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About Us

About Us

What drive us

¿Why?

We firmly believe that young people are crucial actors in transforming their communities in the region,

¿How?

We empower youth to build just, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable communities.

¿What?

We empower thousands of children and young people to become committed citizens who lead in the 21st century.

Making it possible

Learn about our focus areas

Just world

We believe in the power of the youth and their communities to work for justice, peace, equity, and human rights.

Community wellbeing

We believe that every person should have the means to grow and prosper, caring for their individual and collective wellbeing.

Meaningful work

We believe that every young person must have access to flexible, dignified and relevant work to build a sustainable life.

Sustainable planet

We believe in the commitment to protect the Planet to live in complete harmony with nature.

Learn more

What we do

Empower the youth and communities worldwide to build a just, sustainable, equitable, and inclusive world where all individuals can thrive in body, mind, and soul.

Our dream

A world where each person lives in harmony with oneself, society and creation.

Values that drive us

Solidarity

Honesty

Respect

Responsibility

Our regional commitment

The challenges of recent years have allowed us to create eight commitments to our communities:

Reduce Inequality

We will work toward reducing inequality and injustice while promoting protective factors in personal development and strengthening families, and communities.

Ethical Care

We will focus on the ethics of self-care, caring for others, and the environment, incorporating a commitment to universal civic ethics- caring for oneself, others, and the common cause.

Drive the 2030 Agenda

We will promote the reconstruction of the social fabric as a protective factor and a means to enhance opportunities. We aim to align with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals as a transformative global vision towards the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the planet.

Promoting mental health

Developing processes and actions aimed at strengthening emotional and mental wellbeing.

Creating safe spaces

Establishing safe and open spaces for listening and conversation. Studying the past honestly; reconstructing our memory from its foundations; weaving our present and future with the genuine participation of all citizens.

Defending human rights

Contributing to the generation of processes and scenarios for education and advocacy of rights. This will be achieved by promoting discussion, reflection, and the development of proposals to influence public policies that prioritize creating spaces to empower youth and the communities where we work.

Advocating for communities

The YMCA must unite efforts to encourage educational, social, cultural, and productive projects promoted by authorities, to prevent youth and their families from falling into situations that exacerbate their social and economic conditions.

Integrating young people

Promoting integration among youth leaders in the region. Strengthening networks and alliances and encouraging collaborative work to support the diverse needs required by local contexts.

Our Origins

Learn the story behind the YMCA: from a young man in a factory to the creation of a global movement with social impact.

George Williams, a young man born on a farm and the youngest of 8 siblings, starts working in a textile factory at the age of 20. He organizes trips to the countryside on Sundays for those living in the factory, providing recreational alternatives to cope with the pressures of the Industrial Revolution.

George Williams’ initiative gained notoriety with the textile manufacturer, who provided them with a space to gather. More and more young people began to participate, and on June 6, 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was officially founded.

1841

1844

1845

YMCA branches were established in Switzerland, the USA, France, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands.

1857

The first YMCA in the Caribbean was established in Kingston, Jamaica, but it is now discontinued.

the first world assembly was held in France, bringing together representatives from numerous YMCA branches worldwide. During this assembly, a joint declaration of principles was made, which would serve as the foundation for the organization. This declaration is known as the Paris Basis.
The International Committee of YMCA was established with headquarters in Patis, later relocated to Geneva, Switzerland, where it currently operates under the name of the World Alliance of YMCA.

1855

1880

The YMCA of Barbados was founded.

1891

Dr Luther Gulick, director of the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, challenged the physical education instructor James Naismith to create an indoor winter game to engage a class of future YMCA directors, Naismith placed peach baskets at the end of a running track on the second level and taught the men his new game: Basketball.

The first YMCA in Latin America was founded in Mexico, followed by Rio de Janeiro in 1893.

1892

1895

YMCA instructor William Morgan, considered basketball too strenuous for business people, so he mixed elements of the game with tennis and handball, naming his invention “mintonette”. In 1896, at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, the name “volleyball” was used for the first time to describe the way the ball flew over the net. Today, over 46 million Americans play volleyball.

George Williams, a young man born on a farm and the youngest of 8 siblings, starts working in a textile factory at the age of 20. He organizes trips to the countryside on Sundays for those living in the factory, providing recreational alternatives to cope with the pressures of the Industrial Revolution.

1841

1844

George Williams’ initiative gained notoriety with the textile manufacturer, who provided them with a space to gather. More and more young people began to participate, and on June 6, 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was officially founded.

YMCA branches were established in Switzerland, the USA, France, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands.

1845

1855

the first world assembly was held in France, bringing together representatives from numerous YMCA branches worldwide. During this assembly, a joint declaration of principles was made, which would serve as the foundation for the organization. This declaration is known as the Paris Basis.

The International Committee of YMCA was established with headquarters in Patis, later relocated to Geneva, Switzerland, where it currently operates under the name of the World Alliance of YMCA.

1857

The first YMCA in the Caribbean was established in Kingston, Jamaica, but it is now discontinued.

1880

The YMCA of Barbados was founded.

1891

Dr Luther Gulick, director of the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, challenged the physical education instructor James Naismith to create an indoor winter game to engage a class of future YMCA directors, Naismith placed peach baskets at the end of a running track on the second level and taught the men his new game: Basketball.

1892

The first YMCA in Latin America was founded in Mexico, followed by Rio de Janeiro in 1893.

1895

YMCA instructor William Morgan, considered basketball too strenuous for business people, so he mixed elements of the game with tennis and handball, naming his invention “mintonette”. In 1896, at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, the name “volleyball” was used for the first time to describe the way the ball flew over the net. Today, over 46 million Americans play volleyball.