the youth population are sadly inadequate. 8. Find capable leadership : Adequate leadership is essential to good programs. Getting the right supervision is of vital importance and only qualified and sympa- thetic people should be recruited for the task. A great bulk of the work will be done by volunteers—adult and youth—but professional leaders are needed to direct and coordinate activities. 9. Diversify teen-age activities To satisfy all interests, a wide range of activities should be planned— social get-togethers, dances, parties, athletic tournaments, hobby groups, camping programs and participation in civilian war services. 10. Secure community support Get youth and parents interested through frequent forums, discussions. Give activities wide publicity. Do a community education job, inter- preting the purposes and results of your program. Planning a Youth Recreation Committee 1. Why an over-all committee? No single group has the facilities and means to answer all needs. An organization capable of mobilizing all talent and resources is necessary to develop a coordinated program. 2. What kind? A Committee on Youth Recreation should be set up as part of the com- munity War Recreation Committee. It should be affiliated with the Youth Council or other agencies concerned with allied problems. 3. Who should belong? All interested groups, public and private, should be represented on the Youth Recreation Committee. Public agencies usually include the city recreation department, the board of education, park and police departments, the city council, the county commissioner, the juvenile courts, health and welfare departments, and housing projects. Civic groups usually include social agencies, churches, service clubs, women’s clubs, the chamber of commerce, labor unions and commercial recreation interests. Youth representation should include high school councils, church leagues, youth clubs and teen-age workers. 4. What does the committee do? a. Surveys the community’s problems, created or intensified by the war, which relate to recreation for young people. The needs of working youth should be considered, as well as those of school boys and girls. b. Finds out what is needed and what resources the community has to meet these needs. Develops a plan of community action to meet these problems. Subcommittees may be designated to report on specific problems, such as facilities, leadership, youth interests, finances and neighborhood programs. c. Considers existing programs and facilities—public and private— school, church, park, for example, to determine whether they are being used to capacity and efficiently. 33 d. Where gaps exist, devises ways and means for expanding and sup- plementing established programs and providing new services where needed. e. Coordinates neighborhood and community services by acquainting each with the work of the others and providing a continuous exchange of information on planning and programs. f. Recruits recreation workers, promotes training institutes for volunteers and arranges for their placement with operating agencies. g. Gains support for community activities through the promotion of public understanding and interest. Guide for a Survey of Youth Recreation Needs 1. What is the teen-age population of your community? (13 to 20 is generally considered the teen-age range.) Analysis by neighborhood Name of neighborhood Boys Girls POR EO War Va She tg: A CR oe OR et ke OSIRIS rian Se SoC ee Beate) to fae Oe 8 tee Oe b> 0.054) OT 8. 6. Ne 0 <8: io ce 18.0. 1s bP 6 se Oey SO helrOl ee UB\ 6. Ou -0'. 850) Onsel” bis 02 baste wei) © 18: .e (Locate areas where truancy and delinquency are greatest. A map will be helpful in spotting areas.) How matiyego €0 seta? 08 thi hs er ue a aes FiGwy any Bote ror ae Sa 5 2. What recreation programs are now available for teen-age youth? (Itemize each separately.) Who sponsors it? What are its activities? Are they sufficiently varied? What facilities are being used? What is the schedule of hours? What leadership is available—professional, volunteer? How many participate in the program? What does it cost each participant? 34 Is it easily accessible to large numbers? Are there other restrictions to participation? What is the total budget of the program? "3. What is the reaction of young people to these programs? (Find out by taking a poll of young people in school classrooms and clubs. The man who runs the corner drugstore or other hangouts of young people can supply helpful information.) Could you get fuller participation by gearing the program to current interests of young people by means of: youth participation in planning and operation. better facilities. better trained and volunteer leadership. 