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Fifth Reformed Church Young People's Group, Grand Rapids, MI, December 1, 1971
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4526387
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Fifth Reformed Church Young People's Group, Grand Rapids, MI, December 1, 1971
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Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers
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The original documents are located in Box D32, folder "Fifth Reformed Church Young
People's Group, Grand Rapids, MI, December 1, 1971" of the Ford Congressional Papers:
Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D32 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Remarks by Rep. Gerald R. Ford before the Fifth Reformed Church young people's
group, 7 p.m., Dec.1, 1971, at Grand Rapids, Mich.
If ever a dialogue was needed between young people and adults, it is needed
today between youth and the so-called Establishment. In my view, however, there
should not only be an opening of every possible avenue of communication. There should
be a partnership between Youth and the Establishment, a joining of hands toward the
solution of society's problems.
There are a number of channels of communication. One is the White House
Conference on Youth, which I think should be conducted periodically. This year
a White House Conference on Youth took place April 18 through 22 at Estes Park, Colo.
This conference not only brought togetehr large numbers of young people--nearly 1,000
delegates--but it was truly representative.
But the White House Conference does not answer adequately the need of young
people to communicate with the Establishment. What we need is to bring together
the energy of idealism and social consciousness of the young with the experience
and money and organizational ability of Establishment leaders.
I think the Establishment needs the ability and enthusiasm of young people
today. I happen to know that Establishment leaders are deeply concerned about
social problems and would like to make use of young people's energy and idealism
to help solve them. The result of a partnership between youth and the Establishment
would be more direct and effective action on the problems about which young people,
along with adults, are concerned--the problems of our cities, of our environment,
of racial injustice, of overpopulation, of poverty and of war.
To bring about this partnership between youth and the Establishment, new
programs and institutions must be developed.
One would be what I call "Dialogue Week." This concept involves setting aside
a week for bringing young people and community leaders together in a number of
communities. The prupose would be to stimulate better communication between the
two groups. Business and community leaders would gain a better understanding of
youth's point of view and young people would gain more insight into the process of
getting things done within the constraints of established institutions.
The dialogue might focus, for instance, on the causes and effects of poverty
in each community and the actions needed to eliminate poverty there.
Individual projects would be planned to give young people primary roles in
diagnosis and problem identification and adult members primary roles in problem
solving. Technical experts could be brought in where appropriate.
-2-
Another avenue for youthful communication is supporting candidates for
political office. A number of young people's groups are being formed to support
political candidates whose views on poverty, race relations, pollution and other
issues most closely parallels their own. These groups tend to be bipartisan, to
stress specific issues, to emphasize working within the system, to aim at reform of
the political process, and to stress communication with the public-at-large via
advertising, doorbell ringing and political organization work.
Still another avenue for youth action might be youth group consortiums--
students from several colleges in one geographic location getting together or the
youth groups from various churches banding together to work on a single major
problem of the region like cleaning up a river, upgrading inner city schools,
delivering health services, housing, transportation, crime, drug addiction, job
development, or the involving of the elderly in community life.
The project would be organized and directed by the young people--the
students in collaboration with faculty and college administrators, the church youth
groups with adult leaders from the various churches. Young people engaged in these
projects would become involved in community action directed at achieving widespread
support and interest for the project and in actual implementation of the program.
Whatever the barriers, the potential for a partnership between Youth and
the Establishment exists.
The areas where such a partnership can be most fruitful are poverty fighting,
pollution control and political action.
I think young people will find that three out of four adults are willing to
join in a partnership between Youth and the Establishment. What is needed most now
is for someone to make the first move.
I am anxious that we do it locally, on a State-wide basis, and nationally.
Rap sessions at all levels would be useful.
# # #
Remarks by Rep. Gerald R. Ford before the Fifth Reformed young people's group,
7 p.m., Dec. 1, at Grand Rapids, Mich.
1971
phone
n Office Copy
If ever a du dialogue was needed between young people and adults, it is needed
today between youth and the so-called Establishment. In my view, however, there
should not only be an opening of every possible avenue of communication. There should
be a partnership between Youth and the Establishment, a joining of hands toward
the solution of society's problems.
There are a number of channels of communication. One is the White Hourse
Conference on Youth, which I think should be conducted periodically. This year
a White House Conference on Youth took place April 18 through 22 at Estes Park, Colo.
This conference no only brought together large numbers of young people--nearly 1,000
delegates--but it was truly representative.
But the White House Conference does not answer adequately the need of young people
to communicate with the Establishment. what we need is to bring together the energy
and idealism and social consciousne SS of the young with the experience and money and
organizational ability of Establishment leaders.
I think the Establishment needs the ability and enthusiasm of young people today.
I happen to know that
Establishment leaders are deeply concerned about social
problems and
would like to make use of young people's energy and idealism to help
solve them. The result of a
partnership between youth and the
Establishment
would be more direct and effective action on the problems about which young people,
along with adults, are concerned--the problems of our cities, of our environment,
of racial injustice,
of overpopulation, of poverty and of war.
To bring about this partnership between youth and the Establishment, new programs
and institutions must be developed.
One would be what I call "Disalogue Week." This concept involves setting aside a
week for bringing young people and community leaders together in a number of communities.
The purpose would be to stimulate better communication between the two groups. Business
and community leaders would gain a better understanding of youth's point of view and young
people would gain more insight into the process of getting things done within the
constraints of
established institutions.
The dialogue might focus, for instance, on the causes and effects of poverty in
each community and the actions needed to eliminate poverty there.
Individual projects would be planned to give young people primary roles in diagnosis
and problem identification and adult members primary roles in problem solving. Technical
experts could be brought in where appropriate.
Another
avenue for youthful communication is supporting candidates for political
office. A number of young people's groups are being formed to support political
GERALD
LIBRARY
-2-
candidates whose views on poverty, race relations, pollution and other
issues most closely parallels their own. These groups tend to be bipartisan, to stress
specific issues, to emphasize working within the system, to aim at reform of the
political process, and to
stress communication with the public-at-large via
advertising, doorbell ringing and political organization work.
Still another avenue for youth action might be youth group consortiums--students
from several colleges in one geographic location getting together or the youth groups
from various churches banding together to work on a single major problem of the region
like cleaning up a river, upgrading inner city schools, delivering health sertices,
housing, transportation, crime, drug addiction, job development,
or the involving
of the elderly in community life.
The project would be organized and
directed by the young
people--the
students in collaboration with faculty and college administrators, the church youth
groups with adult leaders from the various churches. Young people engaged in these
projects would become involved in community action directed at achieving widespread
support and interest for the project and in actual implementation of the program.
Whate ver the barriers, the potential for a partnership between Youth and the
Establishment exists.
The areas where such a partnership can be most
fruitful are poverty
fighting,
pollution control and political action.
I think young people will find that three out of four adults are willing to join
in a partnership between Youth and the Establishment. What is needed most now is
for someone to make the first move.
I am anjoins that we do it locally,
on a state-wide bans, and nationally
Rap Aessions at all levels would be
useful