The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1943-03-08
WARTIME
TEEN-AGE,
PROBLEM
Solving Woes Of DeIin
quentyQuestion- Won
an Works on Issue
BY ADELAIDE KERR
A.P. Features Writer

Dorothy Richardson's job is find
ing solutions fer The wartime teen
age delinquency problem.
A wave of delinquency among
adolescents and increased pregnan-
cy among teen-age girls has made
the II to 18-year-olds one of the
country's major wartime worries.
/ Miss Richardson, who is consult
ant in the adolescent field for the
USO division of the YWCA, con-
fcedes that the teen-agers are a
problem But she refuses to be
frightened by it. She says there is
a cure. ~ tH ID
THE war has given the teen
ayers lot of adult experiences and
problems which they are not equip
ped to handle she says.
Many homes have been disrupt
ed because both parents are work
ing. Lots. of youngsters can't &c
home for any fun after school be-
cause somebody is always asleep at
home these days, The girls in other
families have no place to receive
their beaux because somebody sleeps
in the living room.
Lots of teen-age boys and girls
have after schol jobs. So they
have more money TO spend than
ever before. But they have no place
to go for recreation. The corner
drug store. and hamburger joint
where they used to congregate, are
crowded with men in uniform and
other adults. So the kids hang
around on street corners. loaf in
music stores and play the records
or jam the movies and dance halls
This constant meeting with adults
everywhere has made them want
to act grown-up' before their time
But in most cases nothing has beer
planned for them. SO they do the
best they can. It's not fair to call
them delinquants.'
( Miss Richardson. a soft voiced
IVirginian who is stationed in New
York, bases her observations on a
recent trip she made to the west
and south to investigate the war;
time teen-age problem.
The. cure" she says, slies in CIV
4 ing the youngsters a teen-age YER
sion of the grown-up things they
want TO do. First, they want to- Dc
war work. So give them chance
The girls can. work in the use
pasting up scrapbooks and doing
other chores, The boys can gather
scrap. s
| &; Second, provide something they
like, for their recreation hours, when
all they want to do is blow of
steam in a perfectly normal way
They want to dance in a place
where there are soft. lights ano
tables around the floor. They think
it is sophisticated because the
grown-ups do it. So fix up a place
with soft lights and tables where
they will have a place to dance
and they will be PERFECTLY content
with soft drinks. and milk.
Give them place where they
can stage amateur theatricals ano
extemporaneous programs. Or 9
room. where they can play gooc
music and prop up their heels ano
dream.
The youngsters want a chance tc
plan and run their own parties
They don't like chaperones, who
sit around the walls and watch
but they will stand for 'hostesses
who mingle in the fun. Schools
churches and private agencies
should get behind this kind of help
for teen-agers. Let them sit on
the committees and so some of the
work, We create places for the soil
diers. So why not for the kids? For
the youngsters-andt the adults thew
become-will be with us for a long.
| 1OnO time -