STATEMENT BY ELI E. COHEN, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT OF YOUTH

The entire Nation knows that we have a problem with juvenile delinquency, and that it has grown beyond the confines of individual localities to become national in scope. Many factors are known about delinquents themselves: that they are youngsters with a variety of social, personal, emotional, and educational handicaps whose values are distorted and who are antisocial. But there is much that we do not know about delinquents and delinquency, and that we must learn if we are to successfully prevent and treat the problem of delinquency in our Nation.

H.R. 7178 is a bill which proposes to set up a coordinating agency to pool our national knowledge and facilities to tackle the problem of delinquency, to estab lish projects whereby the delinquent can be evaluated, and methods devised to introduce him into the ranks of law-abiding citizens. In other words, this bill, if enacted into law, will allow to us to study the problem and learn its causes, and to find solutions. This is a necessary, essential, logical and long-needed step. Empirical methods and intuitive assumptions have dominated our approaches to the problem of delinquency far too long. Not a single community in the country has completely solved its delinquency problem. Yet there are many who persist in saying that the problem of delinquency has a simple and easy solution-put the idle teenagers to work. Putting aside the questions that come immediately to mind, such as-where are the jobs?-we have the results of twoseparate studies on the subject which reveal its paradoxes. One, taken in Detroit, showed that where youth unemployment was high, delinquency was high. The other, taken in New Jersey, revealed that when youth employment increased, delinquency went up. Experts know, therefore, that the relationship between delinquency and work is not clear cut.

When vocational counseling has been made available to youths, in which they have been assisted to evaluate their own skills and potential, the results have been favorable. Such programs, however, have been most successful when they included counseling that extended beyond immediate employment difficulties, and included total treatment.

The need to establish programs which include demonstration techniques that all communities can apply is obviously crucial to a solution of the problem. Since it is evident that trained workers are needed to accomplish this, it is imperative that the ranks of trained personnel in all levels of youth work be expanded.

The National Committee on Employment of Youth believes that all youth will be benefited from a program which prevents and treats delinquency. The image of the delinquent minority within our youth (have switchblade-will fight) projected across the newspapers and televised programs of our Nation, has had an injuring effect upon the reputation of the 97 percent of our youth who are not delinquent. Many employers have an exaggerated fear of hiring any young people as a result.

The National Committee on Employment of Youth, formed by the governing board of trustees of the National Child Labor Committee to fulfill its congressional charter promoting "the welfare of society with respect to the employment of youth in gainful occupations," is particularly concerned with the employment opportunities situation which confronts all youth. The delinquent is in a special category of disadvantaged youth, in the opinion of NCEY.

The facilities established by H.R. 7178 will utilize the knowledge of existing youth-serving agencies and enable the creation of special projects. NCEY believes that the national delinquency problem cannot be resolved unless this measure, or similar Federal legislation, is passed into law.

As the only nonprofit, nongovernmental agency specifically and exclusively concerned with the problems that confront youth in their transition from school to work, NCEY stands ready to assist, in any way possible, those concerned with the formulation and execution of the programs made possible by the provisions of H.R. 7178.

NCEY support of this legisalation is wholehearted. We do not believe H.R. 7178 is the entire answer to the delinquency problem; we do not think that an entire answer can be devised within a legislative framework. We consider the sums of money involved to be far short of the national need, let alone the ideal. We regard juvenile delinquency as one component in a total socioeconomic complex that affects all youth and that requires remedial measures and sweeping.

new approaches in basic thinking. But we do regard H.R. 7178 as soundly conceived and forward-looking legislation that will lead to the salvaging of some of our delinquent youth from their present pattern of antisocial behavior. We believe these young people can and should take their places among the ranks of the useful citizens of our country.

STATEMENT BY MRS. WESTON VERNON, JR., PRESIDENT OF THE POLICE ATHLETIC LEAGUE, INC., OF NEW YORK CITY

I am pleased to have the opportunity to submit this statement to the Special Subcommittee on Education of the House Committee on Education and Labor for its consideration in connection with H.R. 7178, the juvenile delinquency and youth offenses control bill.

Juvenile delinquency and youth crime gnaw at the roots of our national strength. Federal programs must be developed to underwrite the projects which will attack the causes of delinquency on a local level and provide trained professional persons necessary for such a program.

