At 18, young people in the USA can take on most of the rights of adulthood. Many teenagers are making positive
contributions to their communities. America's young people are mostly hard-working. Many have after-school jobs. Nine out of ten teenagers either have a job or would like one. Child labor laws set restrictions on the types of work youth under 16 can do. Many youths work part-time at fast-food restaurants, baby-sit, hold delivery jobs or work in stores. Volunteers help take care of the elderly and handicapped. Many youths are involved in community service. Scouts also help their community. Every year they have a Scouting for Food drive where they collect canned food from their neighbors to give to those who need it. Scouts also clean up trash and litter in parks and school grounds in their neighborhood. They make a difference in the life of their community. American scouts learn about their community and their country and what makes a good citizen. They participate in flag ceremonies at the Scout meetings and at other meetings at school. Scouts practice my leadership skills. All Scouts will get a chance to serve as a leader or in some other position of responsibility. What are the favorite sports of American young people? They prefer football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, tennis, soccer, boxing, hockey, track, and golf. At leisure, students spend much time watching TV and listening music. The average American teenager listens to music about three hours a day. Rock-and-roll music is one of the favorites of teenagers in the D.S.A. There are no national dates for school vacations. Each school district sets its own. Generally, they last from the first week in June until the last week in August. Many school districts sponsor "summer school" for children who have fallen behind, or, who wants to take extra courses. Some families send their children to summer camps for a week or two. Some of the camps are operated by the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts or churches. The camps sponsored by the Red
Cross teach swimming and boating. Among the summer camps are music camps, computer camps, hiking and backpacking camps, and camps with farms and ranches. There are camps for inner-city children. They have special summer programs from sports or music and dances. Peer pressure and unemployment may turn some youth to alcohol or drugs. However, most young people in the USA do not have problems with drinking, drug abuse, teen pregnancies or juvenile delinquency. New programs to help troubled youths are created every year. They also sponsor social event in which young people can participate. Most American youths look forward to their future with hope and optimism. Teenagers place a priority on education and careers. They are concerned about problems confronting
their communities the world around them.