Both economic and sociological analyses of the "youth problem" tend to segregate young people into two classes: those who will make it through the system as it exists, and those who will need help to make it. The resulting programs for those who need help often have the effect of further stigmatizing the participants. By contrast, a program which derives from the mutual responsibility between a nation and its young people makes no class distinctions yet accomplishes both economic and sociological objectives. A National Youth Commission, which would view youth needs holistically, could be a catalytic agent in the evolution of a national youth policy, with national service as a cornerstone of that policy. (Author)