LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
t4 What Way for Youth ?"
SIR,—In the fanfare of publicity which greeted the East Berlin Youth Festival the deliberations of the 600 youth leaders from sixty-three different countries who met during August for the first assembly of the World Assembly of Youth at Cornell University, New York State, have received less notice in Britain than they perhaps have deserved. East Berlin was a mass demonstration by young people. Cornell was by contrast a serious conference of national and local leaders of organised youth throughout the free world. The ten days of the assembly were devoted to a detailed consideration of the Declaration of Human Rights with special regard to its implementation in under-developed countries.
The United Kingdom delegation consisted of thirty-five representatives ‘of all the major tendencies of the youth service in this country. There were also strong delegations from all parts of the Commonwealth, those from Canada, India, Pakistan, Gold Coast, British Guiana and Trinidad being especially prominent. It is noteworthy that in the World Assembly youth delegations from colonial territories have an equal status with those from the mother country.
The subjects of particular interest,- I think, are the formation for the first time of: (1) A Commonwealth Youth Council to meet annually under the umbrella of W.A.Y.
(2) A pilot community project of development, probably in Nagpur
Province, India, during 1952, whereby 'young doctors, nurses and educationists, representing organised youth in developed countries, will devote a minimum of one year to a programme of mass educa- tion and hygiene.
(3) Exchanges of groups of youth leaders between developed and under- developed countries of the Commonwealth. (4) A special tour at the request of W.A.Y. International of British Western and Central African territories by a small delegation of British and African W.A.Y. leaders to stimulate the tormation of W.A.Y. national committees, particularly in those countries where the Communist-sponsored World Federation of Democratic Youth has already a strong hold amongst the young people. • (5) W.A.Y. Council meetings and regional conference in Africa, pro- bably in the Gold Coast, if the new Government agrees, and in South Asia during 1952 and 1953.
It is believed by many that this year's meeting of W.A.Y. marks a turning point in W.A.Y.'s history, and that a major effect in this country will be a greater accent on internationalism in youth work, together with, it is hoped, a greater recognition of the responsibility which young people in this country bear for young people in other parts of the Commonwealth and particularly in the colonial territories. It is realised that in this movement towards closer co-operation within the Commonwealth we must eschew paternalistic methods. There is also a widespread recognition that young people in this country have much to learn from the youth of the Commonwealth countries and not least from Asia and Africa. The traffic of ideas and techniques must
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