National Youth Administration
The National Youth Administration (NYA) was established on June 26, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the New Deal in response to the widespread unemployment caused by the Great Depression. Aimed at young adults aged sixteen to twenty-five, the NYA focused on providing training, education, and employment opportunities to those who were students, unemployed, or from families receiving relief. Under the leadership of social activist Aubrey W. Williams, the agency sought to strengthen the democratic engagement of youth through educational initiatives and established offices in each of the forty-eight states.
The NYA created training centers and camps, particularly for young women, addressed the high unemployment rates among African American youths by appointing Mary McLeod Bethune to its Division of Negro Affairs, and offered part-time jobs to students to assist with their education. The agency was instrumental in undertaking public works projects, contributing to the construction of schools, parks, and infrastructure, while also providing vocational training and apprenticeships. Despite its significant impact on improving the lives and prospects of millions of young Americans, the NYA faced criticism and was ultimately dissolved in 1943 amid shifting wartime needs. Its legacy includes influencing future programs aimed at helping youth transition from education to employment.
National Youth Administration
Identification Federal government agency supporting the development of American youth
Date Established on June 26, 1935
The National Youth Administration (NYA) provided young Americans greater access to education, employment, and vocational training. During its eight-year existence, from 1935 to 1943, the NYA provided practical work experience and training to several million American young people who were underserved by other New Deal programs.
The onset of the Great Depression resulted in the unemployment of millions of Americans. Young adults, ages eighteen to thirty, were significantly affected by the economic downturn. During the early 1930’s, nearly five million young adults were both out of school and unemployed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s early New Deal programs, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, employed thousands of American youth, but millions more still needed work.
On June 26, 1935, Roosevelt signed an executive order creating the NYA. The programs of the NYA targeted Americans between the ages of sixteen and twenty-five who were enrolled students, unemployed, or from families on relief. The NYA offered these young people training, education, and employment. Headed by social activist Aubrey W. Williams, the new agency was part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the most expansive New Deal agency. Williams wanted to strengthen the democratic character of American youth through the NYA’s educational programs.
Williams began his work with a budget of $50 million. Similar in structure to other New Deal agencies, the NYA established an office in each of the forty-eight states and hired a director for each office. The NYA created training centers in various cities, towns, and counties to help reach its target audience. The agency also established training camps for young women.
Similar to other New Deal agencies, the NYA recognized the need to improve the lives of young African Americans. In 1935, three out of five African American youths were unemployed, compared to one of five white youths. That year, the NYA appointed noted African American educator Mary McLeod Bethune to direct the agency’s Division of Negro Affairs.
The NYA reached college and high school students by offering them part-time work to help pay for their education. The organization also helped unemployed young Americans not in school by placing them in full-time jobs or providing them with relevant training. Nearly one-half of the youth in the NYA’s programs had not previously held a job.
Initially, the agency focused on public-works projects, such as the construction of schools, playgrounds, roads, bridges, libraries, and parks. NYA employees helped complete thousands of public buildings and hundreds of new infrastructure projects. The NYA also found students permanent jobs and provided vocational training and apprenticeships. Many NYA participants gained experience for clerical, factory, and professional careers. At the end of the decade, the agency helped employ young Americans in defense-related positions. In 1939, Roosevelt placed the NYA within the new Federal Security Agency, which separated the NYA from the WPA.
Impact
During the Great Depression, the NYA provided millions of young Americans educational, career, and vocational opportunities not previously available to them. Unlike other New Deal programs, the NYA offered American youth specialized skills and incentives to remain in school. New Deal opponents charged that the agency meddled in education, race relations, and local government. Despite support from Congressman Lyndon B. Johnson and Senator Harry S. Truman, public criticism and the changing needs of wartime led to the end of the NYA in 1943. The NYA proved to be an important and unique New Deal program that reached out to millions of unemployed American youth. The NYA served as a model for later government programs designed to transition young Americans from the classroom to the workplace.
Bibliography
Lindley, Betty, and Ernest K. Lindley. A New Deal for Youth: The Story of the National Youth Administration. New York: Viking Press, 1938.
Reiman, Richard A. The New Deal and American Youth: Ideas and Ideals in a Depression Decade. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1992.
Salmond, John. A Southern Rebel: The Life and Times of Aubrey Willis Williams, 1890-1965. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1983.