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Finding Aid

Canadian Youth Congress fonds. -- 1934-1972; 1934-1945 predominant. -- 3.4 m of textual records. -- 1 microfilm reel.

The youth congress movement in Canada originated with a small group of individuals in Toronto, Ont. This group held a preliminary conference there in 1935. It, in turn, led to the first Canadian Youth Congress (CYC), called to discuss major youth concerns: peace, employment and education. As a result of this meeting, activities were initiated in larger centres toward the establishment of similar councils. The first national meeting of the CYC occured in Ottawa, Ont. in May 1936 and prepared delegates for the World Youth Congress held in Geneva later that summer. Out of the Ottawa meeting came the Declaration of Rights of Canadian Youth, resolutions on Canadian youth and world peace, and the proposed Canadian Youth Act. The second Canadian Youth Congress in Montreal, Que. in May 1937 saw a drive to broaden the scope of the movement and to involve participation from French-Canadian youth. Annual conferences were held from 1936 to 1940. CYC members continued to speak out against the rising tide of fascism and to work for Canadian youth until 1942.

The fonds consists of administrative and financial records, correspondence, briefs, publications, photographs and newspaper clippings all relating to the CYC (1935-1942), provincial and local youth councils, and to the World Youth Congress. Included is a copy of "Brief on a National Youth Administration", from the book Canadian Youth Comes of Age (1939) by Kenneth Woodsworth, who was co-secretary of the CYC. There is, in addition, a microfilm record of several items collected by the Victoria Youth Council (1966-1972). The fonds has been arranged into the following series: administration, finances, correspondence, activities, research files, news clippings and scrapbooks, and publications received.

Title is based on content of the fonds.
The fonds was donated in March 1978 by Ingham Sutcliffe, Norman Levy, and Kenneth Woodsworth. Additional material was located by I. Sutcliffe and donated in 1987. It has been incorporated into the first accrual.
Finding aid available in hard copy and electronically.
There are no access restrictions.
Further accruals are not expected.

Contact: archives@mcmaster.ca
Last Reviewed: May 15, 2003
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