The Y is an organization dedicated providing people with a safe environment. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The Young Men's Christian Association – now known across the world as the YMCA – was founded by George Williams in London in 1844.
According to ymca.org, the organization emerged as a way to combat the "great turmoil and despair" of industrialized London.
"For the young men who migrated to the city from rural areas to find jobs," ymca.org writes, "London offered a bleak landscape of tenement housing and dangerous influences."
Williams, a 22-year-old department store worker, saw this and sought to fix it. He wanted to create a safe place for young men looking for jobs. With the help of 11 of his friends, the YMCA emerged.
According to ymca.org, "the organization's drive to meet social need in the community was compelling, and its openness to members crossed the rigid lines separating English social classes."
As the YMCA became more popular, the United States was inspired by Williams' movement. In 1851, retired Boston sea captain Thomas Valentine Sullivan noticed that sailors and merchants also needed a safe place like the YMCA. Thus, he created the first U.S. YMCA.
Two years later, Anthony Bowen created a YMCA in Washington D.C. for African Americans who had been freed from slavery.
In 1856, Cumberland University, in Lebanon, Tennessee, created the first YMCA specific to students. According to ymca.org, this organization was "dedicated to the leadership development of college students."
That same year, the Cincinnati YMCA held the nation's first English as a second language class for German immigrants.
According to ymca.org, offering a second language class was important to the organization because "welcoming immigrants has always been an important part of our work at the YMCA."
In the 1860s, housing was introduced to the YMCA. According to ymca.org, the purpose of this was "to give young men moving from rural areas safe and affordable lodging in the city."
Housing was a huge success, and between 1922 and 1940 the YMCA's housing rooms increased from 55,000 to over 100,000.
Additionally, the YMCA found success during World War I and II. During the first World War, 5,145 women worked at YMCAs. According to ymca.org, the women "ran canteens and organized entertainment and R&R (rest and recreation) for the troops."
During the second World War, the YMCA co-founded the United Service Organizations for National Defense, or what we now call the USO.
YMCA staff also worked inside the United States internment camps – which held over 110,000 Japanese Americans – and organized activities for the kids.
From this point forward, the YMCA began to evolve into the recreation organization we know today. Volunteers at the YMCA began to invent sports, such as racquetball, basketball, volleyball and more.
In 1994, the organization began to shift from the "YMCA" to the "Y" in an effort to redefine their values. According to ymca.org, these values include "caring, honesty, respect and responsibility" and "these values continue to guide everything [they] do."
In 2010, the YMCA officially became the Y. In a press conference, Kate Coleman – senior vice president and chief marketing officer of YMCA of the United States – said "we are changing how we talk about ourselves so that people better understand the benefits of engaging with the Y."
According to clubindustry.com, the transition is "an effort to modernize [the Y's] image and draw attention to its core areas of focus."
Today, the Y continues to combat turmoil and despair with their safe environment. This is illustrated in their countless partnerships, which includes supporting military families, joining Walmart's "End Childhood Hunger" Foundation and promoting "Healthier America."
Throughout its history, the Y has been nothing short of incredible. It has offered – and continues to offer – a safe place in times of need.
Additionally, the organization is responsible for the creation of numerous sports popular throughout the world.
Most impressively, the Y continues to gain momentum. Though the Y could stop now and still be remembered as an amazing organization, it keeps finding new ways to improve the world around us.
It's exciting to think about what the Y will accomplish in years to come.
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