Y’s men’s president visits New Zealand

Press, 10 March 1987, Page 18

Y’s men’s president visits New Zealand

By

CHRIS MOORE

The pendulum was swinging from Government to individual responsibility for community welfare and public service programmes, said the international president of the Association of Y’s Men’s Clubs, Dr Patrick Sukumaran, in Christchurch last week. Dr Sukumaran, a departmental head at the Trivendrum Medical College in Southern India, was visiting during a New Zealand tour. He described Y’s Men’s Clubs as one of the world’s main international service organisations with clubs and members in more than 60 countries. “Unlike other service clubs it is one of the few organisations which has grown uniformly throughout the world rather than being centred on North America. It was originally formed during the 1920 s as a small group within the Y.M.C.A. Today we are an independent international service organisation — an equal partner of the Y.M.C.A. and supporting the Y.M.C.A.’s work.” While the New Zealand membership was small at 93, Y’s Men’s Clubs were growing, especially in developing countries. Since 1978 the number of clubs in India had risen from 40 to 300. This growth was the result of the clubs’

close Involvement with young people and their needs — and an emphasis on voluntary community work, Dr Sukumaran said. “There is a definite global need for voluntary work within the community. I believe that the pendulum is swinging back from a total reliance on governments to provide this to an individual responsibility.” Y’s Clubs laid emphasis on self-development programmes for young people. It had also organised a range of international projects including a programme for the underprivileged which had raised more than SUS6OO,OOO (SI.BM) during the last five years, and a youth educational exchange programme that

allowed students aged between 15 and 21 to study and live in another country. “But even in developed countries like New Zealand there are areas of need — areas in which service groups must play a role to provide voluntary help. However, it is important that they maintain a high public profile, a clear identity. The needs must be identified.” "The Y’s Men’s Clubs had helped organise a service club leaders’ conference, an international forum of service club representatives who met annually to share information and identify areas of need. “But I still believe that the Y’s clubs, have an unbeatable record for youth involvement. We are the only major international service club that admits men and women as equal members. There was some resistance from some clubs to women becomiing full members but this failed to stop equal opportunities being extended.” For women who do not wish to become Y’s Men’s Club members an auxiliary group, the Y’s Menettes Club, has been formed. Dr Sukumaran also believes that the Y’s Men’s Clubs must establish a clear identity in New Zealand.