Young mens christian association definition

Young Women's Christian Association. See all related overviews in Oxford Reference ». Founded by a group of twelve young draper's assistants headed by George Williams b.

The first YMCA was conceived in industrial London in when a farmer-turned-department store worker and his friends gathered to organize a refuge for young men seeking escape from the hazards of the streets. Today, the Y still harkens back to its roots in creating safe, enriching spaces for communities across the globe. The formative years of the YMCA were ones of inspired growth. We saw the organization's mission spread to cities across the U. Once again, the Y played an instrumental role in times of crises during the s, providing essential services and support when and where it was needed most. We also adapted to the evolving landscape of health and well-being with new programs and partnerships designed to support generational changes in young people and modern-day families. Like the John logo, it incorporates the triangle and the color red.

Young mens christian association definition

Growth of the railroads and centralization of commerce and industry brought many rural young men who needed jobs into cities like London. They worked 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week. Far from home and family, these young men often lived at the workplace. Outside the shop things were bad — open sewers, pickpockets, thugs, beggars, drunks, lovers for hire and abandoned children running wild by the thousands. He and a group of fellow drapers organized the first YMCA to substitute Bible study and prayer for life on the streets. By there were 24 Ys in Great Britain, with a combined membership of 2, The idea proved popular everywhere. The next year the first international convention was held in Paris. At the time there were separate Ys in seven nations, with 30, members total. The YMCA idea, which began among evangelicals, was unusual because it crossed the rigid lines that separated all the different churches and social classes in England in those days. Also, its target of meeting social need in the community was dear from the start. In its activities and organization, the American YMCA experienced considerable growth in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. State and local associations flourished, organizing their own conventions; dormitories and restaurant facilities became a regular part of YMCA buildings. As a result, several association-affiliated colleges were set up in the late nineteenth century, including Springfield College in Massachusetts in and George Williams College in Chicago in

Spurred on by men such as the clergyman Henry Ward Beecher, Y leaders accepted the precept that a healthy moral spirit is best maintained by a healthy body. Bymost Ys had gyms for their members use. Authority control databases.

YMCA , sometimes regionally called the Y , is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva , Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in countries. The organization aims to put Christian values into practice by developing a healthy body, mind, and spirit. From its inception, YMCA grew rapidly, ultimately becoming a worldwide movement founded on the principles of muscular Christianity. Local YMCAs deliver projects and services focused on youth development through a wide variety of youth activities, including providing athletic facilities, holding classes for a wide variety of skills, promoting Christianity, and humanitarian work. The national organizations, in turn, are part of both a geographically regional area alliance and the World Alliance of YMCA.

The Young Men's Christian Association, known today as the YMCA, is familiar to most for its family fitness centers and recreational programs for youth. In the Civil War era, however, the organization was active throughout the nation, tending to the spiritual and social needs of the communities they served. In unhealthy social conditions in England at the end of the Industrial Revolution led George Williams — to begin a Bible study and prayer group for the men who roamed the streets searching for jobs. The idea caught on, and other groups formed throughout Great Britain and other parts of the world. Anthony Bowen c. By total membership worldwide had grown to 30, members, with YMCAs in seven nations. During the Civil War membership in the United States dwindled as men went off to war, until at the end of the war there were only fifty-nine chapters. However, the popularity of the YMCA and the organization's war efforts among the troops helped to revive membership when the war was over, and four years later there were more than chapters. Women were not admitted as members until the beginning of the s, but they served the YMCS before then by teaching classes, raising funds, and functioning like a church's Ladies Auxiliary. Although begun by evangelical Christians, the concept of the YMCA was unusual and appealing because it fostered an openness that crossed the boundaries between different churches and social classes, and it focused on social need in the communities it served.

Young mens christian association definition

It provides assistance in many areas, including accounting, financing, purchasing, and programming. It is through the Clusters that individual Ys have input at the national level. Each elects two members to its section Field committee. The four Field committees in turn elect thirty members, or three-fifths, of the National Board. The other twenty members include the immediate past chair and nineteen persons elected by the Board.

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The bulk of the Y's work consisted of clubs and camping for boys in the camps. Sign in to annotate. Naismith and his wife attended the Summer Olympics when basketball was included for the first time as an Olympic event. It stated what had become obvious: that a global viewpoint was more necessary. YMCAs in England and Wales offer supported accommodation for vulnerable and homeless young people, mental health services, youth clubs, sports centres, nursery schools and family support and after school clubs. These programs are not offered at each YMCA but the ones who have same to offer these programs give a benefit to their communities to give children a safe place to go to enjoy such activities. The vast majority of this accommodation is supported by a range of personal, social and educational services. This logo was replaced in with the Y logo used today. Retrieved 9 October The Paris Press does in fact have a U. Garvie's presentation to the convention of Garvie, a Sioux, had translated the model college constitution of a student Y into the Sioux language. A Dictionary of British History. But it wasn't until the s, when YMCAs began putting up buildings in large numbers, that most associations thought they needed someone there full time.

In , industrialized London was a place of great turmoil and despair. For the young men who migrated to the city from rural areas to find jobs, London offered a bleak landscape of tenement housing and dangerous influences. Twenty-two-year-old George Williams, a farmer-turned-department store worker, was troubled by what he saw.

The event celebrated youth leadership, and elevated the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Password Please enter your Password. The red triangle is still used as part of many local, national and regional YMCA logos today. Read Edit View history. In , William G. The ball could be passed but not carried. Archived from the original on 21 December Browse alphabetically Young Men's Christian Association. YMCA opened a Y dormitory in in a renovated hotel. Robert J. Quiz Italian confusables. The Complete Book of the Olympics. It was easily played by everyone, everywhere, and in any weather condition, without any difficulty, helping players to stay in shape all year round. The universities offer a wide variety of courses on different levels.