Investment in Youth

By Mary Lou Zoglin

Mary Lou Zoglin is actively involved in seeking solutions to the immediate challenges facing the city, but she also believes that now is the time to plan for the future. Her focus as Mayor was the expansion of city-sponsored after school programs for all young people, from elementary through high school and from all cultural backgrounds. These programs offer homework assistance, healthy physical activity, an introduction to constructive leisure time interests, and interaction with caring adults. They provide an alternative to the involvement with drugs, violence, crime, sex, and gangs, which peaks during the often-lonely hours between school and dinnertime.

In the past, it was expected that the non-school hours would be spent under the supervision of family, church, or youth organization. Studies done 40 years ago showed family, school, and church to have the greatest influence on young people. Today's studies show that friends and television have moved into first and second place in this regard. The reduction of family influence stems partly from the fact that parents are working and are simply not in the home during their children's free hours.

Cities have traditionally offered recreation programs for young people after school, on weekends, and in the summer. But they have not felt responsible for seeing that all youth have the opportunity to be involved. It now appears that cities are the only social institution in a position to do this. This need has been recognized across the country, with the United States Council of Mayors developing a program entitled "From Two to Eight," referring to the post-school hours.

Mountain View actually had a head start on the rest of the country in this respect. It has a history of cooperative action among its schools, city and county agencies, and other organizations involved with youth and families. Several years ago the city developed a Youth Action Plan and begin to implement it. It has worked with the various community groups to inventory existing leisure-time activities and to determine where additional programs are needed. The Council allocated special funds two years ago to expand youth programs, and these funds have now become a permanent part of the budget of the Community Services Department. The Council also appointed a special Youth Advisory Committee from among its members to help get this program underway. The Committee and staff have been working to be sure that: 1) activities are of interest to students of varying lifestyles and cultural backgrounds; 2) programs are offered late enough in the day to cover the unstructured hours when parents are not home; and 3) there are no financial or transportation barriers that make it impossible for some youth to participate.

Young people now help make decisions about these and other youth programs through two new Youth Advisory Groups, one composed of middle school students and the other of high school students. The first result of the high school group's deliberations is an evening Study Center located in City Hall, equipped for computer use and group as well as individual study, and with convenient access to the library. The middle school groups is exploring options for more space for the popular Teen Center program that has outgrown the Escuela House.

Please let me know your ideas for how best to invest in our youth, thereby assuring a good future for them and for our society as a whole.