YOUTH HOSTEL

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 31, 6 February 1945, Page 7

YOUTH HOSTEL

HUTT VALLEY NEED

WELFARE IN TRAINING (Contributed.)

"Youth are a nation's finest asset." This will be very generally conceded. The astonishing thing is that, while so much forethought, care, and skill are devoted to the lay-out—the buildings, recreation areas, and all the public amenities of the Hutt Valley, the future, if not the present, industrial centre of New Zealand —little or no thought has been given to the proper care of the hundreds of youths who are flocking to the valley for training in our present great industries. It is known that many parents who wish to send their sons here will not do so because of the,difficulty of finding suitable lodgings where the physical and mental welfare of their boys will be cared for. The Railway Workshops, employing approximately 250 apprentices and cadets, frequently lose them by their being taken home again, or transferred to other work owing to their parents refusing to allow their boys to.live under the conditions offering. A great number of the present apprentices have to live in Wellington finding shelter at the Boys' Institute or at the City Mission. This surely does not reflect credit on the industrialists or the residents of the Hutt Valley. A youth hostel, or perhaps better, a group of hostels entering into friendly rivalry with each other, is a very urgent need. Boys leaving school at 15, and having to leave their homes, need looking after. They should not be placed, as at present, in lodgings, ofter under no supervision and where their board, accommodation, surroundings, and companions are all left to chance. Surely it must follow that the boys of those parents who care for and are interested in their boys' welfare are, as a class, a better type than the boys of parents who take no such interest or care; and as a corollary to this, many of the better boys are not able to avail themselves of the best industrial training in the country. ESSENTIALS OUTLINE. Briefly the essentials for a successful youth hostel would be:—First, of vital importance, the matron, a woman of experience with young men and boys, one broad-minded, understanding, and with sympathy, of high moral principles, able to quietly maintain discipline and yet gain the confidence and respect, perhaps affection, of the boys. Such a woman could, undoubtedly, be found amongst the many fine, experienced women returning from the war. Then would be required a sub-matron, of the same type preferably, one who has been working under, and has the confidence of the matron, and a manager, firm, understanding, a tactful disciplinarian, able to take a leading part in the boys' hobbies and industries, and to superintend the outside activities, sports, gardening, etc.. The necessity for discipline in the training of youth, and formation of character, was splendidly put by the late Chancellor of the University, Dr. J. A. Hanan. "Amid the changes refashioning present-day education the present place of discipline as a factor in character formation must not be ignored (he said). In breaking away from the coercive methods of the past, in giving free scope to the pupil's own preferences, enthusiasts for freedom, may overlook the necessity for law and order and the recognition of duty and obedience in the school regime. As a miniature community the school must train its members to subordinate their individual wishes to the common good, Ito recognise a higher law than doing as one pleases. Without discipline the life of the individual, alike with that of the community, degenerates." Further essentials in a hostel apart from the necessary sleeping and dining accommodation, are the.provision of space for exercise—inside and outside—and for developing youth, facilities for quiet reading, writing, and study. Perhaps the greatest objection to the present lodgings of the majority of the boys is that they cannot in their lodgings get away from noisy radio sets —or, often, uncontrolled children. They cannot get restful quiet in their temporary "homes," and are in desperation driven to the streets, to picture shows, or to undesirable companionship. . FINANCING THE PROJECT. The matter of finance is a vital one. The first cost would undoubtedly be considerable, but the experience of the Boys' Institute is that, with each boy paying a • proportion of his wages, added to the lodging allowances already paid to workshop boys by the Government, and which might reasonably be expected by way of subsidy, from i^rivate industrialists for the better care and training of juniors, the running costs would be very small. The boys produced from such an environment would be no mean asset to industry. The Department of Internal Affairs has already shown great interest in such a project, and could probably be relied on for substantial assistance in the provision of much of the capital cost by way of loan without interest. The head of one of the major and best-run industries lias expressed his opinion that he considers that many who have prospered considerably in the Valley could reasonably be expected to give of their wealth, either by direct gift or legacy. It must be remembered also that, if properly managed, much of the work of the hostel, "in the house, gardens, or grounds, should and would be done by the boys themselves. It should be looked on as part of their training, to make them in the future • better, more orderly, home-builders, and to give them a pride in their temporary homes and in their own personal contribution to its success. Pride of this kind, and appreciation, are well shown in the Boys' Institute by the fact that old boys at present constitute the majority of their committees. As to the type of boys turned out in hostels a very significant fact is today shown by the Institute-St. Pat's taking championship cricket honours.

A hostel should certainly be nonsectarian and non-political. There would seem to be a real possibility that, if the provision of suitable lodging for workshop apprentices is not soon provided privately Government hostels will be '■ necessary. The Vocational Guidance Department is also interested. It would surely be better that hostels of the type, already so splendidly run in Wellington and elsewhere, should be provided and managed by private effort. A final thought —what could be better than for our hostels to work in sympathy with that inspired "heritage" movement—and take on some of the responsibility for the training of the boys of our men who have given all for their country?