Y.W.C.A. Youth Secretary Is an English Woman

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26906, 19 October 1948, Page 2

Y.W.C.A. Youth Secretary Is an English Woman

NOTES FOR WOMEN

“ I came to New Zealand from England to take up the position of National Youth Secretary of the Y.W.C.A.,” said Miss Helen Swindell when interviewed by the Daily Times yesterday. Miss Swindell, whose home county is Derbyshire, trained in the Y.W.C.A. College in England and was in the association for nine years before coming out to New Zealand. During the war she did youth work in Birmingham with boys and girls who had been transferred there from their home towns to do war work. Her position as National Youth Secretary involves travelling round New Zealand helping each group with programme work, and doing special courses in leadership training with the presidents and secretaries of the various clubs. At present she is helping to plan a National Youth Conference which will be held next Easter.

When asked how the activities of the Y.W.C.A. here compared with those in England, Miss Swindell said that New Zealanders were more sportminded, and that organised sport in the association was much more extensive than In England. On the other hand, more musical and drama work was undertaken in England, and she expressed the opinion that a professional theatre in New Zealand might give a greater incentive to this type of activity.

“ We recently opened a new hostel in London housing 400 girls,” Miss Swindell continued. “ The. hostel situation was so bad that we took over Thackeray Hotel. After numerous alterations it was officially opened by her Majesty the Queen. The hostel has been named Helen Graham House, in memory of the president of the Y.W.C.A. in Britain, who died recently. I believe that Miss Jean Begg is to be the warden of this new hostel,” she added. Miss Swindell stated that the youth hostels for those on tramping and cycling tours were not a part of the Y.W.C.A.’s activities, but were an entirely separate organisation. "I am a member of this association,” she said, “and the hostels are wonderful for holiday-makers. They range from wooden huts to old mansions and castles, and provide bunks, mattresses, pillows and cooking utensils. They are most numerous in the beauty spots of England. and the Lakes District in particular has a long chain. Only bona fide walkers and cyclists can use the hostels, and no one is supposed to stay longer than three nights in

each. Most of them have their own stores where you can buy sufficient food for the following day’s walk. They are very good at catering for youth parties and co-operate with all youth organisations. Moreover, if you belong to the association in England, you can make use of similar hostels on the Continent. I was surprised to find none in New Zealand,” concluded Miss Swindell, “ but in New Zealand you have so many hundreds of miles of open country that it would not be possible.”