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Young Women's Christian Association | |
Founded | 1855 |
---|---|
Founder | Mary Jane Kinnaird Emma Robarts |
Founded at | London, United Kingdom |
Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
Region | Worldwide |
Website | www |
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland, and the nonprofit is headquartered in Washington, DC.
The YWCA is independent of the YMCA, but a few local and national YMCA and YWCA associations have merged into YM/YWCAs or YMCA-YWCAs and belong to both organizations, while providing the programs from each (an example being Sweden, which did so in 1966).
The World Board is the governing body of the World YWCA, and includes representatives from all regions of the global YWCA movement. The World Council is the legislative authority and governing body of the World YWCA. The 20 women who serve on the World Board are elected during the World Council, which meets every four years to make decisions that impact the entire movement. This includes the World YWCA's policy, constitution, strategic direction, and budgets. The Council includes representatives from the 100+ member associations that are affiliated with the global YWCA movement.
The YWCA history dates back to 1855, when the philanthropist Lady Mary Jane Kinnaird founded the North London Home for nurses travelling to or from the Crimean War. [1] The home addressed the needs of single women arriving from rural areas to join the industrial workforce in London, by offering housing, education and support with a "warm Christian atmosphere". Kinnaird's organisation merged with the Prayer Union started by evangelist Emma Robarts in 1877. [1]
The Australian YWCA was formed in 1880 when Mary Jane Barker organised the initial meeting in Sydney. [2] Ann Alison Goodlet became its first President. Goodlet served until 1903. [3]
In 1884, the YWCA was restructured. Until then, London had had almost a separate organisation, but there was now one YWCA organisation. Beneath this there were separate staffs and Presidents for London, England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, "Foreign" and Colonial and Missionary. This organisation distributed Christian texts and literature, but it also interviewed young women in an effort to improve living conditions. In 1884, they were working amongst Scottish fisherwomen, publishing their own magazine and operating a ladies' restaurant in London. [1]
The World YWCA was founded in 1894, with USA, Great Britain, Norway and Sweden as its founding mothers.
The first world conference of the YWCA was held in 1898 in London, with 326 participants from 77 countries from around the world. [4]
In the beginning of the 20th century, a shift began within the YWCA. While industrialization had been a founding concern of the association, it had sought primarily to evangelise, and to protect women morally and socially from the consequences of urban life. But the emerging socialist movement began to affect these objectives. The first sign of this was during the 1910 World YWCA conference in Berlin, when a resolution was passed against considerable opposition, requiring the association to study social and industrial problems, and to educate working women about the "social measures and legislation enacted in their behalf." Over time the well-organised activists were able to take control of the YWCA, discard its original purposes, and employ it as part of their own movement. By 1920 the process was complete, and the YWCA became a largely secular organisation in all but name, with ties to Social Gospel groups. [5]
Until 1930, the headquarters of the World YWCA were in London. The executive committee was entirely British, with an American General Secretary. This policy resulted in a resolutely Anglocentric lens through which the association viewed the world. In 1930, however, the World YWCA headquarters were moved to Geneva, Switzerland, the same city as the newly formed League of Nations. This was symbolic of the drive to become a more diverse association, and also to co-operate fully with other organizations in Geneva (such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the YMCA).[ citation needed ]
In several countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, YWCAs were suppressed and disbanded. Throughout occupied Europe, however, women worked to construct support systems for their neighbors and refugees. [6]
Shortly after the end of the war, the YWCA worked to fortify the bonds of women throughout the world by holding the first World Council meeting in nearly a decade in Hangzhou in 1947. This was significant in being the first World Council held outside of the West, and further voiced the desire to be an inclusive, worldwide movement. [6] It also served to bring together women who lived in countries that had been enemies during the war, and to raise awareness among the western YWCAs that the ruin of war was not limited to Europe.
During the following decades, the World YWCA spent much time researching and working with the issues of refugees, health, HIV and AIDS, literacy, the human rights of women and girls, the advancement of women and the eradication of poverty; mutual service, sustainable development and the environment; education and youth, peace and disarmament, and young women's leadership. These issues continue to play an integral role in the World YWCA movement.
Each year during the third week of October, YWCAs worldwide focus on raising awareness to end violence against women and girls.
Starting in 1904, the World YWCA and the World Alliance of YMCAs have issued a joint call to prayer during the Week of Prayer and World Fellowship. During this week, the two movements pray and act together on a particular theme in solidarity with members and partners around the world. The week-long event is a Bible study based on that year's theme.
In 1948, World YWCA's Observance Day was born, to help each member see how she could act locally in relation to the theme for the year. Some chosen themes for the Observance Day have been: My Faith and My Work, My Place in the World, My Contribution to World Peace, I Confront a Changing World, Toward One World and My Task in Family Life Today. In 1972, the event name was changed to World YWCA Day, and the date of celebration for World YWCA Day became April 24.
