The YMCA Movement in England is one of the largest youth development charities in the country.
Although the YMCA has changed considerably since it was founded 160 years ago, our guiding principles remain the same.
From small beginnings, the YMCA Movement has grown to become one of the biggest Christian charities in the world working in over 120 countries with 30 million members worldwide.
| 1844 | The first Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) was formed by George Williams in St Paul's churchyard in the heart of London. |
| 1851 | The Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London proved to be a milestone in the YMCA's history as publicity leaflets distributed at the time helped to develop links with other countries. |
| 1851 | The American YMCA Movement was founded in 1851, led the way in addressing physical fitness with gym openings and a wide programme of activities.
It went on to invent both basketball (1891) and volleyball (1895). |
| 1888 | The British YMCA Movement opens a large gym at London Central Association, marking a shift towards personal health and fitness. |
| 1894 | The YMCA had become so significant that its 50th anniversary was marked with George Williams receiving a knighthood from Queen Victoria and the Freedom of the City of London. Sir George died in 1905 and was laid to rest in the crypt at St Paul's Cathedral. |
| 1914 | During World War I, the British YMCA extended its work across the Channel to support the troops. YMCA huts provided soldiers with food, drink and free writing paper and envelopes. |
| 1932 | The YMCA launched two initiatives to help tackle rising unemployment: British Boys for British Farms, which placed unemployed young men as agricultural workers on farms; and an Employment Department, which found jobs for 38,000 ex-servicemen. |
| 1945 | The YMCA continued its war work and mobile canteens were introduced to bring refreshments to the troops. |
| 1959 | A government report was published on the need for better leisure facilities for teenagers.
As a result, many YMCAs began youth clubs to help young people with their personal development through recreation, leisure and informal education. |
| 1970 | The YMCA George Williams College was established to provide professional training for youth workers. It remains today one of the leading training colleges for those working in informal education. |
| 1980 | YMCA Training for Life was launched which would result in the creation of YMCA Training - one of the UK's leading vocational training organisations |
| 1994 | The YMCA began work in prisons and young offenders institutions.
Today, the YMCA's Prisons Unit works with around 5,000 young people a year, helping them to find accommodation and jobs on their release. |
| 2005 | The 150th Anniversary of the World Alliance of YMCAs, culminating with a global event in Mumbai, India from 17th - 22nd August 2005 on the theme 'Celebrating, envisioning and building peace with justice.' |
If you are a researcher interested in our history, we have an archive that is held by the Special Collections Department of the University of Birmingham:
