The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-01-26
REPORT FROM
WASHINGTON
By PHYLLIS STICK
PART II
Cosmopolitan Experience

portunity for all of US to meet
and talk with people from differ
ent parts of the world as well as
from different sections of the
USA. This was undoubtedly the
first time for some of the dele
gates to join in a discussion in
which Negroes took part. A bet
ter understanding of the other fell
lows ideals was bound to result
when Protestants, Catholics and
and Jews worried together over
their common problem: that re-
ligious training was being ne
elected at home, and in the COM
munity. One day 1 found myself
sitting between a teacher from
India and a Rabbi from West Vir-
ginia. And somehow or another
so many different people, with
such widely varying views and
backgrounds, were able to work
together and get things done. Sur
ely, back in our own communities
we ought to be able to cooperate
even more for the same objec-
tives. :
Youths Share
The part that Youth played in
the Conference was important. In
fact the evening program Of
which they were in charge, was
one of the best, if not the very
best session we had. A Youth Ad-
visory Council consisting of $50
young people between 1921 were
responsible for preparing the Con-
ference report on youth and for
their participation during the FIVE
Conference days. Approximately
400 attended the sessions and for
the first time in the history Of the
White House Conference, youth
joined the adults in full partici-
patton. They sat on most of the
panels, were in every work group,
had their own meetings during the
week, and took complete charge
of the night session that undoubt-
edly stands out in most of the
adult delegates minds, as "terri-
fic." If we had already been "pan-
ned" by other adults for the rot
ten job we were doing, we were
certainly criticized even more for
cefully by the young people! AS
they delivered their addresses be-
fore the great and the near-great
and just the ordinary delegate,
before the experts in every field,
and to such huge audience, /
wondered if there was a young
person in Dare County who could
ask, with such poise and conf
dence, that youth be given bet
ter deal from here on out. l doubt
ed it. But I know that given the
same opportunities, there would
be many in our county who could.
What youth told us in the writ
ten report and during the confer
ence itself was, to put it bluntly,
that their biggest problem seems
to be adults! They begged for a
working partnership with adults
and wished that we would stop
planning FOR youth and plan
WITH youth. They are concerned
with the fact that adults are in
clined to take patronizing atti-
tude towards them and want to
feel that their ideas are respected
at least, knowing that they are
not always right. They felt that
adults are over-protecting young
people, and begged parents to ''let
go their hand" sooner.
They want to assume more
responsibility not only in plan
ming activities for themselves,
but in the home, at school, in
the church and community as a
whole. They recognize that ma
turity begins when the first re-
spOnsibility is taken and if ad-
ults continue to treat young
people as though they will al
ways be rash, incompetent, I'M
interested and selfish, and with
hold opportunities to share re-
spOnsibilities, then youth. when
adult, will be less capable of
handling the affairs of the COM
munity when they are thrust
upon them. In short, young peO-
pie feel that adults do not ex-
pect enough of them.
They felt the need of firmer
spiritual values and on more than
one occasion the adults were call
ed down for the materialistic at
titudes that young people were
being taught. eve will be what
you teach US to be-" one young
delegate said, and added, 1--WE
have been taught that our success
depends upon what we can get,
not on what we can give" They
realized that they needed the
backing and support of adults but
were bewildered with the conflict
ing values in the world today.
They advocated more and bet
ter citizenship training in schools