Student leader critical of Youth Award Scheme

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32637, 19 June 1971, Page 18

Student leader critical of Youth Award Scheme

The New Zealand Uni- ' versify Students’ Associa- i tion shares the concern of ' the president of the Young : Christian Workers about i comments made by the ; Governor - General (Sir i Arthur Porritt) in opening the. Returned Services’ As- i sociation conference, said the president of the N.Z.U.S.A. (Mr D. B. Cuthbert) yesterday. “I am deeply worried that the Governor-General and his advisors should be so out of touch with the present thinking of many young New Zealanders,” Mr Cuthbert said. “It was obvious from the April 30 ‘mobilisation’ that young New Zealanders, who comprised the bulk of the 35,000 who marched, were opposed to war such as that in Vietnam. Youth Award Scheme

“If the Governor-General really believes that young people are being ‘deprived’ by not being able to go to war then I must recommend to members of the N.Z.U.S.A. that they look very carefully at the purpose of the Governor-General’s Youth Award Scheme.” Mr Cuthbert said.

Last year, the first year of the Youth Award Scheme, there were reports of considerable disquiet among leaders of active young New Zealanders about the intentions behind the Youth Award Scheme, he said. “It appears to me. having been connected with the

Youth Award Scheme as a > member of the National • Youth Council, that the scheme is now rewarding only those young people en-. gaged in activities regarded as ‘safe’ by the so-called Establishment,” Mr Cuthbert said. “Lack of participation” In his opinion, the Youth Award Scheme did not have the confidence of many young committed New Zealanders, which could be seen in the lack of participation in the scheme to date by young Polynesian and Maori leaders, or those active in fields critical of Government policies.