Byron Dorgan: “today I am introducing the YMCA Teen Action Agenda Enhancement Act of 2001, along with my colleague Mr. DeWine. This…”

“today I am introducing the YMCA Teen Action Agenda Enhancement Act of 2001, along with my colleague Mr. DeWine. This bipartisan legislation will enable the YMCA to reach more teenagers across the United States who are in need of safe, structured after-school activities. Unfortunately, the evidence is all around us that our young people today need some extra care and support. Kids today face challenges and obstacles that I never dreamed about when I was growing up in Regent. Children are killing other children because they covet their tennis shoes or their jackets. Kids are having kids. One-quarter of adolescents report that they have used illegal drugs. Part of the problem is the temptation that kids face when they have too much idle time on their own. Every day, millions of American teens are left unsupervised after school. Studies have shown that teens who are unsupervised during these hours are more likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, engage in sexual activity, and become involved in delinquent behavior than those teens who participate in structured, supervised after-school activities. Also, nearly 80 percent of teens who are involved in after-school activities are A or B students, while only half of those who are not involved earn these grades. Two out of every 3 teens said that they would participate in after-school programs to help them improve academically, if such programs were offered.”