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Skriven 2005-02-03 23:33:44 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0502039) for Thu, 2005 Feb 3
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Remarks by the First Lady on Helping America's Youth
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For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
February 3, 2005

Remarks by the First Lady on Helping America's Youth




REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY

Helping America's Youth

Germantown Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

11:53 A.M. EST

MRS. BUSH: Thank you very much, Lamar. Thanks to all of you. I'm so excited
to be here today. Lamar has had a great story for us. He's an inspiration
to us, and I know you are really proud now that young people look up to you
for inspiration, just like you looked at Jack and your other mentors.

I want to thank Jack Law and Steve Highsmith and Rick Smith for your warm
welcome to the Germantown Boys and Girls Club. And special thanks also to
Roxanne Spillett, President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America for your
commitment to our nation's young people.

I love to visit Philadelphia and I've spent a lot of time here over the
last four years. I've visited museums and historic sites. I've met many
great students and teachers here. And I have to admit, I've eaten one too
many Philly cheese steaks. (Laughter.) But I'm really happy to be here
today at the Germantown Boys and Girls Club today.

Last night, during the State of the Union address, President Bush shared
his goals for the next four years with the American people. The President
reaffirmed his commitment to freedom for those who are oppressed around the
world. As the people of Afghanistan and Iraq have shown, liberty triumphs
over terror. President Bush will work to strengthen our economy, our Social
Security system, and our schools for the next generation. And he called on
all Americans to expand the values of family and compassion that are the
foundation of our country.

The greatest strength of our country is the goodness of the American
people. Faithbased and community groups bring greater hope to us all. And
last night the President proposed an initiative to help these organizations
reach out to young men and young women, but particularly to young men who
find themselves lost or trapped in gangs. We want to show young people the
ideal of manhood that respects life and rejects violence. The President's
administration has proposed $150 million over three years to help young
people in some of our toughest neighborhoods. Encouraging young men to see
beyond a world of hopelessness is part of a national effort to help all
young people reach their full potential.

Since my years as an elementary school teacher and librarian, through the
years as First Lady of Texas and now as First Lady of the United States, I
have worked to emphasize the vital importance of early childhood education
for all children. The first five years of life are critical. They are a
critical time for children to develop the physical, emotional and cognitive
skills that they will need for the rest of their lives. Infants and
toddlers need parents and caregivers who read to them, who foster their
development so when they start school, they are ready to learn.

These years are also critical to the social and the behavioral development
of young children. Research shows that boys who exhibit highly aggressive
behavior as early as kindergarten have a greater chance of being involved
with drugs and violence as adolescents. In fact, children who are overly
impulsive at age three are twice as likely to be dependent on alcohol by
age 21. And research from Yale University shows that there is substantive
linkages between early reading failure and truancy and depression later in
young people.

Our children are living in an increasingly complex world, and many boys
especially are having a tough time growing up. Boys have a harder time
learning to read, graduating from high school and achieving independence.
They often fall behind girls in elementary school, and more boys drop out
of high school than girls. Boys are also more likely to drink and use drugs
to gain approval from their peers. And they are more likely than girls to
be arrested for crimes.

The Department of Justice estimates that more than 90 percent of gang
members in large cities are boys. They are also more than four times likely
than girls to carry a weapon to school. And by age 18, boys are 17 times
more likely than girls to be in jail or in prison.

Researchers are studying how boys differ from girls in their ability to
cope with life changes. We have more to learn, but we do know that positive
experiences within their families, schools and their communities can
determine whether boys will live a life of peril or a life of promise.

Tyenell Rose said that Germantown Boys and Girls Club helped her son Tyalif
turn his life around. Tyalif started getting in trouble in the first grade.
His role as the class jokester escalated as he moved through the fourth
grade. Last year, the school called Tyenell nearly every single day to
report that her son was acting out. She turned to Jack Law in the Boys and
Girls Club for help. Through oneonone mentoring and the Club's no tolerance
policy, Tyalif is doing better in school. He is paying attention in class,
and he has improved in reading, passing the state assessment test this
year.

At home Tyalif listens to his mom and helps with his younger brother and
sister. As a single mother, Tyenell welcomes his help, and she appreciates
knowing that her children have somewhere safe to go after school.

Tyenell said, "I'm fortunate to have a Boys and Girls Club in my
neighborhood and to have great mentors for my children. My boys now have
positive influences in their lives and I can be proud of the men that they
are becoming." Thank you Tyenell and Tyalif for sharing your story. You are
an inspiration to all of us.

We want all children to grow up healthy and safe. As parents, teachers and
community leaders, we have a personal interest in seeing our children
succeed. And as Americans, we have a moral responsibility to ensure that
all children are prepared for school and for life. Children need strong
role models and relationships with adults who nurture their confidence and
their character. Young people must have safe places to go where they can
express themselves and be heard. And all children need the experience and
the joy of giving back to their own communities and helping other people.

This is what Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia provide young people with
every day. Like all Boys and Girls Clubs, Germantown is a great example of
a communitybased center that engages young people through positive youth
development. For children the Club is an alternative to the streets. Every
Club has trained youth development professionals who provide positive role
models for young people, and I visited with two of those young
professionals and the groups of young people that they're working with
today and it was very, very moving to see the Passport to Manhood class and
the SMART Moves class, and thank you both. Thank you for letting me come
sit in your classes with you and thank you for your great influence on
young people.

In these classes, young people learn to resolve conflicts and how to
prepare for college. They have their own passport in the Passport to
Manhood class, which symbolizes their journey and in which they can capture
their accomplishments. Shenelle Colman, who I visited in her SMART Moves
class, teaches teens how to say no to drugs and sex. Through role playing,
young people learn to resist peer pressure and learn how to make the right
decisions.

By focusing on character and career development, early reading and
community service, this Club is making an incredible difference in the
lives of young people, and we see success like this in Clubs throughout the
country. Research shows that where there is a Boys and Girls Club, there is
generally a reduction in vandalism, drug trafficking and youth crime. While
many programs are making a difference in the lives of boys and girls, we
can and we must do more. We need the support of families, communities,
schools and government to ensure that no child is left behind.

There are specific interventions and promising practices that work. These
programs nurture a child's social and emotional health and their academic
skills. They also teach parents how to develop a loving, stable home and
how to solve problems. We must share this information widely so that
communities can engage and empower young people. And parents, teachers,
faithbased and community groups need to be part of this national
conversation.

I encourage all Americans to get involved in the life of a child. Many
volunteers dedicate their times at Boys and Girls Clubs. The President
established USA Freedom Corps to help Americans find volunteer
opportunities in their own home communities.

Over the next few months, I'll be traveling across the country visiting
schools and faithbased centers and community programs like this one. I hope
to learn more about the challenges boys face and how we can improve their
lives. We can nurture our children's dreams, we can help them develop their
talents and we can ensure their healthy development. Our success will not
only affect the direction of their lives, but it will also affect the
future of our country.

The challenges before us are great, and the time between childhood and
adulthood, as George and I can attest, is all too short. But as the men and
women of the Germantown Boys and Girls Club show, each of us has the power
to make a difference in a young person's life.

Thank you all so much for being here. Now I want to introduce Roxanne
Spillett, the President of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. (Applause.)

END 12:05 P.M. EST

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