YWCA has a presence in over 100 countries, and includes national and regional entities in eight global regions. Many regional YWCAs operate as independent entities at the local level and belong to their country's national YWCA body as part of a federated, membership-based model. [7]
The European YWCA includes national YWCAs in Belarus, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, Romania, and more. The European YWCA is a regional legally registered body, serving as an umbrella organization for the national YWCAs around the European continent. YWCA Scotland works under the name The Young Women's Movement. [8]
The YWCAs of the Middle East region are in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine.
There are over 20 national YWCAs serving communities across the Africa region, including in Burkina Faso, Malawi, South Africa, and Togo.
YWCA has a presence in a number of countries in Asia, including Bangladesh, China, India, Korea, Nepal, Taiwan, and Thailand. Sophia Cooke established of the Young Women's Christian Association in Singapore in 1875. [9]
National YWCAs in the Pacific region include New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Samoa. In 1878, Dunedin activists established the first YWCA in the southern hemisphere. [10] The YWCA branch in Christchurch was established in 1883 to support visitations to the sick; and, in 1885 Auckland's chapter started up with a strong focus on providing a clean and properly supervised living space for working girls. [11] YWCA Australia dates back to 1880, when the first YWCA in the country was established in Sydney to help migrant women.
In North America, YWCA has a presence in the United States and Canada. YWCA USA was founded in 1858 and today has over 200 member associations, serving over 2 million women, girls, and their families. YWCA USA is one of the largest provider of domestic violence programs and shelters in the United States. YWCA Canada dates back to 1870. Today, YWCA Canada has over 30 member associations, serving 1 million women, girls, and their families.
YWCA USA is headquartered in Washington, DC. [12] Previously its headquarters were in the Empire State Building in New York City. [13]
National YWCAs in the Caribbean region include Barbados, Grenada, Haiti, and Trinidad & Tobago.
YWCAs of Latina America include Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, and Suriname.
Name | Country | Year |
---|---|---|
Mrs. J. Herbert Tritton | United Kingdom | 1898–1902 |
Mrs. George Campbell | United Kingdom | 1902–1906 |
Miss Mary Morley | United Kingdom | 1906–1910 |
Mrs. J. Herbert Tritton | United Kingdom | 1910–1914 |
The Hon. Mrs. Montague Weldgrave | United Kingdom | 1914–1924 |
The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Parmoor | United Kingdom | 1924–1928 |
The Hon. Mrs. Montague Weldgrave | United Kingdom | 1928–1930 |
Miss C. M. Van Asch Van Wijck | Netherlands | 1930–1938 |
Miss Ruth Rouse | United Kingdom | 1938–1946 |
Miss C. M. Van Asch Van Wijck | Netherlands | 1946–1947 |
Miss Lilace Reid Barnes | USA | 1947–1955 |
The Hon. Isabel Catto | United Kingdom | 1955–1963 |
Dr. Una B. Porter | Australia | 1963–1967 |
Mrs. Athena Athanassiou | Greece | 1967–1975 |
Dame Nita Barrow | Barbados | 1975–1983 |
Mrs. Ann Northcote | Canada | 1983–1987 |
Dr. Jewel Freeman Graham | USA | 1987–1991 |
Mrs. Razia Ismail Abbasi | India | 1991–1995 |
Mrs. Anita Andersson | Sweden | 1995–1999 |
Ms. Jane Lee Wolfe | USA | 1999–2003 |
Ms Mónica Zetzsche | Argentina | 2003–2007 |
Susan Brenan | Australia | 2007–2011 |
Deborah Thomas-Austin | Trinidad and Tobago | 2011–2019 |
Mira Rizeq | Palestine | 2019–pres. |
Name | Country | Year |
---|---|---|
Miss Annie Reynolds | USA | 1894–1904 |
Miss Clarissa Spencer | USA | 1904–1920 |
Miss Charlotte T. Niven | USA | 1920–1935 |
Miss Ruth Woodsmall | USA | 1935–1947 |
Miss Helen Roberts | United Kingdom | 1947–1955 |
Miss Elizabeth Palmer | USA | 1955–1978 |
Miss Erica Brodie | New Zealand | 1978–1982 |
Mrs. Ruth Sovik | USA | 1982–1985 |
Miss Ellen Clark (acting) | USA | 1985–1986 |
Mrs. Genevieve Jacques (acting) | France | 1986–1987 |
Mrs. Elaine Hesse Steel | New Zealand | 1987–1997 |
Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro | Kenya | 1998–2007 |
Mrs. Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda | Zimbabwe | 2007–2016 |
Ms. Malayah Harper | Canada | 2016–2019 |
Mrs. Casey Harden | USA | 2019–pres. |
The World YWCA is involved and is a part of the Big Six Alliance of Youth Organisations (World Alliance of Young Men's Christian Associations, World Young Women's Christian Association, World Organization of the Scout Movement, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation). It is also a member of Accountable Now, ACT Alliance, and has consultative status with United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). World YWCA works in partnership with a number of ecumenical players (World Council of Churches, Lutheran World Federation, etc.) and a number of international institutional and government donors.
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded in London on 6 June 1844 by George Williams as the Young Men's Christian Association. The organization aims to put Christian values into practice by developing a healthy body, mind, and spirit.
