NEW YOUTH CENTRES

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30129, 13 May 1963, Page 16

NEW YOUTH CENTRES

Crafts As Well As Sports (NJH. Press Association) AUCKLAND. May 12. Youth centres which,will cater for the crafts as well as sports were explained by the Minister of Internal Affairs (Sir Leon Gotz) at the opening of the Panmure Young Citizens’ Centre on Saturday afternoon. There was a percentage of young people which was unable or unwiUing to take part in competitive sports, he said. Multi - purpose youth centres, such as he was advocating in the Government, would be designed to cater for these young people. “We may be able to interest them in plasticene moulding.” said Sir Leon Getz, ‘‘or even in abstract art. I don't know.” The Government had appointed four officers to make surveys of the problem and it was hoped to get Auckland people interested in it together for an exchange of ideas from which a common syllabus could be derived This syllabus could then be applied in other parts of New Zealand. He hoped that the syllabus would provide a basis for craft leadership training. “We have great people teaching young folk to box. wrestle and run. but we have a great dearth of craft leaders,’’ said Sir Leon Gotz. It was the Government’s intention that the craft leaders should come from within the community and from the craft groups. The Government was in the process of establishing many organisations similar to the Panmure centre. They would get their money if and when the community accepted its share of the responsibility. “This cannot be a purely Government show.” the Minister said.