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World Alliance of YMCAs What is the YMCA ? YMCA stands for Young Men's Christian Association. It is a world-wide Christian, ecumenical, voluntary Movement for women and men with special emphasis on, and the genuine involvement of, young people, which seeks to share the Christian ideal of building a human community of justice with love, peace and reconciliation for the fullness of life for all creation. YMCAs work for social justice for all people, irrespective of religion, race, gender or cultural background. '''Where does the YMCA work? ''' The YMCA is present in more than 120 countries in all continents and is continuing to expand. There are over 14,000 local YMCAs with more than 40 million members world-wide. The YMCA is one of the largest and oldest youth movements in the world. What is the World Alliance of YMCAs? The World Alliance of YMCAs is a confederation of member YMCA movements representing YMCAs around the world. The World Alliance was established in 1855 with its first World Conference in Paris. The Conference drew up the Paris Basis, the YMCA's mission statement, which made the World Alliance of YMCAs a pioneer of ecumenism. The World Alliance has had consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 1947. The World Alliance is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Its role includes: · providing Christian leadership on global social issues · representing YMCAs at world level · strengthening the work of the YMCA world-wide · co-ordinating disaster preparedness and response · providing leadership in crisis What does the YMCA do? YMCA work includes support for youth at risk, community empowerment programmes, educational and recreational activities, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, health and fitness programmes, environmental protection and much more. In 1998 the World Council of YMCAs adopted "Challenge 21". Affirming the Paris Basis, "Challenge 21" expresses a renewed understanding of the YMCA's mission in the twenty first century. Each YMCA prioritises these challenges according to the needs of its own community. The challenges, which are an evolution of the Kampala Principles of 1973, include: · sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and striving for spiritual, intellectual and physical well-being of individuals and wholeness of communities · empowering all, especially young people and women, to take increased responsibilities, assume leadership at all levels, and work towards an equitable society · advocating for and promoting the rights of women and upholding the rights of children · fostering dialogue and partnership between people of different faiths and ideologies and recognising the cultural identities of people and promoting cultural renewal · committing to work in solidarity with the poor, dispossessed, uprooted people and oppressed racial, religious and ethnic minorities · seeking to be mediators and reconcilers in situations of conflict and working for meaningful participation and advancement of people for their own self-determination · defending God's creation against all that would destroy it and preserving and protecting the earth's resources for coming generations How is the YMCA structured? · The YMCA is a membership based, volunteer led Movement. · Local YMCAs are represented by national movements. · National movements in the same region are represented by area alliances. · The World Alliance of YMCAs brings together national movements at the World Council of YMCAs. The World Council, which meets every four years, determines the priorities and strategic direction of the international Movement. For further details visit the website of the World Alliance of YMCAs: {Link without Title} World Alliance of YMCAs 12 Clos Belmont CH-1208 Geneva Switzerland Tel: (41 22) 849 5100 Fax: (41 22) 849 5110 9 Feb 2005 - Communication Department - For contact: jenny@ymca.int |
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