4. What needs to be done? Reorganize and expand activities and present facilities. Rearrange schedule of hours to meet present needs. Redesign layouts of buildings and playgrounds to get more efficient use. ce Make present programs available to greater numbers by reducing membership fees and other restrictions. Open a downtown center as a hangout for all youth in the com- munity. Get school buildings and playgrounds open ae after-school pro- grams. Get church buildings open for neighborhood activities on a non- denominational basis. . Improve playgrounds and playfields and develop new ones in areas where the need exists. Seek new equipment for indoor and outdoor activities. Improve park and picnic areas. Organize junior war services projects. Organize neighborhood sport leagues. - Organize community-wide tournaments and contests. Organize community-wide dances, forums, dramatics and music groups for young people. Tell the community about the program. Keep young people informed of regular activities and special events. 35 the oe moe et i ee 5. Who can help? Schools: Superintendent, principal, faculty, student councils, parent- ‘teacher associations. Public recreation agencies: Recreation board, park department. Private social agencies: Youth-serving agencies, settlement houses, USO. Public safety departments: Police, safety and fire officials. Churches: Clergy, young people’s groups, men’s and women’s clubs. Neighborhood associations: Housing-project tenants’ groups, improvement associations, dramatic and musical clubs. Office of Civilian Defense: Junior Service Corps, volunteer bureau. Veteran groups: ‘ American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars. Lodges and fraternal organizations. Labor unions:. Locals, women’s auxiliaries. Clubs: Athletic, hiking, camera and other hobbies. Publicity channels: Newspapers, radio stations, advertising clubs. A Check List of Resources A number of organizations offer guidance to communities through personal field service and printed materials. A selected list follows. For information about their programs and for materials, write to: Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, 233 Broadway, New York, N. Y. American Camping Association, 330 South State Street, Ann Arbor, Mich. American Folk Dance Society, 670 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. American Library Association, 520 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Ill. American National Red Cross, Washington, D. C. American Nature Association, 1214 Sixteenth Street NW., Washington, D.:G. American Youth Commission, 744 Jackson Place, Washington, D. C. American Youth Hostels, Inc. 87 Main Street, Northfield, Mass. Board of Education, The Methodist Church, 810 Broadway, Nashville, Tenn. Boy Scouts of America, 2 Park Avenue, New York, N. Y. Boys’ Clubs of America, 381 Fourth Avenue, New York, N. Y. Camp Fire Girls, 88 Lexington Avenue, New York, N. Y. Catholic Youth Organization, National Council of Catholic Women, 1312 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Wash- ington, 5, D. C. Children’s Bureau, Department of Labor, Washington 25, D. C. Cooperative Recreation Service, Box 333, Delaware, Ohio. Folks Arts Center, 670 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. Four—H Clubs, c/o each State’s University Agricultural Extension Service Girl Scouts, Inc., 155 East Forty-fourth Street, New York, NEY: Jewish Welfare Board, 220 Fifth Avenue, New York 1, N. Y. Leisure League of America, 1309 West Main Street, Richmond, Va. National Bureau for the Advancement of Music, 45 West Forty-fifth Street, New York, N. Y. National Recreation Association, 315, Fourth Avenue, New York 10, N. Y. Office of Education, Federal Security Agency, Washington 25, D. C. Physical Fitness Committee, Office of Community War Services, Federal Se- curity Agency, Washington, 25, D. C. State Extension Service (in cooperation with the U. 8. Department of Agricul- ture, usually in connection with State University or State Agricultural College) State Recreation Committees and Youth Councils (usually in connection with State Defense Councils) Y. M. C. A., 347 Madison