THE YOUNG MEN’S

CHRISTIAN

ASSOCIATION

Paul DiVitantonio

In the Beginning

• In 1844 The Young MensChristian Association or (YMCA) was founded by George Williams. He joined together with 11 of his friends and created a place for young men seeking to escape trouble and hazards in the streets. This was something new to the country because it broke the English social lines. This meaning that anyone no matter what social class could get help if they needed it.

http://www.ymca.net/history/founding.html

In the Beginning cont.

• This was not only for the Christian White man. Black, Chinese, Japanese, Jewish all created YMCAs for sanctuaries for people in need. This was something very important and very interesting. The YMCA has done countless things to help others. From then all the way to now. Its focus and values are incredible then and even now.

http://library.ndsu.edu/

In the Beginning cont.

• The YMCA set values first. Not only goals for people but

in their mission statement. “The YMCA had close ties to

the social purity movement, which rejected overt sexual

expression and practice.” Who Built America pg 87

• Not only this but they were an organization against the

saloons. They helped people get away from them and join

in something productive. This made way for a long history

of helping and caring for people in need.

What’s so great about the Y?

• Not only did the Y become a sanctuary for people in need, it expanded to fit the needs of everyone. No matter what people did they always had a place to go.

• In the 1900s which is the time period I will be looking at “Under a microscope”, the Y created a number of programs to help with the War and the industrial citizens.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/

Early 1900s

• The 1900s brought many changes to the Y. They created

a new department called the industrial department. This

helped with assisting immigrants, rail road workers and

miners.

• Also, with this turn of the century many more different

YMCAs were created or expanded, for example, 25 black

Y’s were created in 23 cities.

Black YMCAs

• This was created in 1853. In 1890 the national YMCA

office took a huge step and created a Colored Men’s

Department. (www.lib.umn.edu)

• Even though the color lines were still very clear the YMCA

was there to give a place to gather. They gave similar

programs like Bible study, moral and religious

improvement just like white YMCAs.

The YMCA and WWI

• In WWI the YMCA provided morale and welfare services for the military. “By war’s end, the YMCA, through the United War Work Council, had operated 1,500 canteens in the United States and France; set up 4,000 YMCA huts for recreation and religious services” (ymca.net) http://pw20c.mcmaster.ca

/

The YMCA and WWI cont.

• “the Y was an internationalist organization that pioneered

in the employment of indigenous personnel all over the

world.” Chen-Main Wang, Peter

• During WWI as well the Y gave many opportunities to

foreign immigrants to help with the war effort. The

Chinese immigrants were one of the bigger groups.

• The Chinese labor workers were hired by the British.

The YMCA and WWI cont.

• “By 1918… the British National Council of the YMCA.

opened work in thirty centers, though it had not received

formal permission.( n56) Its excellent performance in

adjusting disputes and strikes and in raising the morale of

the Chinese laborers attracted attention from the military

authorities.” Chen-Main Wang, Peter

• The YMCA was very important during the war, not only did

the British hire from the Y but the French did as well.

• The YMCA was like the United Nations today, they were

internationally based all around the world and helped

each country with labor or giving places for people to go.

It was very popular and effective.

YMCA after the War

• In 1926, YMCAs made a commitment to families when the parent-child program Y-Indian Guides began at the St. Louis YMCA.

• The program was based on the Native-American family model and sought to foster the companionship of father and son.

www.stlouis-mo.gov

Before WWII

• The YMCA took great approaches to helping teens and

young adults.

• They started programs in the 1930s to help them

understand government. Also to participate in team work

and character building

• Swimming teams and other sporting teams were

participated heavily by people that were members of

YMCAs.

Fun Fact!

• In 1950, YMCA

volunteer Joe Sobek

invented racquetball in

Greenwich, Conn., as

an alternative to

squash and handball.

Citation List (Turabian)

• Chen-Main Wang, Peter. "Caring Beyond National Borders: The YMCA and Chinese Laborers in World War I Europe." EBSCO Host. June 1, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2014. http://ezproxy.wpunj.edu:4357/ehost/detail/detail?vid=4&sid=3b595d5e-e6c5-44d5-b36c-c01ac850ef04@sessionmgr4002&hid=4214&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=hia&AN=42635434.

• "A Brief History of the YMCA and African American Communities." Home · University of Minnesota Libraries. January 1, 2010. Accessed November 27, 2014. https://www.lib.umn.edu/ymca/guide-afam-history.

• "History - 1900 to 1950s." The Y:. January 1, 2014. Accessed November 20, 2014. http://www.ymca.net/history/1900-1950s.html.

• Rosenzweig, Roy, Nelson Lichtenstein, Joshua Brown, and David Jaffee. "Community and Conflict: Working People Respond to Industrial Capitalism 1877-1893." In Who Built America, 87. Third ed. Vol. II: 1877 to Present. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008.