Youth body to disband

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32998, 18 August 1972, Page 21

Youth body to disband

The Youth Committee of the National Council of Churches has decided to disband. The decision was made at the annual meeting. “I’ve no regrets that it’s disbanding,” said the chairman of the committee, Mr P. J. C. Calder. “It’s stupid to keep a body going when it has served its purpose. “It is made up of representatives from organisations which don’t need the kind of work we’re doing,” he said. “It has had a long and fairly illustrious history and has given rise to all , sorts of major bodies which have since become independent. “Youth are not really interested in national schemes today. They like doing their thing rather than being told to do it. They like local structures better. A national programme tends to become too uniform. Local programmes give a bit of variety,” said Mr Calder. The committee intends to disband when its present South Pacific programme ends in about nine months. At present committee workshops in Wellington and Christchurch are considering ways of maintaining youth representation on the National Council of Churches. At its annual meeting on Tuesday the National Council of Churches ratified the committee’s decision to disband.