Clinton Kural Youth float ctunmltleo and 

 trophy receivad for basf float In county- 

 wide Block and White Sliow. Reading from 

 Mt to right — Back row, tdward Atkmann, 

 Wiibert ffermsmeyer, George Solin, Jack 

 Vaiiikamp, Casper Riciiter, and Youth At- 

 iMant laverne A. Jenne. front row, Wll- 

 lene Vahlkamp, Botfy Jenne, ftotemary 

 Vahlkamp, Dolores Kampwerth, MlUord 

 Conrad, Jane Richter, Marjorle Sohn, and 

 Youth Attlstant Esther Schuchmann. 



By ELLSWORTH D. LYON, Director 



Young People's Activities 



MUt 



wher 



heav 



Rural Youth 



Plans for 



ACTION 



THE stronger Rural Youth groups 

 of Illinois plan definitely and well 

 in advance the educational pro- 

 grams for monthly meetings. 

 Real education in a Rural Youth 

 group is not a passive influence. It 

 must be planned with opportunity for 

 participation by the members. Per- 

 tinent facts must be pursued. Individ- 

 uals and committees must be given re- 

 sponsibilities for certain parts of the 

 program. This procedure brings in- 

 terest to the learning process and makes 

 Rural Youth worthwhile. 



In developing a sound educational 

 program the following factors must be 

 considered: (1) It must grow out of 

 the needs and interests of the group. 

 (2) It must be based upon the aims of 

 the group. (3) It must embrace thft ac- 

 tivities of the five basic standing com- 

 mittees of education, recreation, com- 

 munity service, publicity, and member- 

 ship and hospitality. 



It is understood that the educational 

 program is more than the educational 

 features. When the five basic activities 

 as outlined by the standing committees 

 is pursured, all who take part in any 

 one of them is broadening his educa- 

 tional experiences. A summer activity 

 of Clinton county serves as an example 

 of an interesting project which pos- 

 sessed educational values. Clinton took 

 part in a community parade, presenting 

 its major activities in a float with the 

 theme "Steering for Better Education, 

 Recreation. an<J Community Service." 



Here was a program which the coun- 

 ty was proud to portray. The project 

 had educational values from various 

 angles: (1) It caused the group to think 

 definitely about what it had to offer 

 other young people and to the com- 

 munity. (2) It led to the planning of 

 an effective medium to tell the major 

 emphases of the organization - — the 

 float being that medium. (3) It pro- 

 vided opportunity for the members to 



work together. (4) Certain publicity 

 had to be considered in advance. (5) 

 There were recreational elements real- 

 ized in sponsoring the float. 



However important as these projects 

 or the committee work involved in the 

 standing committees may be from an 

 educational standpoint, it is the educa- 

 tional feature itself that counts most. 

 Marshall-Putnam recently prepared an 

 attractive program booklet covering 

 meeting plans for the six months from 

 Oct. '49 to March '50. The introduc- 

 tory paragraph in the booklet says, 

 "The program planning committee has 

 used the committee system in providing 

 for plans for each Rural Youth meeting 

 and in addition has selected the educa- 

 tional feature for each meeting." 

 Marshall-Putnam realizes that a sound 

 program of educational features is nec- 

 essary to satisfy the needs and interests 

 of farm youth who now or soon will 

 become members of its group. The 

 themes to be followed are: October — 

 Talk Fest with competitive games. No 

 vember — Our plan for an ideal Rura 

 Youth meeting (to be outlined by smal 

 discussion groups), December ■ — Un 

 derstanding your local farm organiza 

 tions, January — Annual meeting, Feb 

 ruary — Behind the scenes in radio 

 March — Ideal Rural Youth program 

 as selected at the November meeting. 



This group begins with the education- 

 al features as the basic need of the 

 young people and is building recrea- 

 tional and other aspects of the program 

 around this need. Worthy of mention is 

 the climaxing of the six months' series 

 with a projection of additional educa- 

 tional programs beyond the March 1950 

 meeting from the actual plans of the 

 membership as drawn up in small dis- 

 cussion groups in the November, 1949, 

 meeting. Here is Rural Youth in ac- 

 tion! Here is a process of finding the 

 desires of the membership. The group 



is servicing itself. It is solving its own 

 problems. 



Throughout the state there is great 

 need for Rural Youth to be on the 

 alert in planning its entire county pro- 

 gram with special emphasis upon the 

 educational features of its regular meet- 

 ings. One of the purposes of Rural 

 Youth is to take care of the educational 

 needs of young farm men and women 

 who are out of school and unmarried. 



When a group forgets this original 

 purpose it is failing to serve its mem- 

 bership. When the leaders meet this 

 basic need, they are not only training 

 leaders in agriculture and community 

 life, but thev are building for the fu- 

 ture strength of Rural Youth as well. 



There are many sources of educa- 

 tional topics. Begin with the local 

 county. Groups could profitably study 

 local government, taxes, roads, schools, 

 health, soil needs, the problems and 

 privileges of home building, the mean- 

 ing of citizenship, good agriculture, the 

 advantages of cooperatives, and the 

 place of Home and Farm Bureau. These 

 subjects are at the front door of every 

 rural citizen. Farther away are the 

 problems of the state, nation, and the 

 world. 



There are rich resources from which 

 to obtain information upon the topics 

 chosen. Again, the local county should 

 be tapped. The Farm and Home Bureau 

 offices, public agencies, religious lead- 

 ers, editors, teachers, travelers, hobby- 

 ists. Rural Youth members, and parents 

 are glad to help Rural Youth groups. 

 Our own great state University, the Il- 

 linois Agricultural Association, the 

 various agencies of our state and na- 

 tional governments and libraries can 

 supply material upon unlimited subjects 

 to individuals and groups which come 

 with inquiring minds. Rural Youthcrs, 

 this day is yours for educational ad- 

 vancement. Become informed young 

 men and women through your Rural 

 Youth educational program. 



Rice yields are reported to exceed 100 



bushels per acre in Spain, 90 bushels in 

 Italy, 80 bushels in Japan, 60 bushels in 

 Egypt and 4$ to ^0 bushels in the United 

 States. i 



24 



I. A. A. RECORD 



