Chch community seminar

Press, 30 October 1981, Page 21

Chch community seminar

Youth issues, unemployment, child care, and parent support will be the subjects of a community development seminar at the Christchurch Civic Offices next week. Local bodies employing community workers will participate in sessions on November 5 and 6. with a panel of politicians ending the seminar by giving their parties' positions on Govern-

ment support for local body community projects. The chairman of the City Council’s community services committee, Cr D. J. Rowlands, said yesterday that the seminar would be a chance for people to see what other local authorities were doing to encourage development. Cr Rowlands said the youth issues session would be

particularly interesting, since the council was trying to develop a policy on assistance to youth groups. A recent study of two youth clubs showed some of the problems faced by such groups. The St Albans Youth Club, which ran for about five years, provided a disco at the school hall .as part of its activities. But the discos were not easy to organise, and required three paid

security guards who worked for commercial firms. Two volunteer supervisors from the' St Albans Residents’ Association had also been needed.

The present Shirley Youth Club has used the community centre mainly as a place to meet before’ members go elsewhere for activities such as bowling, skating, and yachting. But the cost of transport is a problem.