= 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.

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