A TASK FOR YOUTH
SIR,—One million, seven hundred thousand elderly people have confessed to being lonely, says a recent government survey. No recommendations, however, were made about a remedy. At present an increasing number of people who are in need of help fall outside the scope of the services provided by the Welfare State. The local authorities are usually so short of manpower that they are only able to cater for the minimum basic needs of the elderly and the lonely. They are, it seems, ready to recognise the urgent and essential need for help from voluntary services.
The attention of the public is regularly drawn to the frolics of youth labelled 'amoral,' lethargic,' and 'bored.' Yet the belief that responsibility is alien to youth has been shown to be completely fallacious by my experience. I remain deeply impressed by the genuine desire of young people to be of service to the community provided that their surplus energy and pioneering spirit is met by a real challenge.
I have been trying over the past four years to arouse this pioneering spirit and a deeply rooted social conscience found in young people. An organisation with which I am concerned, running with great simplicity and on a very personal level, in- cludes at present at least two thousand young people from all over London between the ages of fifteen and thirty. They come from youth clubs to political groups on the one hand and a 'Teddy-boy gang' to film actresses on the other. Each week these young people take some practical steps to alleviate loneli- ness and to be of use to those less fortunate than themselves. In an organisation nameless, fundless and committecless a tremendous variety of work is undertaken. Besides the regular befriending of many hundreds of lonely people (Furzedown Teachers' Training College in Balham has over two hundred girls visiting in the area each week) a considerable amount of decorating, gardening, window-cleaning and hairdressing is also done, as well as numerous other jobs such as breaking up coal, shopping, and reading books to the handicapped and the blind. The aim of the young people is to try to become a friend to somebody who in some way is less fortunate than themselves. Already local authorities are realising the scope of service by young people and are asking us to undertake numerous jobs with which they are unable to cope. Requests are regularly received for us to do decoration work in rooms which are in a very bad state of disrepair and to help out when a welfare worker is sick and off work.
For some time I have been convinced that a nation- wide appeal to youth would result in diminishing or extinguishing hooliganism, and offer an opportunity to thousands of uncommitted young people to feel some purpose in their lives by doing something worthwhile and rewarding. It would also provide the thousands of lonely and sick old people with help and friends. We are hoping to receive some modest help from government and local sources but what 1 feel is needed is a nation-wide movement on the lines which I have outlined. This will show young people that the community is ready to use their energy and goodwill, and will show the elderly that there is concern for their loneliness:
The Temple, EC4 MC 110NY D. S-1 1-N
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