INTRODUCTION OF THE YOUNGER AMERICANS ACT
SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY(June 7, 2001)

From the Congressional Record

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I commend Senator JEFFORDS for his leadership
on this important legislation and it is a privilege to join him as a
cosponsor on this legislation. I also commend the thirty-four youth
organizations that comprise the National Collaboration for Youth and the
more than 200 young people who have worked on this bill. They have been
skillful and tireless in their efforts to focus on the need for a positive
national strategy for youth.

Our goal in introducing the The Younger Americans Act is to establish a
national policy for youth which focuses on young people, not as problems,
but as problem solvers. The Younger Americans Act is intended to create a
local and nation-wide collaborative movement to provide programs that offer
greater support for youth in the years of adolescence. This bill, modeled on
the very successful Older Americans Act of 1965, will help youths between
the ages of 10 and 19. It will provide assistance to communities for youths
development programs that assure that all youth have access to the skills
and character development needed to become good citizens.

In other successful bipartisan measures over the years, such as Head
Start, child care, and the 21st century learning communities, we have
created a support system for parents of preschool and younger school-age
children. These programs reduce the risk that children will grow up to
become juvenile delinquents by giving them a healthy and safe start. It's
time to do the same thing for adolescents.

Americans overwhelmingly believe that government should invest in
initiatives like this. Many studies detail the effectiveness of youth
development programs. Beginning with the Carnegie Corporation Report in
1992, ``A Matter of Time--Risk and Opportunity in the Nonschool Hours,'' a
series of studies have shown repeatedly that youth development programs at
the community level produce powerful and positive results.

In his report this last March, ``Community Counts: How Youth
Organizations Matter for Youth Development,'' Milbrey McLaughlin, professor
of education at Stanford University, calls for communities to rethink how
they design and deliver services for youths, particularly during non-school
hours. The report confirms that community involvement is essential in
creating and supporting effective programs that meet the needs of today's
youth.

Effective community-based youth development programs build on five core
resources that all youths need to be successful. These same core resources
are the basis for the Younger Americans Act. Youths need ongoing
relationships with caring adults, safe places with structured activities,
access to services that promote healthy lifestyles, opportunities to acquire
marketable skills, and opportunities for community service and community
participation.

The Younger Americans Act will establish a way for communities to give
thought and planning on the issues at the local level, and to involve both
youths and parents in the process. The Act will provide $5.75 billion over
the next five years for communities to conduct youth development programs
that recognize the primary role of the family, promote the involvement of
youth, coordinate services in the community, and eliminate barriers which
prevent youth from obtaining the guidance and support they need to become
successful adults. The Act also creates an Office on National Youth Policy
and a Council on National Youth Policy which includes youth and ensures
their participation in finding solutions to their own problems.

Too often, the focus on youth has emphasized their problems, not their
successes and their potential. This emphasis has sent a negative message to
youth that needs to be reversed. We need to deal with negative behaviors,
but we also need a broader strategy that provides a positive approach to
youth. The Younger Americans Act will accomplish this goal in three ways, by
focusing national attention on the strengths and contributions of youths, by
providing funds to develop positive and cooperative youth development
programs at the state and community levels, and by promoting the involvement
of parents and youths in developing positive programs that strengthen
families.

The time of adolescence is a complex transitional period of growth and
change. We know what works. The challenge we face is to provide the
resources to implement positive and practical programs effectively without creating duplicate programs. It is
important that we tie together all publicly funded existing youth
development programs and build on their success. This bill complements other
existing programs, like the Work Force Investment Program, in helping young
people become productive members of society. Investing in youth in ways like
that will pay enormous dividends for communities and our country. I urge all
Members of Congress to join in supporting this important legislation.