in SERVICE UIITH yOUTH
GoUlet*
(Chairman of the YMCA committee in Service with Mexican Youth)
Prior to 1935, YMCA organizational activities with Americans of Mexican descent were confined mostly to two areas. In Watts, located in the southern section of Los Angeles and. the San Diego area. During 1935 the YMCA engaged actively to introduce the **Y” program into the few boy’s clubs existing at that time. In the Watts area, under the leadership of Tom Garcia, five clubs were formed. Working on a part-time basis, while attending Whittier College, Tom was able to transform the character of the boys to a much higher plane than if they had been allowed to follow their own bents.
Following his graduation from Whittier College in June 1940, Tom Garcia was placed on full-time YMCA work. The question of financing Tom’s budget was a delicate one. After considerable discussion and planning a new organization was set-up. The new organization was to consist of an executive board of three members, appointed from the Board of managers of the Southeast YMCA. 1 was appointed chairman to be assisted by Messrs. Claude Reeves, Principal of the Huntington Park High School and E. J. Thompson, Instructor at the same high school. We are the nu-cleous around which an advisory committee is formed composed of “Y” Secretaries and lay members of any community who are interested in our work. Tom’s budget was finally raised through donations from several YMCA’s in the Council and Metropolitan areas, and subscriptions from communities andTmlividuals. Tom Garcia is the only person compensated for his work. All others work on a voun-tary basis.
The rapid expansion of the YMCA Service with Mexican Youth has created, or rather uncovered, latent leadership among boys and young men. The Service is organizing all types of clubs. Begi. ning with the Friendly Indians, (ages 9-12), the boys advance through the Pioneer Clubs (13 to 15), the Comrade or Hi-Y group (16 to 17), to the Phalanx Fraternity clubs ( 1 8 to 25.) In addition to the boys work our organization also assists the formation of girls* gioups. The older girls usually forming a sorority, comparable to a Phalanx.
Since June 1940, when Tom took full-time work, 24 strong, active clubs have been functioning,, and
tentative , organizations for four more have been formed. These clubs, boys and girls, young men and young women have a total membership of over 350, with the total still growing.
Our program consists of many activities: mental and physical hygiene, sports^talks, films, co-educa-tional activities, leadership training, inspiratidnal religious training along non-denominational linA, (a boys* church affiliation is not questioned. He is urged to attend the services and religious training of his own church), inter-club visits, discussions, lectures, educational trips, summer camps, etc. . .
It has been recognized that the club activities remove a certain number of boys from the street corners, increase scholarship, their church attendance, parental control, and last, but not least, juvenile delinquency is reduced. These are a few of the outstanding values which have been voiced regarding our work.
Our area consists of all of Los Angeles county as far north as Bakersfield. This does not mean that we are active in all parts of that territory, but we serve where needed. At present we are operating actively in the Van Nuys, Whittier, Watts, Compton, Willowbrook, Bakersfield, Santa Barbara areas, and a few other communities.
VOCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
(Continued front page 2) ing and dancing numbers. Merle C. Waterman also presented color movies of the trip he made to Central and South America by airplane. At every meal music was rendered by Paul Coronel, violin, and Abram Cordoba, guitar, of Santa Barbara. John Raitt of Monarch Pictures was the soloist during the Sunday sessions.
This Conference will go down in the annals of Conference history for its highly enthusiastic spirit and fellowship. All activities were coordinated to give a broadside and culminate the history-making projects of past year. A truly great increase in Conference work aid influence has been accomplished, ana as each Conference comes and goes another milestone has been realized in the ever-upward climb to the fulfillment of our objectives. For the coming year the Conference faces the future with an optimis ic outlook that will bring glorious results. So
THE MEXICAN YOUTH MOVEMENT IN MESA, ARIZ.
By Rebecca Muñoz
If it were possible to say that a movement may be exemplified by an individual we might say that in Mesa, at least, the spirit of the Mexican Youth Movement is Mr. Pete W. Guerrero. For many years he saw the need of a movement that would give the Mexican-American boy a vision, a desire to better himself and to improve his social-economic condition. He saw the "need of developing in the Mexican-American youth a pride in the culture and language of the home and combining it in that knowledge he received in school and society around him. He wished to awaken in the other Mexican-American business men of Arizona a desire to help our young people get orientated, and get a recognition of their contribution to their community. However, Mr. Guerrero*s dream began with the youth itself. Several boys of high school age met with Mr. Guerrero forming the original founders of the “División Juvenil.’’ The group grew, and recognition of the movement grew along with it. With the fine leadership and the good talent found in the group during the first year they published a small newspaper entitled Juventud, they had art classes and airplane modelling as well as crafts of different kinds. The speakers that attended their meetings spoke on subjects concerning leadership, character development, citizenship; and they, themselves admitted learning much from visiting such a group of young fellows who were so definitely committed to helping a minority group improve itself.
During their second year of activity the 'División Juvenil** enlarged their project by holding a summer camp fory boys. The first annual Mexican Youth Camp in Arizona was held in the Y. M. C. A. Camp at Prescott, Arizona. It was highly successful in every respect. The leaders .in charge of the program at camp were Mr. P. W. Guerrero, Angel Portillo, Ramon Mendoza Jr., Boyer Jarvis, and Tony Garcia.
During their third year the “División Juvenil,** as a direct result of the summer camp activity, found itself greatly enlarged, with the result that now it had to be divided into two groups, the junior group and the senior group. The junior group brought in boys of junior high school age and down even to the fourth g^ade.
next year may we see you at the sessions of the Mexican oath t on-ference.
SEVEN