HISTORY OF THE YOUNG CHRISTIAN WORKERS' MOVEMENT IN AUSTRALIA
The history of the Y.C.W.
in Australia really began with a decision taken after the fourth
Plenary Council in 1937 to set up a National Secretariat of Catholic
Action in Australia. Two laymen were appointed to the Secretariat and
began experiments under the advice and guidance of an Episcopal
Committee. Part of this work of experimentation aimed at adapting the
J.O.C. technique to Australian conditions.
In the very beginning the
boys' and girls' sections grew autonomously and took the separate
names of Young Christian Workers and National Catholic Girls'
Movement. During those early years each section established its own
individuality of character but, for all that, there remained a very
close national unity which made the change of name made by the girls'
section in 1959 a relatively simple step.
In
1941 Archbishop Mannix accepted the Young Christian Workers Movement
as the official Catholic Action movement for the youth of the
Archdiocese of Melbourne. The growth of the movement was rapid and in
1943 it was established as a national movement and the first
full-time workers were appointed. By 1959 the boys' section was set
up in twenty Dioceses m Australia. There are now eleven full-time
workers, 210 leaders' groups, 77 teams, more than 1300 leaders and
10,000 members directly covered by General Meetings and services. The
same year 1941 saw the official establishment of the girls' section
as a specialised Catholic Action body. The early development was
aided by the Grail Ladies who assisted in training leaders and who
had charge of the movement from 1943 until September 1944. In 1945
the movement began on a national basis. By 1959 the girls' movement
was set up in 18 Dioceses. There are eleven full-time workers, 275
leaders groups, 268 sub-groups, 1598 leaders, 1067 training in
sub-groups, 1691 general members and 28,820 on the census.
In 1959 a very important
step was taken at the National Council of the girls' section held in
Canberra. This meant that the girls' section would henceforth adopt
the name and badge of the Young Christian Workers' Movement.
Affiliation of the girls' section with the International Y.C.W. may
now follow. The Australian Hierarchy gave its approval to the
suggested change of name at its meeting in January 1959.
The policy of separate
executives for boys' and girls' sections at National and Diocesan
levels and of separate formation for boys and girls remains
unchanged. Co-ordination at the top level will be achieved through a
combined National Executive comprising National Chaplain, President
and Secretary of each section, while the internal affairs of each
section will be the responsibility of the respective National
executives.
SURVEY
OF SERVICES—Y.C.W. BOYS
"A service for every
need" was one of the first aims of the Y.C.W. in Australia. It
can be truly said that, while not forgetting the importance of both
the educational and representativ« aspects of Y.C.W. work, services
have been developed in the Australian Y.C.W. that compare more than
favourably with any Y.C.W. in the world. It was a survey of the
Y.C.W. services during his visit to Australia that prompted Mgr
Cardijn to remark, "Your Y.C.W. has developed as I dreamt a
Y.C.W. should develop."
Some of the services
operating in various dioceses throughout the country are:
Spiritual
Services: These are many, but amongst the most common are retreats,
monthly Communions, Communion breakfasts, participation in
Eucharistic processions and the like.
Educational Services:
Foremost amongst the educational services are the Pre-Cana
conferences. These conferences are now operative in most dioceses and
are attended by thousands of young people annually. In their most
usual form they cover a series or nine lectures and discussions
incorporating every important spiritual and material help that is
necessary for the young engaged couple. Besides, there are
"Preparation for life" talks for both boys and girls, with
especial emphasis on the school-leaver. "Youth Weeks' which have
as their aim to bring the Y.C.W. to the notice of the whole parish
(including the parents) are another avenue of education in common
use.
Recreational Services: In
keeping with the Australian climate, all young people have the desire
to participate in leisure activities, especially sport. The Y.C.W.,
therefore, has been to the fore in providing such recreational
services as the needs of the young worker have demanded. Included
amongst these are:
Football, cricket,
basketball, tennis, swimming, athletics, badminton, softball, hikes,
picnics, learn to dance classes, dances, socials, and many others.
Cultural Services:
Debating, public speaking and dramatics, as well as stimulating
interest in reading and good libraries are typical of what is being
done under this head.
Social Services: Because
of that spirit of service which has become part of so many leaders,
it is not surprising that the Y.C.W. has found it necessary to
develop a service of accommodation for young people without proper
homes and for those migrating to the cities. To supplement the
employment service of the Government, especially to cater for the
needs of the young apprentice and to give guidance to the "dead-end"
worker, an employment service has been set up in some dioceses.
Visitation of the sick, prison visitation, rehabilitation of
offenders and vocational guidance are services to be found in some
places. One of the great needs of our youth is to encourage them to
save more and emphasis is given this problem in many dioceses. In
Melbourne the services of the Permanent Building Society, which is
sponsored by the Y.C.W. Co-operative Society, is used to great
advantage in helping regular savings.
