National+Youth+Administration

=National Youth Administration= toc

Overview of the NYA
The National Youth Administration was formed in June, 1935. It operated until 1939 as part of the Works Progress Administration. In 1939 it was transferred to the Federal Security Agency and in 1942 was placed under the War Manpower Commission.The National Youth Administration was a New Deal program formed to improve the problem of unemployed youth. Many Americans were concerned that the unemployed youths were open to revolutionary ides. The NYA (National Youth Administration) tried to deal with the problem by giving money to youth for school in exchange for part-time work. The boys and girls normally lived at home and worked on construction or repair projects.

[[image:http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/images/fdrl_nya_27-0555a.jpg align="right"]]
The NYA was divided into national regions, and it operated independently at the state level. The state advisory boards and local advisory committees exercised the policies governing publicity, recruitment, assignment, and transfer. The projects included construction, service, and home economics. New skills were taught to the youth. Some of those skills included wood working, nursing, furniture and auto repair, radio operation, welding, landscaping, and agriculture. Earnings ranged from ten dollars to twenty-five dollars per month. Eleanor Roosevelt was the most vocal proponent of the National Youth Administration. She lobbied ferociously to fund the program. Mrs. Roosevelt feared that an entire generation of American youth would lose their faith in democracy. As she said, "One of the ideas I agreed to present to Franklin was that of setting up a national youth administration....It was one of the occasions on which I was very proud that the right thing was done regardless of political consequences."The NYA regulated work hours at eight hours a day, forty hours a week, or seventy hours a month. The national Youth Administration offered self-improvement, health benefits, citizenship courses, and vocational guidance. Also it provided athletics, hobby clubs, dramatics, games, music, and dancing.

American Youth Congress
The American Youth Congress met for several years during the 1930's. Its purpose was to discuss the problems of the young people during the depression years. Eleanor Roosevelt's relationship with the American Youth COngress strongly influenced her fight to create the NYA. On July 4, 1936, the AYC issued a declaration of the rights of American youth which addressed issues including inalienable rights and the economic issues. By 1939, four million six hundred and nitey seven thousand and nine hundred and fifteen members. In 1941, the youth members of the AYC congress attended a picnic on the White House lawn. President Roosevelt spoke to them. The President encouraged the youth to condemn the Nazis and all dictatorships.

In Tennessee, the NYA focused on vocational classes, Scholorships and funds, and part-time jobs available to students. Those out of school received on-the-job training in federal work projects. The NYA employees built many vocational and recreational buildings all over Tennessee. They even built Boy Scout lodges. In 1937, the focus turned to skills development. A devision was set up for assistance to African-Americans. In 1939 the NYA began to emphasize skills in defense-related industries.

**End of National Youth Administration**
In 1939 unemployment was no longer a huge problem for the country. War was on the horizon. From 1939 to 1943 the NYA encouraged the youth of America to train for jobs in defense related industries. History has shown The Youth Administration to have been huge success. Even though Congress recognized the success of the program, budget constraints caused by wartime spending, forced the abolishment of the National Youth Administration in 1943.

Resources
[|http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/nya.cfm] National Youth Administration. Eleanor Roosevelt papers project. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Youth_Administration National Youth Administration. Wikipedia. Feb 6. 2009 http://newdeal.feari.org/library/index.htmhttp://dic.lib.utk.edu/f/fa/fulltext/2340.html Closed.