Children’s rights booklet well received in N.Y.

Press, 24 May 1977, Page 14

Children’s rights booklet well received in N.Y.

The Christchurch City Council’s publication, “A Bill of Rights for New Zealand Children” was described by U.N.I.C.E. officers in New York as a very practical, grass-roots manifestation of interest in children’s needs, when they were given a copy recently by the Mayoress of Christchurch (Mrs Judith Hay).

“I wanted to show them one aspect of what had already been done in New Zealand in association with the ‘lnternational Year for the Child’ which will be held in 1979,” Mrs Hay said on her return from a visit to the United States. “It is unusually far-sighted for a city council to produce such a booklet and, I understand, it was to be taken to the U.N.I.C.E.F. conference now being held in Manila to discuss suggestions in planning the Year.”

I Mrs Hay was asked for three more copies by the New York officers who, she said, were delighted to know that a small community had taken the initiative in producing the booklet. “The New Zealand mission at the United Nations was also glad to have evidence of interest at home in the International Year of the Child,” she said. “And the mission staff was very pleased to have a visit from a New Zealander who is interested in what they are doing for New Zealand.” Throughout her tour of the United States with the Mayor, Mrs Hay observed many youth projects. One she heard about was Girls’ Adventure Trails, organised in Dallas, Texas. Under this programme, young teenage girls with human-relationship problems are taken into remote mountain areas foi a month to sort out themselves and their difficulties. Well supervised groups of about 20 girls out in the wilderness, which they cannot leave

until the programme is completed, could be very effective, she said. Under another programme boys with human-relationship problems were taken to camps for up to three years. Judith Hay has a mass of material on youth programmes on its way by surface mail and she intends to study it fully for ideas for projects which could be introduced locally. Mrs Hay accompanied her husband, who had a Foreign Leaders’ Grant from the State Department of the United States administered by the Volunteer Programmes Service. “I travelled at my own expense and took the opportunity to look at the humanity side of community welfare while the Mayor looked into the administrative side of local government,” she said. “Together we were able to cover a wide spectrum.” FIRST VISIT It was Mrs Hay’s first visit to the United States and she was amazed at the enormity of American welfare problems. “I also found that American words and expressions had to be clarified for me to make sure we were talking about the same thing,” she said with a smile. “When we talked about welfare they thought we meant what we call social security; what we call community service they call human rights.” Looking back on their tour, Mrs Hay said her overall impression was one of warm friendliness and helpfulness.

“I am full of admiration for the way in which the American volunteers in the service plan programmes for official international visitors,” she said. “Wherever we went we were taken into private homes and met people in their own environment. There were always discussions about local situations on such matters as local government and welfare, which helped us understand the problems. We were taken to many council meetings and officially welcomed by mayors in several cities. And we were surprised to find that the average size of city councils in quite large places was only nine members, whereas there are 19 councillors on the Christchurch City Council.” The “voluntary caring” programme for official visitors in the United States could well be adopted in Christchurch on a smaller scale, she said. The Mayor and Mayoress of Christchurch had a full programme arranged for their tour of the United States. It included visits to San Francisco and to other cities in California, the Grand Canyon in Colorado, Dallas, New Orleans, Washington D.C. and New York Citv.

Before returning to New Zealand Mrs Hay spent 10 days in Britain and as Canterbury Provincial Commissioner of girl guides she visited the World Bureau of Guides in London. “And wherever possible 1 met girl scouts in the United States,” said Mrs Hay.