The American Legion has a proud tradition of supporting our nation’s youth. The organization was founded on the principle in 1919 when Children & Youth was declared one of the Legion’s four pillars. In the years since, a number of youth-oriented programs have been developed including Temporary Financial Assistance, Family Support Network, and child safety and wellbeing programs.

 

The Americanism Commission’s Children & Youth Committee is the center of the Legion’s youth-support efforts. The committee meets annually to formulate, recommend and implement plans, programs, and activities designed to accomplish:

• Assure care and protection for the children of veterans.

• Improve conditions for all children and youth with due concern for maintaining the integrity of the family home.

• Prevent social and physical ills of children and youth where possible, utilizing services of and cooperating with sound organizations and agencies for children and youth.

• Maintain a balanced program that provides for their physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs.

The American Legion has been a strong advocate for children and youth since its inception. This steadfast dedication has never wavered and continues to be a driving force on behalf of children across the country today.

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Today's young people face an array of societal pressures. The dissolution of the traditional American family, illegal drug use, TV shows, and movies filled with obscenities and indecencies. There is an alarming increase in bullying, aided by the spread of smartphones and social media.

 

Gone are the care-free days when children spent their summers playing baseball on vacant lots, lounging in tree houses, and riding bikes around town.

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The American Legion's National Commission on Children & Youth is guided by three main objectives: to strengthen the family unit, work with quality organizations that provide services for children and provide communities with well-rounded programs that meet the needs of young people.

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The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation provides more than $500,000 in grants each year to nonprofit organizations that work to improve the lives of young people. Such grants have benefited organ-donor campaigns, supported efforts to help military children cope with deployments or loss of a parent, and funded projects that increased public awareness of Huntington's disease, autism, Reyes syndrome, meningitis, spina bifida, diabetes, cancer, and other debilitating conditions.

Since its founding in 1919, The American Legion has been a staunch supporter of children and youth. The National Commission on Children & Youth continues that commitment today, as it seeks to improve the well-being of all children. The key to the future of a free and prosperous country, expressed by every generation of veterans, is held by the children and youth of today. The Legion strongly supports traditional family values, assistance for at-risk children, and activities that promote their healthy and wholesome development. While there is no way of knowing what issues will face our youth tomorrow, our survival may well depend on the quality of care, education, and training that we, as parents and citizens, provide for the young people of today.

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The American Legion's Children & Youth pillar's most critical issues are:

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Child Pornography. 

Catastrophic Illness. 

Intellectual Disabilities. 

Immunization for Needy Children.

Family Integrity.

Media Violence. 

Drug Abuse.

Child Sexual Exploitation. 

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If you would like to see more please visit: https://www.legion.org/pillars/211657/pillar-4-children-and-youth

                                                                        https://alafl.org/programs/children-youth/

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Scholarships: https://www.legion.org/scholarships

                        https://www.floridalegion.org/programs-services/scholarships/

                        https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarships/american-legion-florida-general-scholarship​