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.

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