History

The YMCA has its roots in the drapery trade having been founded by George Williams in the 1840’s. George Williams, a farmer’s son, had been described as ‘a careless, thoughtless, Godless and swearing young fellow’, but at the age of 16 he became a Christian and a keen evangelical. In 1841 George moved from Dulverton, Somerset to London to work at Hitchcock & Rogers on Ludgate Hill as one of 140 drapery assistants. Most of these were under 20 years old and lived on the premises, being provided with board and lodgings. Their accommodation was Spartan with two or three beds to a room and often two men to a bed and they worked long hours, usually 7am to 9pm with hardly a break. Since the doors are said to have been bolted at 11pm, there wasn’t a lot of time for leisure.

By 1844, George had risen to department manager earning £40 per annum and had married the boss’s daughter. He became a member of the Weigh House Congregational Chapel and devoted his spare time to evangelical and temperance work. There were a number of Christian men at H & R and they gained permission to hold weekly prayer meetings and bible studies on Wednesdays where they prayed for the conversion of young men. Other city companies were also holding meetings and the feeling grew that there ought to be a society for the ‘spiritual improvement of young men’.

On 6th June 1844 therefore a meeting attended by 12 or 13 young men was held in George’s room and it was decided to form a society for the purposes of evangelising colleagues in the drapery establishments in London. It was initially known as The Drapers Evangelistic Association and was interdenominational even in those early days. By the fifth meeting, the name Young Men’s Christian Association had been adopted and within a few months the purpose had been amended to read, ‘the improvement of the spiritual and mental condition of young men’, an educational element thus being introduced.

Other associations quickly opened in London and other cities such as Leeds and Manchester and in the 1850’s following the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace the movement expanded into Europe and the wider world. In 1851 the American YMCA Movement was founded and from this came an emphasis on physical fitness. Both basketball and volleyball came out of that movement. This focus on health and fitness came to the British YMCA and when the headquarters moved to Exeter Hall in 1881, the first gymnasium was opened in the basement. So began a link with fitness that still continues.

In 1894, the 50th anniversary of the YMCA, George Williams received a knighthood from Queen Victoria and the honour was accepted by him as an honour for the YMCA. He also received the freedom of the City of London. He died in 1905 and is buried in St Paul’s Cathedral alongside the likes of Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington.

The British YMCA played its part in the First and Second World Wars, providing the troops with food, drink and writing materials from YMCA huts. In the years between the wars it also played its part, setting up two employment programmes. The first was British Boys for British Farms, which placed unemployed men into agricultural work, and the second was the setting up of an Employment Department to find jobs for ex servicemen.

In the late 1950’s, following the publishing of a government report stressing the need for better leisure facilities for teenagers, the YMCA began youth clubs to help young people develop through recreation, leisure and informal education. This was followed by the introduction of a training programme for youth workers and ultimately the setting up of the YMCA George Williams College in 1970. It remained a primarily male oriented movement until 1964 when women and girls were finally admitted.

Over 150 years after the start of the YMCA in England, the movement continues to develop and adapt to meet the needs of people. The legacy of George Williams lives on and continues to thrive today.

	Cardiff YMCA   1855 - 1901 (above) in St Mary's Street   1901 - 1979 (left) in Station Terrace

International

The YMCA in England is part of a global organisation which has a presence in 122 countries with 14,000 YMCAs and 45 million members worldwide.

YMCA England plays in important role within the international YMCA Movement, contributing funding as well as volunteer and staff resources to the work of the World Alliance and European Alliance of YMCAs.

Many YMCAs in England have partnerships with YMCAs overseas. Young people have opportunities to participate in exchange programmes with partner YMCAs and widen their experience.

Y Care International

Y Care International is the international relief and development agency of the YMCA Movement. Working in thirty countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, we work with local YMCAs and use their expertise to develop programmes that local people need.

With Y Care International's help, YMCAs throughout the developing world are playing key roles in their communities, empowering youth with education, training and trust.

Working for youth in the developing world

Y Care International concentrates on marginalised groups. In particular we work with:

• Street children and working children
• Girls and young women
• Refugees and displaced people
• Young people with disabilities

Our major programmes of work are:

• Skills development and employment
• HIV/AIDS and health awareness
• Citizenship and democracy
• Emergency and post-conflict work
• Youth justice and rehabilitation
• Advocacy and youth leadership

In the UK and Ireland, Y Care International runs a programme of development education aimed at encouraging young people to become better global citizens, and inspiring them to campaign on the issues they care about.

Y Care International works irrespective of race, gender or religion.

Y Care International
3 - 9 Southampton Row
LONDON
WC1B 5HY
Tel 020 7421 3022
Fax 020 7421 3024
e-mail: enq@ycare.org.uk
web site: http://www.ycare.org.uk