Younger people and older people do not always agree. They sometimes have different ideas about life, work and play. But in one special program in New York State, adults and teenagers live together in peace. Each summer 200 teenagers and 50 adults live together for eight weeks as members of a special work group. Everyone works several hours each day. The aim is not just to keep busy but rather to find meaning and enjoyment in work. Some teenagers work in the woods or on the farms near the village. Some learn to make furniture and to build houses. The adults teach them these skills.There are several free hours each day. Weekends are free, too. During the free hours some of the teenagers learn photography or painting. Others sit around talking and singing. Each teenager chooses his own way to spend his free time. When people live together, rules are always necessary. In this program the teenagers and the adults make the rules together. If someone breaks a rule, the problem goes before the whole group. The group discusses the problem. They ask, “Why did it happen?” “What should we do about it?” One of the teenagers has this to say about the experience: “You stop thinking only about yourself. You learn how to think about the group.”

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