President Kennedy has expressed "serious concern" over and has recognized the urgency of the problem by requesting legislation to enable the Federal Government to develop programs to combat juvenile delinquency on the local community level.

I believe the initiative for meeting such problems should come from private sources and be directed by private organizations, but because of the national scope of the delinquency problem it has become necessary for Federal intervention. Fortunately, as the bill is presently drawn, the program will be conducted on a local community level.

The Police Athletic League, Inc., of New York City, from its experience of nearly 50 years in helping prevent juvenile delinquency, recognizes that it cannot offer easy or far-reaching solutions to the problem. It has developed on a local community and citywide level a varied, multidisciplined program that serves more than 100,000 boys and girls in the five boroughs of New York City. But despite community efforts, juvenile delinquency has increased in scope and intensity in New York City. The failures and deficiencies of our society are of such nature that the delinquency problem will worsen unless a systematic and coordinated approach to the problem is developed.

We of the Police Athletic League feel that some of our tested and successful programs may be of some value to other localities in meeting their emerging and developing delinquency problems.

The Police Athletic League, commonly known as PAL, is a private, nonprofit recreational corporation organized under the laws of the State of New York. It is sponsored by the youth division of the Police Department of the City of New York but is supported through voluntary contributions. PAL's board of directors consists of representatives from the legal profession, industry, labor, and city government. Its program of social, cultual, and athletic activities is conducted by a paid, trained staff of civilian workers, men and women who are qualified in the field of recreation, physical education, social work, and counseling and guidance.

The PAL program includes:

1. Supervised leisuretime activities for boys and girls from 7 to 21 years of age who are not affiliated with any other organized recreation program. These activities are conducted in youth centers, playgrounds, playstreets, and individual police precincts. At the present time PAL has 34 full- and part-time youth centers, 35 playstreets, 13 playgrounds, and 12 special programs designed to attract and assist teenagers.

2. PAL cooperates in referral of minors from the youth division and precinct youth patrolman by providing preventive recreation programs and employment counseling and vocational placement for those referred. Each patrol precinct has a patrolman assigned as youth patrolman to help stimulate the youth of the precinct toward PAL's activities.

PAL serves to encourage a friendly relationship between police and youth so that children acquire a respect for the law. It gives many youngsters who have no place to go, and nothing to do in their spare time, a haven where they can find friends and a helping hand. Often, "belonging" by being a PAL member is enough to give a youngster a new start. PAL thus does effective work with the

"unaffiliated" youth, that is, the boy or girl who does not belong to any other organization.

Youngsters are offered physical, cultural, and social activities in youth centers and on playstreets. The program includes parties, dances, radio programs, arts and crafts, dramatics, ballet, home economics, remedial reading, excursions, boxing, baseball, basketball, photography, track, social club groups, and many other fun-filled activities.

In PAL's indoor locations, many of them large, full-time youth centers named for and dedicated to policemen killed in the line of duty, there is a great variety of things to do. Any one of these youth centers, some with a membership of more than 2,000 youngsters, is a beehive of activity.

We do not "coddle" youngsters but give them healthy living experiences in working within limitations in partnership with authority. Gymnasiums, clubrooms, teenage dances and parties, and dozens of other meaningful things to do are available, all under the direction of trained recreation supervisors.

In bringing recreation to the children who need it most in the neighborhoods where recreation facilities are virtually lacking, the Police Athletic League uses any facility available. In the past few years it has transformed such buildings as a courthouse, a church, a loft building, and an old school into places where thousands of children find an outlet for youthful energy in constructive activities.

PAL sports tournaments in New York City bring together thousands of boys and girls in healthful activity. In baseball and softball leagues more than 900 baseball and softball teams, involving more than 15,000 boys and girls, compete in a healthful climate in organized tournament play. In the winter the youngsters play basketball and volleyball. Track meets attract more than 3,000 participants each year and hundreds learn to box in PAL's 10 gymnasiums.

On the last day of school, children burst forth from their classrooms with eager thoughts of a 2-month vacation at a camp or a summer resort. For thousands of other youngsters, however, it means another hot and sticky summer with nothing to do but "hang around." This idleness often leads to misdirected play and juvenile delinquency.

