Boston YMHA Hecht House

              CANTEEN ACTIVITY - 1944-1945
The purposes of the Canteen, as I see it, are threefold in naturei-
1. To provide a social recreation center for adolescents under proper supervision and guidance.
2. To encourage and stimulate youngsters into other equally desirable channels
of activity; and finally
3. To provide entertainment and programs of an intelleotual-recreational nature
mainly through the participation of the youngsters themselves.
I feel that the season 1944-1945 has fulfilled the first two objeotives completely and
only partially the third. I should say, on the whole, that the season was a real
success.
In what follows I shall go into detail about the multivaried activities. The organization of the oanteen rests on a director, a canteen committee composed of members
of the canteen and headed by a chairman with the director as advisor, and volunteer
senior hostesses consisting of women in the neighborhood who are extremely interested
in the welfare of the youngsters, I should like to especially mention the faithful
work and help given to wo by Mr. Edward Klein, whose sympathetic help and advice proved
a great faotor in the successful operation of the canteen.
The attendance at the oanteen ran from 100 to a maximum of 450 depending on the weather
and other factors, Thursdays and Saturdays were the big nights with the former set
aside as program night. On program nights there v/ere such activities as amateur talent
contests, dancing oontests, movies, quizzes of a musical nature; simple musical interpretations by the youngsters themselves and others.  Of these programs much can be
said for and against them. In the main, a program of an entertainment nature provided by
guest appearances proved the most interesting. The youngsters themselves preferred
dancing, but it was thought advisable to interject these various programs to stimulate
their interests into other activities as well. The appearanoe of Mr. Phil Saltman and
his "Future Stage & Soreen Stars" p—____*" proved the most successful.
There were other successful enterprises engaged in by the oanteen oommittee such as
the House Counoil Danoe to raise funds for the athletic team; the War Bond Drive Dance,
and the Russian War Relief Danoe.
As an example of social training to youngsters, I should like to mention one example of
the attitudes developed in a group known as the Enrols. This group originally consisted of a group of lads whose sole enjoyment consisted of coming sloppily dressed
and rough-housing around the canteen. With the aid of Mr. Klein, I oan truly say
that the manner, dress, and speeoh of these youngsters have undergone a remarkable
transformation.
The Canteen Committee showed a remarkable spirit of faithfulness under the __u__c—__-
direction of its leader Ruth Mikalovitoh. At the end of the season the oon_dttee was
reorganized to weld it into a more unified group,
Hy  conclusions are very simplei-
1, The oanteen served its intended purposes,
2, The youngsters have benefitted both socially and from a reoreational
point of view,
3, There ought to be moire such centers of aotivity in all communities.