The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-03-05
3O,OOO CCC Youths
 Improve Education
Remarkable Interest Shown By Youngsters School
 Authorities Granting Certificates for Scholar ship-ExceIent Cooperation Shown

Brigadier General William H. Wilson, commanding the first corps area, announced today that 2,068, ,O38 hours of instruction were given dur ing 1887, to 30,0O0 New England youths enrolled with the Civilian Conservation Corps. Said General Wilson, These figures mean little in themselves, but when you realize that 30,000 young men, who had dis continued their schooling anywhere between the third grade of grammar school and college, elected to study ln their leisure hours, after 8 hard days work in the woods, you have something to give you encourage ment in the future of America. The Forgotten youth of few years ago has had an opportunity for work and practical education through the eco and 1887 was banner year in the development of this program, with Its two main objectives of CD employability and CD good citizen ship"
 Splendid Interest
 According to Joel E. Nystrom, corps area educational adviser, who supervises the camp educational program throughout New England, nearly 8 per cent of the enrollee strength of the corps took courses every month of the past year. The enrollees who do not voluntarily take some course during the period they are in the camp are decidedly in the minority.
 There is no set educational cur riculum in the camps. Instead, the camp program is continually chang ing to meet the needs of the 200 boys in each camp. These needs are as- certained through personal counsel ing together with experience on the job. tests of achievement, ability and aptitudes.
 Enrollees, "peavies" as they call each other, range between the ages of IT and g inclusive, and have an average school achievement of 81a years. Sixty per cent of these young men have never held a job for as long as as six months. Twenty-eight per cent of the enrollees in the corps have not finished grammar school, while only 14.4 per cent have been graduated from high school.
 During 1887, 7837 young men were discharged to accept jobs, an aver age of 657 monthly. In line with the purpose of the corps to return the enrollee to gainful private en- ployment, the United States employ ment service cooperates through tEe Stcte employment office in register ing all enrollees.
 Cooperation
 In five New England states, the commissioners of education have extended state facilities so that grammar school diplomas are now available to enrollees who success fully pass special comprehensive gra mar school examinations. Tkese diplomas are kuown as equiv alency certificates. This provision, first extended by the state of New Hampshire, has now spread to Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont. In addition, high school diplomas may be earned through camp study in Massachu- sets. New Hampshire and Maine under the provisions of the Univer- sity Extension of Massachusetts High school diplomas are also avail able to Connecticut enrollee through provisions extneded by that state.
 Further academic study is aimed at aiding interested young men to achieve grammar and high school diplomas. During each month of 1897, an average of 4206 enrollees attended 470 academic courses.
 Exhibits Held
 Work by enrollees in leather, wood, metal, plastics and fabrics has ready sale value. Popular exhibits have been held at the Boston public li- brary, the 1887 sportsmen's shows, the Eastern States Exposition and other New England fairs. During each month of the past year, 1475 enrollees piled their crafts in 239 groups.
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