YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22205, 7 March 1934, Page 9

YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION

UNEMPLOYMENT RELIEF WORK Recognising that occupation is ; one of the essentials of a healthy development of character, the Y.W.C.A. has always been concerned to find the right job for girls and women desiring employment. Of late years there has of course been an added anxiety in this connection on account of the scarcity of work. With the growing unemployment in 1930 and J 931 the official register of unemployment was in the Y.W.C.A. building. This continued until April, 1933, when the. Dunedin Women's Unemployment Rooms were opened. Since then the Y.W.C.A. has continued its own private registerFigures telling of the number of interviews and the\numbers placed during the past three or four years, are as follows: —Number of women and girls interviewed and registered 2055, number of positions recorded since December 1931, 1717, number of positions filled 1609. But the does not end there, since the association tries by various means to do more than merely find employment. It is recognised by association workers that the desire for work is often only one surface need that brings people into the association. It is the business of association workers to discover in what further ways these need help. In many cases there may be an actual lack of necessities, and it is the association's aim then to put the individual into touch with the proper avenues of relief, or, if the ease be one that cannot come for some technical reason within the scope of the existing agencies, the association then is prepared to give such necessary help. Many a girl or woman has gone away gladdened by gifts of warm clothing. There are cases again where actual protection of one kind Or another is required, and this is sought from such a society as that for the protection of women and children or the Child Welfare Department. It is, however, the more spiritual necessities of those faced with a surplus of enforced leisure that has given the association leaders most furiously to think of late,years, since these have been recognised'as most devastating in the effect on the malleable personalities of young people. " Friendship, occupation, interests, build morale ' has become almost a slogan, and thus occupational or opportunity classes of all kinds have sprung up in each association of late years. The Employment Committee of the local association has lately taken into consideration also the facilities offered in particular by the Technical School and the classes at the Dnnedin Women's Unemployment Bureau. Young girls are all being urged to make arrangemeuts to carry on at tne Technical School if possible. Nevertheless classes which were successfully carried through in spite of small numbers during the 1933 session weye dressmaking, childcraft, rugmaking, singing. embroidery, knitting, sports, book lore, household etiquette. ]t has always been the association's policy to demand, a fair wage, and at the present time no offer of employment is seriously considered at less than 10s a week, except for young and quite inexperienced workers. The matter of more equitable hours and standards in regard to domestic work is a difficult one, since conditions from one home to another vary so greatly, but this is a matter on. which the association in America has collected a good deal of data with,a view to formulating some plan. The results of such an experiment will, of course, be watched with very great interest by associations all over the world.