Avenue, New York 17, N. Y. Y. W.C. A., 600 Lexington Avenue, New York) NY. 37 Check List .of Rechsstien Activities In planning activities for young people, remember that they should be varied enough to satisfy all ages and all interests. Remember too that the success of program activities depends largely upon the skill and in- genuity of leadership. The following list is not by any means complete, but is intended to suggest the kinds of activities which can be developed economically and with small use of critical materials. Sports Cooking Archery Finger Painting Badminton Home Decoration Baseball Leather Work Basketball Painting Bowling Photography Boxing Plaster Casting Croquet Poster Making Golf Sketching Hockey Soap Carving Horseshoes (quoits) Printing Obstacle race Sewing Paddle Tennis - Stamp Collecting Ping Pong Weaving Rope Skipping Wood Carving Shuffleboard Wood Work Skating (Ice and Roller) Outdoor Softball Bird Study Swimming Cama pfires Tennis Ceasins Tobogganing ae 88 Collecting Nature Specimens Volleyball sr Si cach: Hiking Eres Picnics Crafts and Hobbies Star Study Basketry Scavenger Hunts Block Printing Straw Rides Carpentry Treasure Hunts Coin Collections Tree Study 38 = Social Banquets Dances Dance Classes Folk Dancing -Parties Music Bugle, Fife and Drum Corps Chorus or Choir Creative Song Writing Folk Songs Glee Clubs Music Appreciation—Listening Group Playing in Band or Orchestra Singing in Operetta Dramatics _ Acting Charades Puppet Shows Making Scenery Marionettes Minstrel Shows Producing and directing plays Reading Plays Shadow Puppets Stage Lighting Stunt Night Performances _- Theatrical Make-up Writing Plays Literary Book Club Current Events Club Debating Discussions and Forums Information, Please! Quiz Programs Table Games Backgammon Bingo Bridge Cards Checkers Chess Dominoes Paper and Pencil Games Civilian War Services Make airplane models Act as playground aides Act as aides in child-care centers Cultivate victory gardens : Help committees survey neigh- borhoods Write letters to soldiers Act as hospital aides Act as junior nursing aides Help roll Red Cross bandages Make games for servicemen Make canes for convalescent soldiers Make favors for men in military hospitals Renovate furniture and home equipment Help harvest crops Act as library assistants Make nature exhibits for child- care centers Distribute posters for the Gov- ernment Collect scrap Act as attendants at bond booths 39 ——— The Division of Recreation, Community War Services, through its 70 field representatives, has assisted more than 2,500 cities and towns in planning community recreation. This service is available to your community. For further information write to the nearest Regional Recreation Representative, c/o Office of Community War Services. Mr. Harry J. Emicu, North Presa and East Houston Streets, San Antonio 5, Tex. (Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas) Mr. Howarp BgreEsFOoRD, 311 Equitable Building, 730 Seventeenth Street, Denver 2, Colo. (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyom- ing) Mr. Etmer Cote, 1006 Grand Avenue, Kansas City 6, Mo. (Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas) Mr. Girpert W. Cottins, Fourth Street and Second Avenue, Minneapolis 1, Minn. (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota) Mr. Joun I. Neasmitu, 501 Lenox Building, 1523 L Street NW., Washington 25, D. C. (District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia) Mr. Downinc E. Procror, Euclid Avenue and East Ninth Street, Cleveland 14, Ohio. (Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky) Mr. Witu1Am G. Rosinson Bankers Building, 105 West Adams Street, Chicago 3, Ill. (Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin) Mr. Jutian Rosner, 11 West Forty-second Street, New York 18, N. Y. (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania) 576800° Mr. James Srevens, 120 Boylston Street, Boston 16, Mass. (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Ver- mont) Mr. Harry Sroops, 785 Market Street, San Francisco 3, Calif. (Arizona, California, Oregon, Washing- ton, Nevada) Mr. Georce Syme, Jr., 441 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta 3, Ga. (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee) Outside Continental United States Mr. Husert Brown, Territorial Representative, Social Security Board, 425 Dillingham Building, Honolulu, T. H. Mr. Hueu. J. Wanz, Territorial