YMCA is committed to helping young people overcome barriers to accessing quality health education and services to improve their holistic wellbeing in spirit, mind and body.
Every young person has the ability to contribute to improving their own health and the health of the communities in which they live. Through YMCA programmes, young people care for their physical, spiritual and mental health.
- Over 90 National YMCAs worldwide are working in health-related issues
- YMCA worldwide runs over 117,000 programmes on health related issues, involving and reaching nearly 16.9 million people (Data: 2018)
Examples of projects
Physical health
- HIV Positive programme (YMCA England and Wales): fitness programme for people affected by HIV
- Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) programme (YMCA Africa): Improving young people’s access to SRHR information and services using a holistic approach is a key component of AAYMCAs work on empowering youth for the African Renaissance.
Spiritual health
- Because I count (YMCA Africa): ‘Because I Count’ is about engaging young people in interfaith dialogue that prevents the effects of religious marginalisation.
- Week of Prayer: Since 1904, World YMCA and World YWCA have worked together to deliver the World Week of Prayer and World Fellowship.
Mental health
- Inside our Minds campaign (YMCA Australia): seven young Australians discuss their mental health experiences, personal challenges and how they could reduce the stigma.
- Mental Health programmes (East Jerusalem YMCA)
A Rehabilitation and psychosocial support programme – for people with disabilities), for Post Trauma Ex-Detainee Palestinian Children
Refugees and migrants focus
- The Medical Assistance Programme of YMCA Lebanon has been serving chronically ill patients since 1988, through a network of 451 dispensaries. Around 15,000 Syrian refugees are currently beneficiaries of the programme
- Inside our Minds (YMCA Australia): as a refugee, Hadi suffered from discrimination and racism. Watch his powerful testimony
During the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020
- YMCAs mark World Mental Health Day 2020: In a world disturbed by a global pandemic which has left many people exhausted and anxious, marking World Mental Health Day on 10 October is an important opportunity to acknowledge our emotions and to allow ourselves to seek and find support
- Resources (YMCA Seattle): Four Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health During Covid-19
- The YMCA Regional Biosafety Protocol (YMCA Latin America and Caribbean) aims to create a “YMCA standard” that serves the different YMCA movements in the region to take the necessary biosecurity measures at the time of the gradual reopening of facilities
Position paper
Read the World YMCA’s position paper on young people and Health (2018)
Latest news
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World YMCA Annual Report 2020
The Annual Report charts both the immediate and the long-term practical and strategic resp...
02/03/2021 -
YMCA calls for COVID-19 vaccine to be freely and equally available to all
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of billions of people in every corner of the...
01/02/2021 -
YMCA supports COVID-19 vaccination process
As of January 2021, the COVID-19 vaccination process has started in some countries, but we...
29/01/2021 -
Mental Health new approaches, by young people for young people
In November 2020, World YMCA along with YMCA Australia launched a global initiative called...
29/01/2021 -
Becoming an ‘Adaptive YMCA’ for the 21st Century
World YMCA published a blueprint for the entire YMCA Movement to navigate through and out ...
18/12/2020 -
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the European non-governmental sector
World YMCA Policy and Advocacy Manager Razvan-Victor Sassu co-authors a piece looking at b...
02/12/2020 -
Two new World YMCA partnerships: health, environment
World YMCA has entered into two new partnership agreements, in two of its four main areas ...
30/11/2020 -
Caring for children
At YMCA, we are truly ‘inter-generational’. Our first task is to empower young people,...
27/11/2020 -
Reimagining new mental wellbeing approaches
How do we respond to young people’s mental challenges and expectations today? Even b...
12/11/2020 -
From needing help to helping others
YMCA Tolima, in Colombia, has developed several activities through its “Mental Health Vo...
09/10/2020 -
Providing mental support during Covid-19
Since the beginning of the pandemic, many YMCAs have organised online and face-to-face ses...
07/10/2020 -
YMCAs mark World Mental Health Day 2020
“How are you doing?” In a world disturbed by a global pandemic which has left many peo...
05/10/2020