Skepticism Marks Conference; Students Debate Youth Service

Participants in an all-day National Youth Service (NYS) conference at Brandeis University on Saturday were skeptical of the efficacy of national youth work programs.

Sen. Paul E. Tsongas (D.-Mass.) and the Bureau of Student Services of the Massachusetts Department of Education hosted the conference, which included approximately 150 local high school and college students and a group of about 12 from Harvard, in order to get reactions on the idea of NYS.

NYS is designed to actively employ young people in their communities. The program, if it becomes mandatory, may be linked to the draft.

About ten members of the Committee Against Racism who were handing out anti-draft pamphlets before the conference occupied the stage chanting slogans during the proceedings.

Alvin D. Joran '81, one of three members of the Harvard Libertarian Society who attended, said the conference focused on three questions: should participation in the program be mandatory or voluntary, what type of work experiences should it offer, and who should benefit, society or the individual.

Serving Three Masters

"The idea of the program being mandatory was immediately shot down," Steven D. Wisdom '83, another Libertarian, said. Wisdom was also skeptical of a voluntary program because costs are estimated at over $25 billion.

Debra L. Cohn '81, vice-president of Phillips Brooks House (PBH), praised the conference for encouraging a free-flow of observations but criticized it as unfocused.

"Many people came with very different goals," she said, noting that some saw the purpose of NYS as providing youth employment while others believed it should provide job counseling.