Director, Social Security Board, P. O. Box 1331, Juneau, Alaska. Mr. Conrap VAN Hynine, Caribbean Area Director, Community War Services, Federal Security Agency, Box 4343, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Al U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1944 NATIONAL RECREATION ASSOCIATION Founded 1906 AS THE PLAYGROUND ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA 315 FOURTH AVENUE | | a NEW YORK 10, N. Y. May 31, 1944 Mr. Forrest C. Allen Director of Physical Education Varsity Basketball Coach University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Dear Mr. Allen This will acknowledge receipt of your check in the amount oe of $125.00 for the services of Mrs. Anne Livingston of our staff. eS We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. ‘We are glad that Mrs. Livingston's services have been helpful and appreciate your taking the time to write of her visite oe Sincerely yours Charles E. Reed i Manager, Field Department - OFFICERS ‘SUSAN M. Lee, THIRD = sue es MRS. WILLIAM BUTTERWORTH ae MRS. CHARLES Vv. HICKOX MOLINE, ILL, i MICHIGAN cry, IND. HENRY L. CORBETT _ PORTLAND, ORE. Gustavus * “KIRBY JACKSONVILLE, FLA. N MRS. THOMAS A. EDISON June 6, 1944, Mrs. Anne Livingston, National Recreation Association, 315 Fourth Avenue, wt New York 10, Bate se f . Dear Mrs. Livingston: I assure you that you were very welcome and much appreo- iated when you put on the master recreation training course here two weeks ago. I note that you are writing fran Cedar Rapids. That is a grand town. i spoke up there tui. winter and I do not know of a. piace that I enjoyed quite so mech. The people are so pleasant and personable, just real moan beings. ow, regarding your son. i have heard a lot about him, perhaps from people here in Lawrence who told me what a great athe dete he was. You imow, nothing would please me better than to have him with us here at the University of Kensas. If you will give me his address I will be delighted to write him and tell hin how proud we are of his mother and what fine work she is doing. Zach month I write a letter to the boys overseas, which I all the Jayhawk Rebounds. Of course the ball rebounds from the | backboard and cur boys rebound fran the enemy. I am sending you one of the last ones so that you might get the idea. While your son would not recognize any of the Kansas athletes, I would be glad to send him one. In our next issue we will mention something about a et Fe ae Re ee ee ee eS Gio aie thrill. Asain thanking you for your outstanding contribution to our recreation people, I am Sincerely yours, Director of Physical Education, PCA: AH Varsity Basketball Coach. NATIONAL RECREATION ASSOCIATION ‘Founded 1906 AS THE PLAYGROUND ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA 315 FOURTH AVENUE NEW YORK 10, N. Y. Cedar Rapids, Iowa May 30, 1944 Dr. Forrest C. Allen Director of Physical Education Robinson Hall, University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas Dear Dr. Allen: May I take this means of expressing my sincere appreciation for your cooperation and that of your entire staff while conducting the training course in your city. It was, indeed, a great pleasure working with you. The letter of appreciation you wrote to me will be one of my valued possessions, My son is always anxious to have the autographs of all great athletes, so I shall Show this to him when he returns from the Pacific area, I: would certainly like for you to have a part in his future training. .May I wish you every success in the future? We need men such as yourself. | Very sincerely yours, ame 2 een? HOWARD BRAUCHER, PRESIDENT ROBERT GARRETT, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD JOHN G. WINANT, FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT SUSAN: M. LEE, SECRETARY OF THE BOARD MRS. OGDEN L. MILLS, SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT SUSAN M. LEE, THIRD VICE-PRESIDENT GUSTAVUS T. KIRBY, TREASURER : .¥ vA OF nay? wan : ‘ - - . oe | : . : a | AUMAVA HTAVOT ert “arot au ‘sabe | fies 98. Ya + F. W. H. ADAMS BERT GRANT, SRD- NEW YORK, N.Y. — es JERICHO, Mea Nove cs F. GREGG BEMIS eae E AUSTIN E. GRIFFITHS \ e Sees ‘MASS. — s SEATTLE, WASH, MRS. ROBERT woops BLISS : _ MRS. _NORMAN HARROWER =s avers ese nf 6B eo MRS. WILLIAM a ree Lit de ppegidand at ILL. oun gs tags NEW ‘rani N. Gs me Y odor cat's ade to tadiel edb yew l: “et eson ws; Bee cS chON eeier arto eno: 6d on woe