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Its name represents something of an anachronism, but it has been retained as a strong brand name.
OrganizationThe YMCA is organized as a federation of local associations and national YMCA movements.[2] Within most countries, the local YMCAs are related primarily in terms of overall strategy and direction only. Volunteers and local employees operate the individual YMCA associations. The federated model of governance has created a diversity of YMCA programs and services, with YMCAs in different countries and communities offering vastly different programming in response to local community needs.[3] In North America, the YMCA is sometimes perceived to be primarily a community sports facility; however it offers a broad range of programs such as sports, personal fitness, child care, overnight camping, employment readiness programs, conference centers and educational activities as methods of promoting positive values. Mission
Paris BasisNinety-nine YMCA leaders of individual YMCAs from Europe and North America met for the first time prior to the 1855 Paris World Exposition to discuss the possibility of joining together in a federation enhance co-operation amongst individual YMCA societies. This meeting resulted in the Paris Basis which is still a guiding principle of the organization today. Two themes resonated during the council: the need to respect the local autonomy of YMCA societies and the dogma that Christian churches are united and the YMCA is a way of manifesting that unity. (Muukkonen, 2002:85) The need for the respect of local automony is expressed in the preamble:
The main principle of the Paris Basis is expressed:
The main principle of the Paris Basis is often stated as the entire basis and the preamble and other articles are omitted. There were are two versions of the Paris Basis, one in French and one in English. It is thought that the French version is the more accurate representation of the agreement reached and that the English version was a result of a later transcription of notes after the meeting. Some adjustments were made to the English version to align it with the French version in 1955. In the French version the last two words of the main principle are 'jeunes gens' which more accurately translates as young people rather than young men (although all participants in YMCAs at the time were male) (Muukkonen, 2002:90). Challenge 21In 1998, at the 14th World Council of YMCAs, the World Alliance of YMCAs adopted “Challenge 21”, as its modern day statement of mission for the twenty first century:
North American SecularismMany YMCAs in North America adopt a more secular mission than their counterparts in other parts of the world, although most still reference religion in the terms of promoting 'Christian Principles' or 'Judeo-Christian Values'. The national YMCA federation in Canada expresses its statement of purpose:
The national YMCA federation in the United States expresses its mission:
This variation is in keeping with concept of local autonomy expressed in the preamble to the Paris Basis and both YMCA Canada and YMCA of the USA are active participants in the World Alliance of YMCAs. History1844: George Williams was a 23 year old draper, typical of the many young men who were being drawn to big cities by the Industrial Revolution. His colleagues were similarly employed, and they were concerned by the lack of healthy activities for young men in cities such as London. The alternatives were often taverns, brothels, and other temptations to sin. On June 6, Williams founded the first YMCA in London for "the improving of the spiritual condition of young men engaged in the drapery and other trades". 1851: There were YMCAs in Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Australia, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and France. 1855: YMCA delegates met in Paris, France at the First World Conference of YMCAs, marking the beginning of the World Alliance of YMCAs. The conference adopted the Paris Basis[4], a common mission for all present and future national YMCAs. Its motto was taken from the Bible, “That they all may be one” (John 17:21). Other ecumenical bodies such as the World YWCA, the World Council of Churches and the World Student Christian Federation, reflected elements of the Paris Basis in their founding mission statements. 1865: The Fourth World Conference of YMCAs, Germany, affirmed the importance of developing the whole individual in body, mind and spirit. The concept of physical work through sports was also recognised. This was a new concept for the time. 1878: The World Alliance offices were established in Geneva, Switzerland, where they have been ever since. 1900: North American YMCAs, in collaboration with the World Alliance, began working in European ports with millions of migrants leaving for the USA. 1910: The YMCA was an early influence upon Scouting, including the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and German Scouting. Edgar Robinson, a Chicago-area YMCA administrator, briefly left the YMCA to become BSA's first director. 1916: K.T. Paul became the first Indian National General Secretary of India. Paul had started rural development programmes in India through co-operatives and credit societies. These programmes for self-reliance of marginal farmers became very popular. He also coined the term “rural reconstruction” and many of the principles he developed were later incorporated into the Government’s nation-wide community development programmes. 