Y.W.C.A. offers new courses

Press, 31 January 1986, Page 7

Y.W.C.A. offers new courses

By DEBORAH MePHER-

A look at the Y.W.C.A.’s summer programme reveals the association’s main aim is still geared to helping women realise their full potential.

The Y.W.C.A. is continuing with many of its courses which were popular last year during the end of the decade for women.

The. summer programme, which begins on February 9, will include two new courses — “Women and Money” and “Women and the Law.”

A tutor from the Budget Advisory Service will lead the “Women and Money” course, and an adviser from the Community Law Centre will take the “Women and the Law” classes. The new courses are being offered to give women an opportunity to increase their knowledge of the wider community.

Women who would like to become more confident in doing minor repairs and maintenance jobs round the house can learn the basics in the “Handywomen” course. A car maintenance course will also be offered. The assertiveness training and naturopathy courses, which were popular ijfet year, would also

be offered again this year, said the president of the association, Mrs Veronica Pyle.

Other course topics include stress management, massage for health and relaxation, yoga, herbalism, weight reduction and nutrition.

Women’s physical health is also covered, including a women’s running group, the “Y” walkers trips in and round the city, as well as recreational gymnastics classes. Self-defence classes teaching the Sue Lytollis method will be held.

An over-60s group meets each month and bus trips are planned.

The courses have been popular because they were what women wanted to do, said Mrs Pyle. The association made a survey to find out what topics interested women, she said.

The “Y” offered a comprehensive range of topics but there was still a lot of work that needed to be done for women, said Mrs Pyle. She said she would like to see a job retraining scheme for older women, as well as a teen mother support club for teen-age mothers. The association had applied to Telethon for a grant £

“Unfortunately, you can have all the good ideas in the world, but if you are limited in your resources there is only so much that can be done,” Mrs Pyle said.

An important part of the association’s work in the last four years was the pre-school gymnastics classes organised by Mrs Lynn Koster, an experienced gymnastics instructor. Classes for two to five year olds are held at Redwood Y.W.C.A., Riccarton, Bishopdale, Parklands and the Windsor School Hall.

Physically disabled children were welcome at the classes, said Mrs Koster. Last year a special class for disabled children was organised, but Mrs Koster said she hoped to integrate the children into other classes this year. Parents had supported the idea, she said. Last year the classes attracted up to 130 preschool children a week. “Seeing children grow and develop is one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching the classes,” Mrs Koster said. The Y.W.C.A. hoped to start other pre-school gymnastics classes in other suburbs this year, if the right tutors could be , found. It was important to jb

find teachers who could build a rapport with the children, said Mrs Koster.

Another traditional and important aspect of the “Y” work is finding accommodation for young people coming to Christchurch to attend courses at the Polytechnic. The accommodation bureau is run by Mrs Claire Richards for the Labour Department. Mrs Richards is responsible for placing young apprentices on special block courses at the Polytechnic in hostels or private homes. The association does not have a hostel. It sold its building in Latimer Square. A scheme for young school-leavers which has been successfur in the last three years is the training assistance programme run by the association and partly funded by the Labour Department Three eight-week courses in clerical work, knit design and child care are offered. At the moment 18 trainees, six in each course, are learning practical skills for the workforce. The clerical course had placed most of its trainees into the work-force, said the course supervisor. Mrs Elane Robinson.