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Work—Study—Live:
The Resident Youth Centers of the NYA

Serving Our New Resident Workers

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Meals in Center Dining Room

We were very aware of the effects of the depression on health. Consequently, upon arriving at the Center, every person was given a thorough physical examination. I had retained the part time services of both a local medical doctor and dentist to handle the medical needs of the Center. As can be imagined, we encountered a tidal wave of eye, ear and tooth defects, not to speak of more general health conditions that had come from an unknown amount of neglect and bad eating and living habits. The medical doctor made professional referrals as necessary for emotional and psychological problems.

The Center provided plain but nourishing food in a sufficient quantity to rebuild strong bodies. Having meals in common with the whole assemblage of the Center in the attractive dining room was a far cry from what these young people had experienced during the depression years.

The maintenance of the buildings and grounds as well as the care of dormitory rooms were handled in a way to develop positive attitudes in the youth. There was only one staff member responsible for the maintenance of the buildings and grounds and his work was limited largely to supervision and instruction. All the trainees had daily maintenance assignments to instill a sense of mutual responsibility for keeping the buildings and grounds neat. Occupants of dormitory rooms were encouraged to decorate them as they wished. Supplies and tools for painting, wall papering and other material for room decoration were available. The staff maintenance man and one of the leisure time instructors provided suggestions and instruction as requested and critiqued the youths' efforts. Results were surprising and gratifying. It was a totally new and stimulating experience for these young men and women. The opportunity for self expression evoked surprisingly good ideas and unsuspected talent in spite of their deprived backgrounds. It definitely contributed to the development of self esteem and self worth.

Youth Court in Session With Black Employee as Chief Judge

We were now ready for the first onslaught of the young men and women for whom the Center had been created. The Center's capacity was two hundred "employees" at a time. At the start they came in stages, gradually building up to capacity. They were representative of the unemployed—poorly educated, lacking job skills, frustrated victims of the depression. They came from a variety of different ethnic and racial backgrounds. Coming from widely scattered areas of the country, they were selected by various state NYA offices. With a few exceptions, they were urban in home locations. About one third of the entire group were girls. Nearly a third of the young men had police records and been referred to the NYA by court order. Amazingly, once these individuals had settled into the Center, it was virtually impossible to know who they were if one had not known previously. As a matter of policy, only a few members of the staff knew of their backgrounds. They were fully accepted by their peers. Interestingly, one of them, a black employee, was chosen chief justice of the court. We had surprisingly few disciplinary problems.

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