1923: Y.C. James Yen of the YMCA of China devised the “thousand character system”, based on pilot projects in education. The method became very popular and in 1923 it led to the founding of the Chinese National Association of the Mass Education Movement. 1939-1945: The YMCA became very involved in war work. The YMCA increased its international work with displaced persons and refugees and set up War Prisoners Aid to support prisoners of war by providing sports equipment, musical instruments, art materials, radios, gramophones, eating utensils and other items. 1947: The World Alliance of YMCAs gained special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. 1955: The First African President of the World Alliance of YMCAs was elected, Mr. Charles Dunbar Sherman from Liberia. At 37 years, he was the youngest President in World Alliance history. 1973: The Sixth World Council in Kampala, Uganda, was the first World Council in Africa. It reaffirmed the Paris Basis and adopted a declaration of principles, known as the Kampala Principles[5], which include the principles of justice, creativity and honesty. It stated what had become obvious in most national YMCAs, that a global viewpoint was more necessary, and that in doing so, the YMCAs would have to take political stands, especially so in international challenges. 1985: The World Council of YMCAs passed a resolution against apartheid and campaigns against the system began under the leadership of Mr. Lee Soo-Min (Korea), the first Asian Secretary General of the World Alliance. 1998: The World Council in Germany adopted "Challenge 21,"[6] giving even more focus to the global challenges, like gender equality, sustainable development, war and peace, fair distribution and the challenges of globalization, racism and HIV/AIDS. All these topics are viewed as challenges against the will of God. 2002: The World Council in Oaxtepec, Mexico called for a peaceful solution to the Middle East crisis. 2003: The YMCAs, especially in Western Europe and North America, have helped to build national YMCAs in Eastern Europe, with great success. In 2003 a youth convention was arranged in Prague with attendance from almost all countries in Europe to celebrate the healing of the wounds from the Iron Curtain. 2006: YMCAs are present in 124 countries. The current president of the World Alliance of YMCAs is Martin Meissner from Germany, and Bartholomew Shaha of Bangladesh is Secretary General. ActivitiesThe activities of the YMCA work to build healthy mind, body and spirit for all, and there are many activities that work to achieve these goals. Healthy spiritThe first YMCA was very much concerned with Bible study, although the organization has generally moved on to a more holistic approach to youth work. Around six years after its birth, an international YMCA conference in Paris decided that the objective of the organization should become "Christian discipleship developed through a program of religious, educational, social and physical activities" (Binfield 1973:265). More recent objectives as found on the YMCA UK website include no reference to discipleship. Healthy mindMany colleges and universities owe their creation to the YMCA. Springfield College was founded in 1885 as an international training school for YMCA Professionals, while Sir George Williams University—one of the two schools that eventually became Concordia University—started from night courses offered at the Montreal YMCA. Northeastern University, Boston began out of a YMCA in Boston, and Franklin University began as the YMCA School of Commerce. The YMCA pioneered the concept of night school, providing educational opportunities for people with full-time employment. Many YMCAs offer ESL programs, alternative high school, day care, and summer camp programs. American high school students have a chance to participate in YMCA Youth and Government, wherein clubs of kids representing each YMCA community convene annually in their respective state legislatures to "take over the State Capitol for a day." YMCA Youth and Government helps teens learn about and participate in civics in a real-world setting. Healthy bodyIn 1891 James Naismith, a Canadian, invented basketball whilst studying at the YMCA International Training School in Massachusetts (later to be named Springfield College). Naismith had been asked to invent a new game in a desperate attempt to interest pupils in physical exercise. The game had to be interesting, easy to learn, and easy to play indoors in winter. Such an activity was needed both by the Training School and by YMCAs across the country. It was a success from the very first game. Naismith and his wife attended the 1936 Summer Olympics when basketball became one of the Olympic events. In 1895, William G. Morgan from the YMCA of Massachusetts, USA, invented volleyball. North AmericaHistoryThe first YMCA in North America opened in Montreal, Canada on November 25,1851. The first YMCA in the United States opened on December 29, 1851 in Boston, Massachusetts.[7] YMCA camping began in 1889 when Big Cove YMCA Camp was established in Merigomish, Nova Scotia, as the first residential camp in North America. [8] The Montreal YMCA organisation also opened a summer camp named "Camp Kanawana" nearby in 1894.
