World YWCA General Secretary Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda is currently in Canberra, Australia to launch a new book that records the YWCA of Canberra’s eight decades of service and community building. ' A Work in Progress: A History of the YWCA of Canberra, 1929-2009' by Mary Hutchinson and Merrindahl Andrew will be launched as part of the national YWCA Australia Convention of which Gumbonzvanda is attending.
"Since 1929, the YWCA of Canberra has been part of the global movement that makes up the YWCA. It is fascinating to read about the extraordinary women who have linked this local community to the worldwide network for eighty years," says Gumbonzvanda
"Throughout its history, the YWCA of Canberra has been intimately connected to the local community, responding to young women’s needs and interests. From war time fundraising dances to media releases about violence at Summernats, the Y has always shaped its work to the Canberra context," said Rebecca Vassarotti, Executive Director of the YWCA of Canberra. "At the same time, we have stayed connected to the global movement, engaging with issues such as HIV and AIDS prevention and continuing the worldwide effort to promote young women’s leadership."
The book documents the personalities and the ideal that brought the YWCA of Canberra, and then kept it growing and changing through the Depression, the Second World War, and the upheavals of second wave feminism. It includes anecdotes, memories and images from service users, members, Board and staff of different eras, some of whom will be attending the launch.
World YWCA Regional Programme Director for Asia and the Pacific Juli Dugdale and World YWCA intern Moo Moo Hsoe will also take part in the YWCA Australia convention.