Y.W.C.A.

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 83, 2 January 1930, Page 5

Y.W.C.A.

GIRL CITIZEN MOVEMENT The annual Dominion conference of the Girl Citizen Movement of the New Zealand Y.W.ihA. is now being held at Sumner. The conference is fortunate in having the use of the extensive grounds and buildings of the school for the deaf, situated about fifteen minutes’ walk from the beach. The officer in charge of the conference is Miss Deila Bridgeman, the. national girls’ work secretary, and associated with her are Miss Ethel Law, the national general secretary. Miss Howlett, general secretary, Christchurch, and Miss Ronayne, of the Wellington Y.AV.C.A. staff, who is the business secretary of the conference. Mrs. Skinner, Dunedin Y.W. C.A., is acting as hostess for the conference, and the delegates, who arc from all parts of New Zealand, are as follow: —Whangarei, 6 delegates; Auckland, 23; New Plymouth, 1; Palmerston North, 2; Wellington, 2; Christchurch, 15; Dunedin, 19; Timaru, 2.

Work of the Conference. The conference began after breakfast ou December 28. During breakfast , the various leaders and visitors were briefly introduced. Later in the day the plans for conference were explained and discussed. The central theme of conference is contained in a series of entitled “Calling the Plan of the Maker out,” in which the girls will discuss what it means to live life to the full in work and in play, to find the joy of labour in craftsmanship of all kinds. This iidea is further exemplified by the various living groups into which the girls have divided themselves, the names they have chosen for these various groups being surveyors, architects, seekers, pathfinders, haymakers. This carries on the basic idea of the study groups—the joy of the craftsman .in creative labour. This is to help the girls to find a means of expressing this desire of creating in their leisure hours if it has no means of expression in their daily work. The study groups meet outside under the trees most informally. They are small in number, so that each girl will have freedom in expressing her ideas. There are two “interest groups,” one on choice speaking, taken by Miss Clodagh Russell, and the other on eurhythmies, taken by Miss Eileen Russell. The girls are greatly enjoying these fascinating studies, and are very fortunate in having the services of the Misses Russell, whose work in these subjects is so well known. During the day greetings were received from various parts of New Zealand, and one from a former secretary in New York. The first day of conference closed with the simple ceremonial in which the friendship fire was lit under the pines, symbolising the friendship which the girls have begun to find in the first day of conference. and which they hope to build into all their time together. Vespers and the singing of vesper hymns round the friendship fire made a beautiful ending to a day rich in varied interests. . On Sunday after family prayers the girls lined up for uniform parade before leaving for church. The large number of girl citizens in their uniforms of white middy, navy blue tie, skirt and hat, made a very pleasing spectacle. They attended the Cathedral, and the very beautiful service there will be something that will be remembered by the girls for a long time. In the evening the girls took part in a service of worship in which different religous groups, worshipped in their own ways and who later found their partial revelations fulfilled in the complete worship of the church. This was followed by a talk on world fellowship given by Miss Moncrieff, who is shortly leaving for China to be our representative of the Y.W.C.A. in that country. Vespers again ended the day’s activities.