Sports and FitnessIt is very common for YMCAs to have swimming pools and weight rooms, along with facilities for playing various sports such as basketball, volleyball, and racquetball. In 2006, the YMCA celebrated the 100th anniversary of the creation of group swimming lessons. Concerned with the rising rates of obesity among adults and children in America, YMCAs around the country are joining with the non-profit America on the Move to help Americans increase their physical fitness by walking more frequently. Parent/Child programs: Building strong kids and strong familiesImage:WeekleyYMCA.JPG The Weekley Family YMCA in the Braeswood Place neighborhood of Houston, Texas In the US, the YMCA parent/child programs (originally called YMCA Indian Guides, Princess, Braves and Maidens) have provided structured opportunities for fellowship, camping, and community-building activities (including craft-making and community service) for several generations of parents and kids in kindergarten through third grade. The roots of these still vibrant programs stem from similar activities dating back to 1926. Notable founders of YMCA Indian Guides include Harold Keltner, a St. Louis YMCA director, and indirectly, Joe Friday, an Ojibwa hunting guide. The two men met in the early 1920s, when Joe Friday was a speaker at a local YMCA banquet for Fathers and Sons that Harold Keltner had arranged. Today, Joe Friday and Harold Keltner are commemorated with patch awards honoring their legacy which are given out to distinguished YMCA volunteers in the program. YMCA Indian Guides participants historically took pride in cultivating respect and honor for Native American culture. Responding to a number of variables, including making the program more culturally sensitive and attracting a broader audience, in 2003 the program evolved into what is now known nationally as "YMCA Adventure Guides", "Trailblazers" is the YMCA's parent/child program for older kids. Local YMCA's are currently still free to continue support of the Native American theme and several do so. In areas where the local YMCA has elected to convert to the "Adventure Guides", many YMCA Indian Guides groups have separated from the YMCA and operate independently as the "Native Sons and Daughters Programs" from the National Longhouse. In some programs, children earn patches for achieving various goals, such as completing a designated nature hike or participating in Y-sponsored events. A typical suburban Indian Guide meeting was parodied in the Bob Hope/Lucille Ball comedy of 1960, The Facts of Life. More recently, the continued popularity of the YMCA Indian Guides is seen in the 1995 Chevy Chase/Farrah Fawcett comedy, Man of the House, wherein a campout takes place complete with the dads and kids addressing one another by their program names in patch-covered vests, wearing headdresses, singing songs, and roasting marshmallows around a campfire. In 2006, YMCA Indian Guides celebrated 80 years as a YMCA program. United KingdomThe Archive of the British YMCA is housed at the University of Birmingham Special Collections.
ResidencesUntil the late 1950s,[7] YMCAs in the United States were built with hotel-like rooms called residences or dormitories. These rooms became a significant part of American culture, known as an inexpensive and safe place for a visitor to stay in an unfamiliar city. In 1940 there were about 100,000 rooms at YMCAs, more than any hotel chain. By 2006, YMCAs with residences became relatively rare in the US but many still existed.[9] Many YMCAs throughout the world still maintain residences as an integral part of the programming.
YMCA Goes To WarStarting before the American Civil War,[7] YMCA provided nursing, shelter, and other support in wartime. During World War I, Irving Berlin wrote Yip Yip Yaphank, a revue that included a song entitled I Can Always Find a Little Sunshine in the Y.M.C.A. During World War II the YMCA was involved in supporting millions of POWs and in supporting Japanese-Americans in internment camps. This help included helping young men leave the camps to attend Springfield College and providing youth activities in the camps. In addition, the YMCA was one of 6 organizations that helped to found the USO during World War II.
In Popular CultureIn 1978, a disco band called The Village People recorded a wildly popular disco song titled "Y.M.C.A." In the animated TV series The Flintstones episode The Swimming Pool, Barney lets the YCMA (Young Cave Men's Association) swim in the pool that he and Fred built. In the TV series The Brady Bunch episode A Clubhouse is Not a Home, the boys are upset about having to share their clubhouse with the girls. One of them asks "Did you ever see a girl at the YMCA?". The kids' father answers that Mrs. Carson, an admin, "...runs the whole thing." Nobel Peace Prize Winners1901: Henry Dunant, who co-founded the Geneva YMCA in 1852, and was one of the founders of the World Alliance of YMCAs, won the first ever Nobel Peace Prize for founding the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863, and inspiring the Geneva Convention (Convention de Genève). He shared the prize with Frédéric Passy, founder and President of the first French peace society. 1946: John R. Mott, USA, President of the World Alliance, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his "long and fruitful labours in drawing together the peoples of many nations, many races and many communions in a common bond of spirituality". John R. Mott also played an important role in the founding of the World Student Christian Federation in 1895, and the World Council of Churches in 1948. TriviaIn the mid-20th century, it was not unusual for participants in YMCA programs to swim in the nude. One reason cited was that the cotton or even older wool swimsuits would clog up the filtration system. Another reason was dirt and soap would be released into the pool from the fibers of swim wear. Filtration systems used in swimming pools were not as advanced as they are today and far less chlorine was used making it easier, in those days, to degrade the cleanliness of the water thereby promoting the growth of bacteria. Females were never allowed to be present in such a setting.[10] [11] The 19th-century YMCA inspired the creation of the Young Men's Hebrew Association and Young Men's Buddhist Association. Its original male focus similarly led to the establishment of a parallel Young Women's Christian Association. In some of the member countries the YMCA was the first national organization to adopt a strict policy of equal gender representation in committees and national boards. An example is Norway in 1880. See alsoReferencesMuukkonen, Martti (2002). Ecumenism of the Laity: Continuity and Change in the Mission View of the World's Alliance of YMCAs, 1855-1955. University of Joensuu Publications, Faculty of Theology.
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