Welcome to the 19th YMCA World Council

Date: 08 July 2018


S̄wạs̄dī! Hello! Bonjour! