Book Description

On September 30, 1991, the House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families convened to celebrate National Children's Day and hear the testimony of youth ambassadors, teachers, and congressional representatives. This record of the congressional hearing includes the spoken and prepared statements of Representatives Patricia Schroeder, Joseph Kennedy II, Barbara-Rose Collins, and Diana Ross, the national spokesperson for the National Children's Day Foundation. A statement by representatives of the Academy for Educational Development offers an overview of the crisis facing America's youth, puts forth an argument for emphasizing youth development, and describes four programs that are successfully meeting the needs of young people. The bulk of the hearing report consists of the spoken and prepared statements of youth ambassadors from 36 states. The statements typically describe the personal impact of particular youth programs on the lives of the youth ambassadors, and underscore the value of these programs to young people in general. The testimony describes programs for at-risk youth, individuals in the foster care system, and minority students, and programs that focus on academic excellence, leadership development, substance abuse prevention, community service, citizenship education, and other aspects of youth development. Comments by members of the committee are also included. (AC)