In 1844, YMCA began above a draper’s shop in St Paul’s Churchyard, London. Sunday 4 August to Wednesday 8 August, more than 3,000 YMCA young people, staff, guests and volunteers from 100 countries gathered just down the River Thames at ExCeL London for an anniversary celebration, YMCA175. “Empowerment is not given, it is taken” –…
On 6 June 1844, 22-year-old draper George Williams joined 11 friends to organise the first Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), a refuge of Bible study and prayer for young men seeking escape from the hazards of life on the streets of London. YMCA celebrated its 175th Founder’s Day on 6 June 2019 gathering in the…
Almost two-thirds of young people (61%) feel pressure to look their best online, according to new findings from the Be Real Campaign. The alarming research also revealed that more than two-thirds (67%) regularly worry about the way they look. In response to this pressure, our research found that more than two-thirds of young people (67%)…
We had 49 incredible runners take on the London Marathon on Sunday 28 April and are on target to raise £100,000, our highest ever fundraising target for the event. The money we raise through the London Marathon will enable us to provide safe accommodation for homeless young people, support for those with mental health problems,…
It has been announced today that a new Youth Charter will be developed to set out a vision for young people over the next generation and beyond. It follows a roundtable Mims Davies, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, and Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, had with the youth…
As part of His Royal Highness’s campaign work around mental health, The Duke of Sussex visited YMCA to learn more about the vital support it provides to young people. He met some of the residents of YMCA South Ealing; participants in YMCA’s Mental Health Champions programme; and young people involved in the #IAMWHOLE campaign, run…
YMCA’s across the country participated in National Sleep Easy week, which ran from the 8th – 18th of March, volunteers, donors and members of the community continue to sleep rough so others don’t have to. The national campaign has been running since 2010 and has previously seen more than 6,000 people sleep out to raise…
YMCA Right Here, a project run by YMCA DownsLink Group, is challenging the way we think about masculinity, which is having a growing impact on the mental health of young men. Earlier this month they hosted Fearless, an interactive exhibition exploring thoughts on male identity, body image, relationships and health. Over 500 people attended the…
YMCA Exeter has been awarded £19,500 from the Building Connections Fund Youth strand to help combat loneliness among young people. YMCA Exeter has developed an innovative new strategy to tackle youth loneliness. They will work with young people to help make their existing community hub more accessible as well as run a pop-up enterprise in…
YMCA is calling on the public to come together and sleep rough for one night in March to support homeless young people. YMCAs across the country are joining forces to raise awareness of youth homelessness during the national YMCA Sleep Easy Week, running from Friday 8 to Friday 15 March. The week will see fundraisers…
