NATIONAL YOUTH WORK

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 119, 19 April 1945, Page 7

NATIONAL YOUTH WORK

National youtli work in the Y.W.C.A., its scope and plans for its furtherance, were discussed at the Y.W.C.A. convention in New Plymouth. The subject was introduced by Miss D. N. Allan, chairman of the national programme committee, and the recommendations of the conference of youth workers were presented, 'ifiese dealt with five points—age of girls participating;, major emphasis of methods of work, self-governing: principles, development of adult leaders, and a national training scheme for youth advisers. The following- resolutions were passed: That advisors bo trained as a firet step in developing and strengthening the youth work of the Y.W.C.A. in New Zealand. That to this end there be established a. national training scheme for voluntary youth advisers. Tho national youth director (Miss J. Campbell) presented the outline of the proposed national scheme covering a period' of six month* and based on selfgoverning principles, . with a Christian motive in i&u international background. Thia was adopted. "May God grant you vision and courage as you enter a. new epoch of Christian service in New Zealand." This was the message received from Miss Ruth Rouse and Mitis YVoodsmall, president and secretary, respectively, of tho World Council, at the convention. Greetings were also received from the Australian association. The participation of the New Zealand association in tho world reconstruction plan was introduced by Mrs P. C. Davie, a member of tho World Council, the' speakers being Miss A. M. Benlham. Miss Campbell, Mrs C M. Begs, ar "' M' ss N. Ilardie. Miss Bontham likened the world Y.W.C.A. to a watch-tower, the foundations .of which were the relationships between man and man,' tho walls were national units cemented together by the desire to give and to receive from each other, and the reconstruction plan was to repair the gaps in the walk caused by those associations which had "gone into the silence." Miss Campbell gave her audience some sense of the spirit of service evident in the representatives of countries now at war. She told of the five-year plan . in the United States to give training in hostel group work, and physical education to a hundred Chinese women who later would return to their own country. Mrs Begs urged the convention to consider the needs of those in the stricken countries, and mentioned people's readiness to give money when these needs wore made known. Sixteen students wore in training in Dunedin at the training course instituted by tho Y.W.C.A. of New Zealand, stated Mrs Begg to the convention. All were taking social group work under the tutorship of Miss Campbell, and seven were "majoring" in physical education under the ' direction of Mrs M. Fair, physical director. A special course of lectures on industrial work and its effect on young adolescents would be given by Miss P. Wiench, who had been doing research work on this subject. Some of the students were able to attend the social work clinic conducted under the auspices of the Medical School. All students would take the training course in camping, which would be given at Lake Wanaka at the end of the year. Experiences of a Y.W.C.A. secretary in tho Middle East were given by Miss Meg Saunders, at tho world fellowship evening.