How many times have you said that there are too many kids out on the streets? How many times have you said that you wished they’d find something to do? How many times have you helped them find something?
Do you ever wonder why there are so many things for kids to do but they just don’t seem to be doing them or interested in them?
It seems that young people just sit around waiting for elders to lead them. They don’t have any ideas of their own and when activities are set up for them they reject them.
Do they ever do anything for themselves?
Yes, SPROG.
Sprog is a group of young people, concerned with young people.
Sprog knows why young people hang on the streets because they themselves are young.
Sounds good doesn’t it? Young people concerned about young people..
But, what have they done?
1. We, Sprog gave a fish fry to raise money for our cause, helping each other.
2. We also sold candy apples
3. We held a Halloween party for the kids on our block to make Halloween more interesting to them.
We are forty-five members strong, we have plans on paper for recreation programs, we want every youth in our neighborhood to be occupied with what he or she would like to do. We know how it feels to have nothing to do and we got tired of it. We know that we need more than just something to do.
We also need someone to care about what we’re doing, so decided to care about each other.
We are not kids participating in another youth program, we are young people organized and ready to go. But we have no place to go.
We are willing to accept guidance from older people but no one will guide us.
So, what do we want?
We want a place to go, we want a building in our neighborhood devoted to the youth of our neighborhood, where we as a group can expand our organization and take more kids off the streets.
We want guidance, we want people willing to take part in giving a hand, not taking over, but giving a hand in helping us help ourselves.
We are tired of the youth programs that come and go, programs where you never get to know each other and understand one another.
We are tired of programs that are set up by elders and shoved down our throats, we want to do something ourselves. We know what to do but we have no where to do it.
This is Sprog.
How, and Where, did Sprog start?
And will it work? Has it ever been done before?
Yes it will work, it will work because we are not held together by money and competition, we are held together by love and concern for each other.
Will it work is not the question, has it worked is the question, and it has. A program in Kirkwood was built around the same concept, love and concern, and has been going on for years. It has been succesful in all of its projects and in the process made young people feel that they had done something other than just participating in some youth program.
If you are interested in contributing in any way, shape or form to the Youth of your neighborhood contact: Mrs. Davis — 725-4625 or Dane Clark — 725-1641
Originally published in The Paper, December 1975.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1975_12.pdf, printed page(s) 4; PDF page(s) 4.
