Youth Christian Association

The Young Men's Christian Association (in English Young Men's Christian Association, YMCA), known in some Latin American countries as ACJ, is a youth social movement. Due to its activities it can be identified as one of the largest and oldest NGOs. Headquartered, as a global alliance, in Geneva, Switzerland, at an international level it is made up of more than 120 autonomous national organizations spread across the five continents, although their implementation is uneven. The greatest roots are in Anglo-Saxon countries, with Protestant culture, and in countries where the English and Americans have extended their influence.

History

Sir George Williams founded the YMCA on June 6, 1844 in London, during the Industrial Revolution, motivated by the harsh working conditions and the tendency of young workers to gamble and drink. The goal of Williams and the YMCA is the holistic development of young people. In 1851 the first American associations were created in Montreal and Boston. In August 1855 the first international convention was held in Paris.

One of the first associations in Latin America is the YMCA Argentina, founded on May 6, 1902 in the City of Buenos Aires. Its social consideration over the years is notable: the newspaper La Razón of Buenos Aires, In its edition of July 8, 2011 -City section-, it publishes a "Top 10 neighborhood clubs" Buenos Aires led by this institution, which is followed in second and third place by Club Sportivo Barracas and Club Atlético Palermo, respectively. However, the one in Mexico is older, founded in 1892. On April 6, 1909 The ACJ - YMCA was born in Montevideo (Uruguay) and in 1912 the YMCA of Valparaíso (Chile) opened.

During the First World War, the English YMCA traveled to the front to provide support, accommodation, food, paper, etc. to the young soldiers.

Very popular sports, such as basketball and volleyball, were invented at the end of the 19th century within the YMCA in the United States. In 1930 teachers from the ACJ - YMCA of Montevideo created and regulated indoor soccer. These sports spread internationally due to their representations.

In 1946 John Raleigh Mott, president of the World Alliance of Christian Youth Associations, received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with war refugees. In the 70s the musical group Village People dedicated a catchy song to them with choreography.

The YMCA actively collaborated with Robert Baden-Powell to found World Scouting.

Image

The affiliated organizations use various logos, using as a common element an equilateral triangle resting on a vertex, white with a thick red border. This triangle represents the equity or balance that the association seeks to instill in young people, the importance of a balance between the spirit, mind and body.

In Argentina the main logo is made up of a red circle with a P and an the inscriptions Soul, Mind and Body. In the center, you can see an open Bible with the biblical quote from John 17:21 that invites fraternal unity between human beings, Christ and God.

In Uruguay the isologo maintains the original essence, but is composed of a red equilateral triangle and adds a rectangular pattern with straight edges to its design, following the same proposal of the triangular geometric shape. That rectangle contains the graphic art "ACJ" for which the Institution is recognized at the local level. The typography used in capital letters responds to the correct way of writing an acronym and its design, its straight lines also agree with the rest of the elements. It is established that the white triangle inside is part of the composition.

Activities

The activity of the YMCA includes educational institutions, residences, night schools, youth camps and sports groups. Diverse activities for different ages, economies, cultures and faiths in each area or country.

There are universities whose origin is due to the YMCA, among them the YMCA University in Mexico City and its country headquarters in Tepoztlán, which offers 12 undergraduate programs, 10 specializations, 6 master's degrees, and 1 doctorate.