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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-10-10, Page 4Volunteers needed now! on volunteers begins Oct. 20 Three-part series Each year, during Minor Hockey Week the Ontario Minor Hockey Association would implore parents to become involved in their son's activity with the slogan, "Don't send your boy to the rink, take him." That slogan may aptly apply to many organizations in Goderich, organizations which cater to children, who have found it difficult to attract volunteers. But more than just taking your son or daughter to an acitivity, get involved by volunteering a lit- tle time. The shortage of volunteers for Many organizations such as cubs, scouts, brownies, minor hockey, ringette and other groups has reached the critical stage. Without volunteers, a few hours each week is all that's required in many cases, some of these groups will cease to exist. Parents have enrolled and continue to send their children to numerous groups, clubs and organizations, but the -bottom line is that more is required. For minor hockey or scouts to continue to function, volunteers are needed. The problem is one that has hampered non-profit organizations for years. But while it is not new, Greta Smith, a volunteer member of St. Johns Ambulance, says it has reached critical proportions. Over 25 boys between the ages of 11 and 14 are in desparate need of.a scout leader, and while Smith is willing to take on the task, scout law prohibits her appointment. Without a leader, the program will have to be canceuea. "The scout group will fold if there is no leader and training is available," she said. "We're pushing parents to get involved and it shouldn't be that way. It only takes a few hours a week." The problem is not unique to the Fourth Goderich Scouts. Others feel the volunteer pinch and it ends up a case of a few doing all the work. But that's exactly what scares volunteers away in many cases. They are afraid 'of be- ing in a position of authority, of being one of the few who is left in charge to do all the work. Other volunteers, like Linda Hruden, have first-hand experience at witnessing parents who want their children to participate but are reluctant to help out. "Parents want their children to par- ticipate but it takes volunteers to keep an organization going," she said. "A few hours a week is all that's needed in some cases." There are over 17 organizations ivolving young people who could use help in some small way. But recruiting help, volunteers, is the dif- ficult part. So these two ladies, in conjunc- tion with the recreation department and director Jane Netzke, have organized a three-part series for volunteers involved in non-profit organizations. The first part is an attempt to familiarize the community with the diverse number of organizations that cater to children's ac- tivities through a Volunteer Day on Satur- day, October 20 in the arena lobby. At Volunteer Day, more than 20 non-profit organizations have been invited to set up a table display to provide information to parents and interested citizens on the ac- tivities of the group, its objectives and why volunteers are an integral and vital compo- nent of the group. Volunteer Day will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. and all non-profit groups are invited to par- ticipate and promote themselves to the com- munity while soliciting help. The second part of the series will be in the form of a one -day seminar on Saturday, November 3 from 9 a.m. to noon at the recreation office. The volunteer seminar will feature guest speaker Karen Ross, of the Central Voluntee Bureau in London. He talk will focus on the topics of How to Recruit Volunteers and How to Make Use of Volunteers. The seminar is offered free of charge but those interested in attending are asked to call the recreation office and register in ad- vance. The third part of the series will be a seminar on fundraising and how to go about it effectively. The dates, time and location will be announced at the Nove. 3 seminar. So plan to attend Volunteer organization Day at the arena October 20 and learn about local non-profit organizations and how a lit- tle of your time could be used. Your help will go a long way towards shaping the citizens of tomorrow. Parents favor compulsory French instruction poll finds Two out of three English-speaking Cana- dians want French instruction in school to enable children to become bilingual and a full 50 percent believe that French in- struction should be compulsory at the elementary school level. These were two of the startling findings of a nation-wide Gallup poll conducted during the summer for Canadian Parents for French (CPF) . CPF is a 12,000 - member na- tional voluntary organization which pro- motes French language education. In releasing the results, CPF national president Stewart Goodings said: "These impressive and encouraging results show that English-speaking Canada has accepted the value of having two languages. More and more, the attitudes of English and French-speaking Canadians are coming together on this important issue." The survey found that early immersion beginning at the kindergarten level was favored by 40 percent of respondents as the most effective form of French instruction. In early immersion, all instruction is in I•'rench with English language arts in- troduced in Grade Two or Three and with English instruction time increasing in the later grades. "Canada is a world leader in immersion education and this survey demonstrates high parent acceptance of and demand for this highly successful program", Goodings said. Fully 60 percent of Canadians with children said they would enroll their childt'en in French immersion programs if they were available in their communities. In New Brunswick, the figure was 81.7 percent. The main reason given by respondents for 'their interest in French education programs was the better employment opportunities available to bilingual Canadians (44 per- cent). Among the other reasons given were: intellectual development, (15.3 percent): cultural enhancement, (13.3 percent) and national unity, (6.5 percent). Support for French education was highest among the 18-29 and 30-40 age groups - those most likely to have school-age children. In all income, educational and occupational categories, however, support was 60 percent or higher Although a majority of respondents sup- ported French as a compulsory course at the elementary level and 45 percent favored it at the secondary level, only 24.2 percent believed that competence in French should be a requirement for university entrance. Goodings said the the growing acceptance of French immersion should have a beneficial effect on the teaching of "core" French. Core French is the teaching of French as a subject within the regular cur- riculum. "We are moving away from the learning of French as a purely academic exercise to a situation where the language is actually used to communicate with our fellow citizens and other peoples of the world," Goodings said. The recent Gallup poll found that of the 34.5 percent of respondents who expressed dissatisfaction with the French instruction they had received in school, 68 percent felt that it had been too little, too academic or poorly taught. Mr. Goodings said these in- adequacies must be eliminated if the ex- pressed wishes of Canadians for more and better French education are to be realized. More than 3,100 English-speaking Cana- dians were polled in what is believed to be the most comprehensive opinion poll on language education ever taken. The poll was funded by a grant from the Department of the Secretary of State, Canada. CPF is com- posed of 10 provincial and two territorial organizations with a total of 110 chapters across Canada. The annual meeting of CPF will be held in Saint John, N.B., October 25th to October 27th. The address of the Huron Chapter of Canadian Parents for French is P.O. Box 539, Goderich, Ont. 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