The
Y.C.W. Co-operative Society is, indeed, an example of what can grow
from the spirit of service fostered in leaders.
This society, conceived
and controlled by members of the Y.C.W., today sponsors 20 housing
societies that have been responsible for the erection of 2200 homes
in the last 10 years, a Trading Division which gives service to young
people in every household commodity, an insurance division and many
credit societies.
Y.C.W. GIRLS
So far the girls have
concentrated principally on two spheres of service activity,
educational and recreational, and have been organized at three
levels: parish, regional, and Diocesan.
a) Services at Parish
Level. These are organized by the local leaders themselves according
to the needs which exist in their parish. "Girl of Today"
or "Mater Amabilis" courses consist of a series of talks
and discussions, usually five or six in number, deal with questions
of the girl and her vocation in life, her home, work, and leisure
problems, courtship, saving and clothing. Such talks are given by
priests, doctors, and other suitable persons.
Sporting teams provide a
recreational service to which leaders may bring the girls of the
Parish. Basketball, Softball, table tennis and other indoor sports
have proved popular.
Courses in domestic arts,
such as cooking and dressmaking and First Aid classes, have been
provided with some success by a number of parish branches. The
services of an expert in these matters is necessary.
A branch library of books
and pamphlets is an excellent service which can be built up over a
period without great difficulty.
Youth Weeks, in
conjunction with the boys, are a most valuable educational service if
organized with a knowledge of the needs of the parish youth.
b) Services at Regional
and Diocesan Level. Pre-Cana Courses, providing pre-marriage
instruction and guidance for engaged couples, have been organized
successfully in a number of Dioceses, and may be arranged in either
a parish, or a region to serve parishes, or centrally in a city or
large town. Over the recent years, thousands of engaged couples have
availed themselves of this service.
Lunch
hour talks, arranged in several cities, have provided a series of
talks for girls, dealing with vocation and problems of the working
girl. They normally extend over a five or six weeks period with one
talk each week, but can be adapted to suit local requirements. One
Diocese has an average attendance of one thousand girls on each day.
Accommodation service,
which finds suitable accommodation for girls working and living away
from home, either permanently or temporarily, is a most useful
service, and in some cities, a most necessary one.
Employment service, which
not only finds employment, but provides a means of vocational
guidance, is likewise a useful and necessary service. Some Dioceses
have made a special feature of the employment and accommodation
services, but perhaps the need has not been sufficiently seen in many
places.
A Reading Service,
providing guidance for groups in choice of reading, and providing
books either for sale or for loan, is provided by some Dioceses, and
could be usefully developed by others.
Social life is provided
through dances, balls, social evenings, picnics, etc., which are
organized in conjunction with the Y.C.W. boys either locally,
regionally or centrally by the Diocesan Executive.
Under the heading of
services, we may also consider Retreats, training days, summer
schools and study days, which aim immediately at the formation of the
individuals concerned. Retreats organized annually are in some cases
arranged by local groups, in other cases are arranged in a Region or
central Diocesan House. Dioceses provide a retreat for Executive
members, and National Executive members make an enclosed Retreat of
at least two days' duration annually. Retreats may be organized
specifically for Leaders or members, or organized by the members for
all girls of a parish. Recently many parishes have provided a one-day
"Day of Recollection" from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in a local
convent or Church in places where an enclosed Retreat is not
practical.
TRAINING DAYS AND
WEEKENDS
There is a growing
awareness that such supplementary training is essential if the
movement is to progress. Such training days on the one hand
concentrate on the technique and spirit of the movement, providing
talks and discussions on the aim of the movement, its spirit, and the
use of its technique and at a later stage of development consider the
problems of everyday life. It is encouraging to see the acquisition
of permanent quarters by several Dioceses, for such quarters provide
a readily available location for regular training days, and so
guarantee some permanence and continuity in this form of training. At
the same time, more attention is being paid to training days in
Country regions to provide for groups which cannot attend centrally
organized days.
Training Schools follow
the pattern of a training weekend, but extend over a period up to a
week. Frequently, those concerned will work during the day, returning
at night to a house or convent for talks and discussions and live
together for a week. These schools are provided annually by some
Dioceses, and now the National Executive holds such a school for its
members quarterly. Several Diocesan Executives do likewise.
Study Days, held in
conjunction with the young men, provide an opportunity to study
together the problems discovered by both sections of the movement.
Diocesan or State
Conferences bring Leaders of one Diocese together, or of all Dioceses
together on a State basis, to discuss mutual problems and
opportunities. Such conferences can provide great impetus to groups
and Dioceses concerned if well planned, and if geared to development
through concrete action. Four States hold annual State Conferences at
this stage, and many Dioceses hold a Diocesan Conference regularly
during each year.