The PAL playstreet program is designed to dispel the boredom by instituting, on streets closed to traffic, a supervised program with a variety of activities to challenge the interests of the youngsters. On these "concrete camps" youngsters participate in a wholesome program.

Before a supervised playstreet is put into operation, a study is made to determine the community needs for this type of service. This study is planned and executed in terms of the particular needs, resources, physical structure of the street, and the characteristics of the community. Playstreet programs are situated in high delinquency, low socioeconomic areas. Congested residential neighborhoods where recreation facilities are inadequate, are ideal locations.

The basic design for each street varies with the physical characteristics of the street. Each street presents its own problem. For example, volleyball, boxball, and paddle tennis courts are placed away from store fronts. The track and field start and finish lines are located toward the end of the street. The fire hydrant shower spray cap is usually put on the fire hydrant closest to the inclined end of the street. These standard games are painted on the surface of the playstreet: shuffleboard, paddle tennis, boxball, volleyball, track (start and finish), broad jump, hopscotch, potsy, skelleys. A circle 32 feet in diameter for group and leadup games also is painted on the street. Other games can be lined with chalk. At the entrance of the street, diagonal lines are painted to caution drivers to detour. An official "Playstreet Closed" sign and a PAL insignia are placed at the street opening as an added precaution.

An effective recreation program can be conducted with a minimum amount of equipment. Standard playground equipment with some modifiaction can be used. Storage locations are obtained through the cooperation of the residents of the street. Equipment is often stored in basements, empty stores, or an accessible location where it can be properly secured.

Experience demonstrates that the greatest single factor in determining the success of a playstreet program is its leadership. The playstreet leader renders a service of primary importance in teaching children to play together, in creating opportunities for freedom of expression, in developing skills and, in building character.

Two full-time summer play leaders, a man and a woman, are placed on each playstreet to serve some 300 children daily. Part-time music and handicraft

teachers also are assigned. All play leaders and specialists are given a 2-week inservice training program by staff members of the Police Athletic League. The use of junior leaders and adult volunteers in the playstreet greatly enhances the program. Properly used, these voluunteers become friends and supporters of the playstreet. They can influence other neighborhood people and groups in assisting in the program.

Through the cooperation of these groups, parking and sanitation problems on many streets are solved. Volunteers are usually limited in ability, but their enthusiasm to serve must be encouraged and their contribution acknowledged. The playstreet program is divided into three parts: Daily program, weekly special events, and interagency projects. Program hours are from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. The daily playstreet program starts with inspection and preparation of games and equipment. Announcements of the programs of the day are made, with activities posted on the bulletin board. Activities such as community singing, dramatics, storytelling and passive recreation are suitable for the period immediately following the lunch hour.

Group games, tournaments, and special events usually are scheduled for the midafternoon hours, when the attendance is largest and parents generally are present. On extremely hot days, street showers are in operation and strenuous activities are held to a minimum. Activities such as quiet games, arts and crafts, and music are conducted in shaded areas.

The period immediately preceding the dinner hour is suitable for free play and development of self-organized games. The last hour of the playstreet day can be devoted to programs for older teenagers, young adults, and adults.

Special events conducted each week provide a great incentive for some of the routine activities. Music, handicraft, and other activities are correlated with the special events program. In recent years the theme "Understanding Our Neighbors" was used. Each week a different member country of the United Nations was featured, with special emphasis on its songs, dances, and handicrafts. To some of the playstreet youngsters these songs and dances of foreign nations were quite familiar. To many others, witnesses and participants, a more intimate personal knowledge of the various nations was acquired, resulting in a deeper "understanding of our neighbors."

The first week's program was devoted to the United States, highlighting an Independence Day celebration. During the week of July 14 there was a celebration of "Bastille Day," featuring an all-French program. A modified Olympics was held during the third week, devoted to Greece. The Chinese program celebrated the Chinese New Year.

The week devoted to Brazil featured a "Carnival in Rio," with the crowning of a king and queen. During Israel Week, a "Feast of Weeks” was highlighted, celebrating the receiving of the Ten Commandments. In addition, a Maccabiad (Jewish Olympics) was conducted. The seventh week featured an Indian

"Mela," which is comparable to an American county fair.

The program for the last week spotlighted a citywide United Nations festival held on a playstreet in Lower Manhattan. A meeting of the "general assembly" was held, with youngsters representing the various nations featured during the summer. The Assistant Secretary General of the U.N. presided over this concluding session. The summer playstreet program was climaxed with an American songfest.