YWCA USA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. It is one of the oldest and largest multicultural organizations promoting solutions to enhance the lives of women, girls, and families. They have been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for 165 years — from voting rights to civil rights, affordable housing to pay equity, and violence prevention to health care reform.
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is a global association supporting the female-oriented and female-only Guiding and Scouting organisations in 152 countries. It was established in 1928 in Parád, Hungary, and has its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. It is the counterpart of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). WAGGGS is organised into five regions and operates five international Guiding centers. It holds full member status in the European Youth Forum (YFJ), which operates within the Council of Europe and European Union areas, and works closely with these bodies.
The history of youth work goes back to the birth of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, which was the first time that young men left their own homes and cottage industries to migrate to the big towns. The result of this migration was an emergent youth culture in urban areas, which was responded to by the efforts of local people.
Sir George Williams was an English philanthropist, businessman and founder of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). The oldest and largest youth charity in the world, its aim is to support young people to belong, contribute and thrive in their communities.
The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) is a federation of autonomous national Student Christian Movements (SCM) forming the youth and student arm of the global ecumenical movement. The Federation includes Orthodox, Protestant and Catholic students.
The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) is a representative body for Irish youth organisations, a role that is recognised in the 2001 Youth Work Act. Currently there are 45 national youth organisations who are full member of the NYCI.
The Scout and Guide movement in Denmark consists of about ten different associations. Most of them are members of two large federations, but there are also some independent organizations. Affiliated to Danish Scouting and Guiding are the organizations in Greenland, on the Faroe Islands and in Southern Schleswig.
Non-aligned Scouting organizations is a term used by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) and their member national organizations to refer to Scouting organizations that are not affiliated with them. See List of non-aligned Scouting organizations.
The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) was a membership network of over 200 voluntary and community organisations, as well as local and regional networks, that work with and for young people across England. The organisation closed in 2016. For 80 years, NCVYS acted as an independent voice of the voluntary and community youth sector, working to inform and influence public policy, supporting members to improve the quality of their work, and also raising the profile of the voluntary and community sector's work with young people.
The Groupes Bibliques Universitaires (GBU) are student groups that meet at universities or nearby for in-depth Bible study. They were founded in the beginning of the 20th century and currently operate in an officially recognized way in more than 154 countries, with a presence in 168 countries.
Deng Yuzhi also known as Cora Deng, was a Chinese social and Christian activist, and a feminist. Born in Hubei, she promoted women's education and rights, and defied the traditional woman's role in Chinese society. A Protestant by birth, she was an active and leading member of the Chinese Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). She established night schools for the women workers of industrial establishments, and fought for their rights. At the age of 19, she participated in the May Fourth Movement, and, on the establishment of the People's Republic, held positions in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) administration.
Hon. Emily Kinnaird CBE or Emily Cecilia Kinnaird was an English missionary and writer. She was active for the Young Women's Christian Association and she had a long association with India.
The National Council of Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States of America is part of the worldwide youth organization YMCA. It has 2,700 separate organizations with 10,000 branches working with 21 million men, women and children, to "strengthen communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility." It employs 19,000 staff and is supported by 600,000 volunteers, and YMCA branches have about 10,000 service locations. The first YMCA in the United States opened on December 29, 1851, in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1851 by Captain Thomas Valentine Sullivan (1800–59), an American seaman and missionary.
Janet Lacey was an English charity director and philanthropist who led the British Council Inter-Church Aid and Refugee Department from 1952 to 1968. She began working for the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in Kendal and later Dagenham from 1925 to 1945. After the Second World War, Lacey was YMCA education secretary for demobilising British Army of the Rhine soldiers in Germany and was later appointed field young secretary for the British Council of Churches in 1947. At Christian Aid, she helped the organisation refocus on global poverty and funded development projects in 40 countries. She oversaw the establishment of Christian Aid Week in 1957 and was a founder member of the Voluntary Service Overseas organisation in 1958. Lacey became the first woman to preach at St Paul's Cathedral in 1967 and later at Liverpool Cathedral and St George's Cathedral. She was director of the national Family Welfare Association charity from 1969 to 1973 and wrote the 1970 autobiographical book A Cup of Water.
Eliza Pottie was an Australian social reformer, and a leader in women's organization in New South Wales. She was involved in the founding of the Young Women's Christian Association in Sydney, the Ladies' Sanitation Association, and the Women's Christian Temperance Union. She served as president of the Ladies Sanitation Association for nine years. She advocated for prison reform, supported orphanages, visited people in hospitals and institutions, and campaigned for women's suffrage. She was appointed to the Government Asylum Inquiry Board in 1886. A member of the Religious Society of Friends, she helped found the Quaker Relief Committee during the depression of 1893. In 1896, she attended the first National Council of Women New South Wales as a delegate for the WCTU. She died at her home in Manly in 1907.
Margrethe Parm (1882–1966) was a Norwegian Christian leader, teacher, scout leader and prison director. She founded Norway's YWCA Scouts in 1920.
The Name the Charity is Known By: The Young Women's Movement
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