Y.W.C.A. CONVENTION

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 142, 17 May 1941, Page 9

Y.W.C.A. CONVENTION

The war services of the Y.W.C.A. were discussed at Thursday afternoon's session of the convention now being held in Auckland. Miss Evelyn Watson (Wellington) was in the chair, and gave a report of the work of the VV'orld’s Y.W.C.A. oliice, which previous to the outbreak of war functioned at Geneva, and is now stationed in Washington, United States. Mias Elsie Bonnet (secretary of the Auckland Association) spoke of the urgent need of Great Britain and the help already given by the .Y.W.C.A. of New Zealand, through the Na-I tional Patriotic Association. She men-' tioned the appeal cabled lasL month by Airs Winston Churchill (president of the British Y.W.C.A. War-Time j Fund). The activities of the Euro-1 pcan Y.W.C.A.’s, in France, occupied and unoccupied, in Rumania, Bulgaria, and Denmark were surveyed by ' -Miss Frances Loss (Dunedin). The j greater part of this work was the car-' ing for refugees. Canteens had been set up, and the associations were helping girls and women to find work. Miss Ethel Law (national general secretary) spoke of tlie services given by the Y.W.C.A. in the Aliddle East as the organisation chosen by the British Government for work among uniformed women in England and Egypt. Two New Zealand Y.W.C.A. workers arc'already established in the recreation camps organised by Miss Jean Begg in Cairo, lsmailia, Jerusalem, a camp in the desert, and a houseboat I on the Nile. Miss Agnes MoncrielF (China), who is home on furlough after eleven years of Y.W.C.A. service amid four years of war, spoke of the education and health work, as well as the war service, first aid,, and refugee work which is being carried on so valiantly by trained Chinese Y.W.C.A. leaders. A resolution was passed with great enthusiasm —“That Miss Moncrieff l>c asked to return to China for a third term of service.”

Yesterday morning Mr Allan Kirk (president of the Vocational Guidance Association of New Zealand) spoke on “Modern Trends in Youth Employment.” .Mrs C. A. Small (Palmerston North) presided.