YMCA Sydney

We build strong people, strong families, strong communities

Giving families the opportunity to be together Providing rewarding volunteering opportunities Making healthy lifestyles accessible to all people Reconnecting children separated in Foster care Creating places for people to connect and belong Developing young people into young leaders

General

About the YMCA

Who We Are

The YMCA is one of Australia's oldest and most respected not for profit organisations with a history extending over 155 years.

Mission: The YMCA of Sydney works from a base of Christian values to provide opportunities for all people to grow in body, mind and spirit.

Vision: To be Sydney's most recognised and respected charitable organisation in creating a healthy, connected and spiritual Sydney.

Values:
Honesty: mean integrity, trustworthiness and fairness
Respect: means acceptance, empathy, self respect and tolerance
Caring: means compassion, forgiveness, generosity, and kindness
Responsibility: means commitment, courage, and service.

Why We Are Needed

Our people, families and communities need the YMCA. Australia and the western world have conquered infectious disease, but we are now faced with social diseases:

  • Sedentary lifestyles are contributing to epidemics including obesity, extremely prevalent in our children plus cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type II diabetes.
  • Mental health disorders in many forms from chronic depression to low self esteem and feelings of insecurity in our children affect all of our families.
  • Disconnectedness in our communities. We are seeking places to connect, contribute and feel part of the community. A connected community contributes to physical and mental health.

The YMCA is one of few not for profit organisations delivering proactive programs to tackle these social diseases.

What We Do

In everything that we do we aim to build strong people, strong families and strong communities. This is achieved through our 10 Key Program Areas.

Quality programs that meet community needs and that are uniquely 'YMCA' in their design and delivery underpin our operations.

We have identified and continue to focus on our 10 Key Program Areas (KPAs) including:

Why We Are Different

YMCA programs will be of best practice standard. From this foundation it is our Community Strengthening Promises that will build strong people, families and communities and that will differentiate the Y in its service provision. These promises are key deliverables across all KPAs:

Membership Fee Assistance: Our goal is that no person will be denied access on the basis that they are unable, not unwilling to pay.
Schools will be given some free places on camp so that those students who may benefit most don't miss out due to financial constraints. The long term member who falls on hard times could be offered reperive on fees until they get back on their feet.
Youth Leadership: Through both specific programs and structures within all programs, opportunities, support and experiences will create positive and enriching environments for youth development.
Every YMCA programinvolved with youth will seek to develop youngleaders. Without its junior leaders component, Teen Gym could be' just any organisation's' youth fitness program.
Volunteer Involvement: In all programs the Y will provide opportunities for greater community involvement through volunteering.
Part of the fabric of Australian and YMCA culture. We must identify and promote rewarding opportunities for involvement.
Family Programming and Engagement: Programming that strengthens the family unit, in its many forms, will be a focus.
Our Key Program Areas must seek to promote family interaction through new and meaningful experiences.
Connecting and Belonging: The Y will provide opportunities for people, families and communities to connect at a deeper level.
Our facilities will bring people together and encourage them to relax and chat. Our programs will promote social interaction and new friendships. Our communications will develop a connection with the Y and a willingness to support our work.

YMCA History

In 1844 George Williams, a young drapery merchant was living in London. The 1840's was a tough time, particularly in London. England was in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. This period marked a painful time for many workers, and the textile industry was one of the worst hit. Wealth, power and corruption were rife, there was a huge divide between the rich and poor and living conditions were notoriously low. Working conditions, even for young boys and girls, were inhumanly bad. With little free time and no place to go, many young people were lured into gambling, drinking and immoral living.

George Williams, a dedicated Christian made up his mind that something had to be done. He gathered together a few friends to form a society that met regularly and supported each other through the bad times and gain greater spiritual strength. The Group called itself the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). The idea of a YMCA caught on quickly. In no time the Movement had spread across Europe, America and in 1851, arrived in Adelaide Australia.

So influential was the Movement, within 10 years, 38 Associations had been formed across 8 countries. In 1855, 99 Representatives from those 38 Associations met in Paris and founded the International Alliance of YMCAs.

The meeting provided many firsts, including the first international gathering of Christian laymen. The meeting in 1855 inspired the first secretary of the Geneva YMCA, Henry Dunant, to use similar methods to inaugurate the International Red Cross.

In Australia, early settlers founded branches of the London YMCA. The Adelaide branch of the London YMCA opened on the 15th March 1851;

  • 1853 - Melbourne and Sydney YMCAs appeared;
  • 1854 - Hobart opened;
  • 1876 - First 'Inter-Association Conference of the Australian YMCA' was conducted;
  • 1877 - 'Inter-Colonial Convention of the Australian and New Zealand YMCA' was formed;
  • 1920 - Saw the separation of Australia and New Zealand Associations and the 'National Committee of the YMCAs of Australia' came into being. In 1958, it became known as 'The National Council of YMCAs of Australia' with its offices in Melbourne.

Whilst local needs and communities are at the heart of all YMCA operations, every YMCA is also part of the worldwide YMCA movement, serving more than 45 million people in more than 120 countries. This means that when our help is needed internationally - such as when the Asian Boxing Day Tsunami of 2005 struck - our global connections enable us to support communities in crisis directly and effectively.