Young Labour Completes Summer Of Service Tour

The Young Labour Clarion Tour completed its 12-day journey through New Zealand today, contributing 600 hours of voluntary community service over the course of 3000 kilometers travelled.

The Clarion Tour, which was comprised of 17-26 year olds from across the country, was created in order to enable Young Labour members to help charitable and non-profit organisations across the country.

Young Labour Vice President and Clarion Tour organiser Ella Hardy said that the tour was the perfect way to share Young Labour's "..values of social justice and building strong communities with the people of New Zealand".

Throughout their journey, from north of Auckland to the depths of the South Island, the Tour team has been well received by local community groups and members of the public. Rory McCourt, a participant on the Clarion Tour said "It was fantastic working with everyday kiwis who give so much to their communities, and providing a helping hand so they can focus on their great work".

The group has been involved in a wide range of activities from building fences for Riding for the Disabled in Waitakere, to cutting gorse in Bell's Track, Wellington, and cleaning up litter on the untamed shores of the wild West Coast.

Highlights of the Tour include assisting Whanganui emergency housing provider Project Jericho, the Arrowtown Plunket Rooms, and establishing a community barbeque area with House 44 in Stoke, Nelson. Young Labour activist Shona Jowett, who was with the tour for its entirety, said "I really enjoyed the hard work we put in and I hope that other young people can get involved at this grassroots level in their own areas."

A prime focus for the Young Labour Clarion Tour has been to learn what, why and how New Zealanders are supporting each other in local areas. All of the team had expressed their renewed appreciation for the landscapes, skills and sincerity found across Aotearoa and look forward to 'mucking in again'.

The Clarion Tour is named after the famed Clarion Cycling Club, which consisted of a group of dedicated British political activists who rode around the English country side in the 1890s talking about their vision for a better and fairer society. The first Young Labour Clarion Tour took place in 2004-5. This has been the second.

ENDS

© Scoop Media