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COVID-19

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COVID-19 YMCA Response

The global Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has brought about the best and the worst of times for young people, and for the worldwide YMCA Movement.

#WeShallOvercome

Read about our COVID-19 work – from supporting our communities, to rallying round one another as national YMCAs, to global advocacy, to rethinking our purpose and practice

‘Resilience’ has been our watchword in facing up to hardships, and ‘Reimagination’ in going forward stronger, better and more focussed.

Young people have been at the centre of the response, and they will be at the centre of mapping our future.

Hands covered with gloves holding a vaccine with the needle
Vaccine-photo-mufid-majnun-unsplash

© Photo Mufid Majnun / Unsplash

YMCA calls for COVID-19 vaccine
to be freely and equally
available to all
Covid-19 has hit the global YMCA Movement hard, and it has hit young people hard

Many YMCAs have had to stop doing the things they have been doing for years, and doing best: meeting people face to face, supporting them, empowering them. Many have had to close premises and activities; some have had to lay off staff.

As a global YMCA Movement, we have shown Resilience, and the need for Resilience remains as high as ever.

How we responded in 2020 How we support the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out

Latest news

All news and stories

YMCA resources

How YMCA supports the vaccination process: each month, you can have a look at how national and local YMCAs are informing people and are providing facilities to the health systems.

YMCA Europe response to Covid-19: during the pandemic, YMCAs across Europe have been determined to help their communities as far as possible, establishing some best practices.

YMCA Latin America and Caribbean web section dedicated to Covid-19: videos, articles and information in spanish

Impact and survey data: YMCA Europe implemented the COVID-19 Impact Survey to understand how the crisis has influenced the situation in YMCAs and what kind of support is the most relevant (September 2020)

Situation reports

YMCAs responded rapidly on multiple fronts to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19

Situation report (May 2020)

Situation report (November 2020)

Photos

Have a look at our collection of photos from our YMCA offices

FlickR album: YMCA response in 2020 – supporting communities

FlickR album: YMCA response in 2021 – supporting communities and the vaccination process

External resources

Coping with coronavirus: a guide for young people by the Mental Health Foundation

What we know about young people and COVID-19: a report from WHO (August 2020)

Youth & COVID-19: Impacts on jobs, education, rights and mental well-being: global report by ILO (August 2020)

Covid-19 and young people infographics by WHO

sliderSolidairty
Donate to the
Solidarity Fund

The YMCA Solidarity Fund was established in April 2020 to offer institutional support to national YMCAs who are struggling due to the Covid-19 pandemic