Kids need places to go for recreation

We hope that Westlake Village reconsiders its position on a Boys and Girls Club. If not, we hope that Agoura Hills, Calabasas or Oak Park fills the void. These communities probably qualify for a joint venture on a Boys and Girls Club facility that would serve Las Virgenes or Oak Park unified school districts. And much of the costs will be shared with Boys and Girls Club.

Elected officials always perk up and listen when people talk about programs for senior citizens and adults, but seem to yawn when somebody says "teenagers" or "children."

Kids always come last in local government, at the county and state level, and certainly in Washington, D.C. We suspect it’s because children can’t vote. (Remember that old song "Summertime Blues"? One of the lyrics was: "I called my congressman and he said, ‘Whoa. I’d like to help you son, but you’re too young to vote.’")

There’s more than a little truth in those words.

The point is, too many youngsters around here are latchkey children. They come home from school to an empty house because both mom and dad are working. Idle time is troublesome for almost everyone, especially young people.

Years ago, during a seminar on crime in Thousand Oaks, an expert on gangs said there was a direct relationship between the growth of gangs and the loss of after-school and evening recreation programs that died with Proposition 13. We’re not sure we agree with that assessment, but it seems possible.

Boys and Girls Clubs make sense. If they work in inner cities, they’d also work here. High quality, dependable and affordable after-school programs deserve a chance.

Let’s not miss the boat on Boys and Girls Clubs.

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