BRIDGING THE GAP

Chronicle (Levin), 20 March 1946, Page 2

BRIDGING THE GAP

SCHOOL AND ADULTHOOD USE OF COMMUNITY CENTRES To bridge the gap between schooldays "and adulthood, Rotarian L. J. Wild, of Feilding, speaking at the 53rd Rotary District Conference in Napier, advocated for small town and rural centres the establishment of community centres. A community centre, he said, was a natural outgrowth from the post-priin-ary school. The centre would provide for continuing the social life of the school in clubs and group activities, and at the same tinie provide some relief or release from the formalism which characterised school iustruction. A link between the centre and the poatprimary school was essential, as it made for economy in administration — one board and one treasurer. He suggested that there was a rather urgent need for the establishment in New Zealand, weJl away from any city, of a place where people with different points of vieiv on the same subjeet could be discussing under suitable benign guidance or chairmanship the subjects of their conunon interest. "You can imagine a fortnight's conference of representatives of the Dairy Farmers' Ilnion, the Federation of Labour and the Housewives' Association to discuss the 40-hour Aveek, or a conference on food for Britain between the Farmers' Federation, the Federation of Labour and the Watersiders' Ilnion," he said. "Such an iiistitution, besides providing a home for sueh conferenees and asylum for writers, artists and other ereative thinkers, could run its own short residential courscs for various groups. ' '