YMCA

The YMCA is the Young Men's Christian Association, commonly called the Y. It is the world's oldest youth charity and was an all-volunteer operation for many years. It originated in England to provide support to young men who were away from home for the first time.

YMCAs provide opportunities for youth to engage in physical fitness, learn leadership skills, and participate in various activities in a safe environment. Many YMCAs offer hostel accommodations, holiday camps, fitness centers, and community services such as daycare and swimming lessons. Some provide educational opportunities, including vocational training, and others have outreach programs for disadvantaged and unhoused youth. Although established for Christian men, the Y now serves men and women of all ages, races, and religions. Facilities around the globe serve both members and their wider communities.

Background

Sir George Williams founded the YMCA in 1844 in London, England. Williams worked in the drapery trade and wanted to help other men in the industry. He invited eleven friends to form a Bible study and prayer group. It was not unusual for young men to meet, but Williams' Young Men's Christian Association was different. Williams wanted to provide a social network for people who had none, and he welcomed young men from all classes—a rare occurrence at a time when social class was rigidly defined. Williams' group attracted men from all over the city, and he established branches in Manchester and Leeds as well.

The Great Exhibition in 1851 in London exposed people from other countries to the goals of the YMCA. Williams' creation of a family structure, with an emphasis on inclusion and morality, attracted attention. Thomas Valentine Sullivan was a retired sea captain from Boston, Massachusetts, who was in Great Britain as a marine missionary. He knew many sailors were away from home for long periods as they worked and missed their families and friends. He took what he learned about the YMCA in London home to the United States and set up the first American YMCA at the Old South Church in Boston on December 29, 1851. YMCAs were soon established across the United States and in Canada and other countries.

Early YMCAs aided White Christians, but the need for the organization's services existed in other communities as well. Anthony Bowen, a formerly enslaved person, founded the first Y for African Americans in Washington, DC, in 1853. YMCAs for Chinese and Japanese immigrants later opened in California, and a Y for Native Americans was established in North Dakota.

Eleven years after Williams founded the first Y, YMCA Paris organized the first YMCA World Conference. The attendees agreed to the organization's focus and established a headquarters and an international committee, which became the World Alliance of YMCAs.

Like the cities at this time, universities had many young men who had never been away from home before and who were exposed to new influences. This led Cumberland University in Tennessee to open the first student YMCA in 1856. Many other student Ys opened in the years that followed, and they remain important to the development of leadership among college students. In time, the Y expanded to provide safe, affordable housing. The first dormitory opened in 1867 in Chicago, Illinois. The need for such accommodations was great, and many more Y dormitories opened during the early twentieth century. By 1905, YMCAs were operating in forty-five countries. In 1879, the YMCA in the United States opened a gym. Within a few years, gyms and physical fitness programs were established at other locations.

Global YMCAs continue to offer communities a wide range of services. They sponsor family-friendly year-round activities and special events such as programs that help teens apply for college financial aid. Many Ys also work with partners to help people within the community. For example, some YMCAs serve meals and snacks to children during the summer when youngsters cannot rely on school lunch programs for nutritious food.

Impact

The YMCA has had an enormous impact on the world. The organization brought gyms and physical fitness programs to many communities and has helped people achieve their fitness goals by providing facilities, training, and support. Several sports owe their existence and popularity to the organization. Women's sports, particularly swimming, owe a debt to the non-profit, which organized swimming classes for boys and girls early in the twentieth century.

Canadian James Naismith, a Y leader, invented the sport of basketball. Over time, basketball has become one of the most popular sports in the world. The first known professional basketball game was played in 1896, and in the twenty-first century, it is a multimillion-dollar industry. The National Basketball League (NBL) formed in 1898.

YMCA swim instructors developed new breathing methods and conducted the first group swimming lessons in the United States, both changing the sport and expanding its reach. YMCAs have committed to encouraging healthy lifestyles for children in their communities. YMCA after-school programs have been credited with helping to prevent obesity in children. The organization has worked with the Harvard Prevention Research Centers (HPRC) to organize programs focusing on nutrition and physical fitness. In 2011, the YMCA of the USA pledged to First Lady Michelle Obama to implement health-oriented programs guided by the "Let's Move" campaign and activities in 85 percent of YMCA Associations.

The organization continues to fulfill its original goal—to create a community and support its members—and to innovate to serve communities. In the twenty-first century, it operates in 120 countries. Its multiple programs help millions of people of all ages worldwide. The YMCA’s global impact is evident in its history of aiding in times of crisis, including during Hurricane Katrina (2005), the earthquake in Haiti (2010), and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020). In 2021, the YMCA appointed its first female president and CEO, Suzanne McCormick.

Bibliography

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Boyer, Paul S. Urban Masses and Moral Order in America, 1820–1920. Harvard UP, 2009.

Marsico, Katie. YMCA. Cherry Lake Publishing, 2017.

Miller, Matthew Lee. The American YMCA and Russian Culture: The Preservation and Expansion of Orthodox Christianity, 1900–1940. Lexington Books, 2012.

Mjagkij, Nina. Light in the Darkness: African Americans and the YMCA, 1852–1946. UP of Kentucky, 2015.

"SGMA Study Shows Basketball Is Most Played Sport in US with 26.3 Million Participants." Sports & Fitness Industry Association, 15 Mar. 2012, www.sfia.org/press/433‗Over-26-Million-Americans-Play-Basketball. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

"The Story of Our Founding." YMCA, www.ymca.net/history/founding.html. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.

Weeks, Linton. "How the YMCA Helped Shape America." NPR, 2 June 2015, www.npr.org/sections/npr-history-dept/2015/06/02/410532977/how-the-ymca-helped-shape-america. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

"Who We Are—History." World YMCA, www.ymca.org/who-we-are/our-history/2000s-beyond. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.