Churches

VSA has always received support from many church organisations and the Students' Associations of the universities of New Zealand.

At the moment there are 40 volunteers at work in eight different countries, while nine have returned home at the end of their terms. The 40 comprise 16 adults, including four married couples, and 23 school-leavers.

The school-leavers' scheme first came to Christchurch and was taken up by the headmaster of Christ's College, which college two of the early volunteers attended.

After catching on in Christchurch and around the South Island, the idea has spread throughout the North Island, and the new batch of 23 school-leavers come from colleges as far apart as St. Kentigern College, Auckland, St. Patrick's College, Wellington and James Hargest Memorial High School, Invercargill.

Amongst the 23 are the first five girls. Two of the girls are now working in Brunei; the rest of the girls and boys are in Sarawak, the New Hebridies, Western Samoa and the British Solomon Islands. Most of the school-leavers are placed as student-teachers in the intermediate or lower forms of secondary schools. A few boys are working in land development or agricultural extension: some (in farm schools) are combining teaching and field work. All are working with or among local young people and are likely to be called upon to help with games and organisations such as Scouts and Guides.