The Life of Youth in the USA

Lecture N15

Young people in the United States have a wide variety of interests apart from their school. As chil­dren, both boys and girls play many of the same games. They swim, play basketball and baseball, and in recent years — soccer, go boating, and have fun in many kinds of sports and outdoor activities.

Numerous youth organisations give young people a chance to develop and broaden their interests, and to gain experience in working with others. Among these groups are the Boy Scouts, which serve more than four million boys. This organisation is for training boys in various useful skills such as light­ing a fire, and for developing their character. Scouts traditionally carry a penknife, and their motto is " Be Prepared".

There are also Girl Scouts, with nearly three million girls, and the Boys' and Girls' Cubs of America, with over one million participants. These and other groups are guided by adults who volunteer their services. Civic, cultural and religious groups also sponsor special programs for young people.

In farm areas boys and girls learn to work together in agriculture, home-making and other activities through more than 150 thousand clubs which have more than 4 million members. In these clubs youths compete for prizes in raising farm animals and growing crops.

Secondary schools offer students a wide variety of activities to develop talents and skills. There are clubs for photography, music, theater, stamp collecting, natural sciences and debating. Schools often have orchestras, band and singing groups as well as a variety of competitive sports for both boys and girls.

Many young people hold part-time jobs after school hours. Thousands earn money delivering newspapers or helping care for infants and young children (babysitting) in private homes. Later when they go to college, many youths continue to work part-time at a variety of jobs to help pay their expenses.

For several weeks during the summer vacation, about 5 million school age children go to camps where they get plenty of recreational activity and learn various arts and crafts, and sometimes even computer skills. There are more than 10, 000 camps operated by private citizens and organizations. Col­lege students often work as counselors at these camps.

Most schools and colleges have some form of student government with elections to choose class representatives. These elected officers speak for their fellow students at student council meetings with teachers and school officials. They also organize social activities and take part in such community projects as raising money for public welfare.

Young Americans are often criticized for their superficiality of interests, egocentrism and lack of spiritual and cultural sophistication. They spend too much time watching television, do not read books, do not learn as much as they should and seem to be perfectly satisfied with being mediocre. However, not all young people are like this and such a sweeping statement would be a gross exaggeration.

Many young Americans aim high and place priority on education and career. They realize that they have to study hard to reach their goals and are convinced that education is their best chance for prosperity and success in life. According to statistics, more than half of American students receive some form of post-high school education and about 19 per cent graduate from four-year colleges and universities. After studies, the vast majority of young people plan to find a good job, get married and have a family. Others intend to join the armed forcesor travel. A survey conducted recently among American students reveals that the most important thing they want from life is career and success, followed by happiness, marriage and family.

It is sometimes said that American youths are lazy and undisciplined. The reality, however, is different. The vast majority of young people in the United States are hard-working. One poll indicated that nine out of ten teenagers have after-school jobs. Some of them work part-time every day, others only on weekends and during their summer vacation. The most popular jobs are delivering newspapers, washing cars, babysitting, working in fast food outlets, restaurants, hotels, grocery stores and gas stations.

During their leisure time American teenagers play sports and participate in school-related activities such as drama clubs, dance, debate teams or bands. They are also active in various political and church groups. Thousands of young people are involved in volunteer work; they work in hospitals, take care of the elderly and the handicapped, clean up the natural environment or raise money for charitable organizations. They work for a better quality of life not only for themselves but also for other people.