I have taken the liberty of detailing, in a specific manner, the structure of the PAL playstreet program for I feel that this program could be instituted in any town or city regardless of size. It lends itself beautifully to the typical congested lower socioeconomic section of any community. It utilizes available space and provides a constructive outlet for youth during the critical summer months. The major investment of available funds must be for trained and dedicated leadership, rather than for large concrete and glass recreation palaces.

As long ago as 1948 the Police Athletic League recognized the importance of assisting youths in their quest for employment by establishing an employment counseling and referral service. This division is staffed by people who are professionally trained in the field of vocational guidance.

Since its inception this division has serviced more than 23,000 applicants, referred 14,000 to suitable job openings, and successfully placed 8,000 young men and women in jobs.

With few exceptions, the PAL employment and counseling service deals with youngsters who have a limited grasp of fundamental abilities needed for securing a job. Virtually all of them need sympathetic direction in the basics of dress, speech, filling out applications, and the realities of the job market. On top of

these difficulties are heaped intellectual and emotional deficits which have been accruing for 16 and 17 years. Usually, these youths have abandoned school because of scholastic inability, personal maladjustment, or inability to accept discipline. These youngsters then turn to the job market. However, many of the attitudes and personal skills required for success in a job situation are precisely those demanded in the school situation. Moreover, many of these youths envision a "high pay low work" situation which cannot be secured. About half of those seen in the PAL agency have had some previous experience either part or full time and have left or been released from these jobs because of their inability to meet the demands of the situation.

Complicating the picture further are education and labor laws which require the 16-year-old to attend continuation school 1 half day per week. Many employers, otherwise willing to hire a youngster, balk at this limitation. The employer's needs will not wait. Other employers are impatient with the problem of working papers and are reluctant to hire youths under the age of 18. Every effort is made to minimize this difficulty and some progress has been made.

At PAL every youngster is given an appointment to insure adequate time for the exploration of all these areas. Job counseling covers in detail what the young man or woman must do in the way of first steps towards placement. PAL pulls no punches because it is aware that no one may ever again take a legitimate and complete interest in the youth's employment problems. The response of the youngsters has been uniformly good. Tests of aptitude, intelligence, and achievement are employed as indicated to insure objectivity of evaluation. Ethical standards are rigidly adhered to in order that both the candidate for employment and the employer are protected.

In our attempt to improve and increase the scope of PAL's service to the youth of New York City we are currently developing a coordinated social group work and employment counseling service on a local community level. This small group approach will use a natural, relaxed setting as a vehicle for assisting identified future school dropouts in the following areas:

1. How to dress for an interview.

2. How to fill out a job application.

3. Papers and information necessary when seeking employment.

4. How to speak in a job interview, including counseling on posture, attitude, and giving the impression of eagerness for gainful employment. 5. Development of an understanding of what the employer has a right to expect from an employee.

6. What the employee has a right to expect as a worker-a double-edged responsibility which is founded in mutual respect.

7. Understanding of the risk an employer takes in establishing a business. 8. How to travel in New York City.

9. Knowledge of the procedure for obtaining working papers.

10. Understanding of the elements of labor laws-minimum wage, workman's compensation, unemployment insurance, and disability benefits.

11. Stress on development of simple but effective understanding and practice in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

12. Acting out various employer-employee roles to meet the realities of the working world.

I feel that the following changes and modifications are necessary if we are to see an improvement in the general employment climate for New York youth: 1. Provision for special services for youths with reading handicaps, poor knowledge of transportation systems and limited grasp of social fundamentals. 2. Advance identification of the early school dropouts.

3. Abolishment of continuation schools as they now exist.

4. Recovery of vocational and trade schools at night from industry and unions. At the present time it is not possible to place a school dropout in an evening vocational or trade school.

5. Modification of the minimum wage law to permit payment of 75 cents an hour to teenagers involved in community work projects.

6. Special summer municipal work projects:

(a) Watering and nourishing tree soil on city streets.

(b) cleaning up vacant lots.

(c) Repairing and refinishing toys for Christmas distribution in hos pitals and to needy children.

(d) Education of employers to the advantages of hiring and training teenagers.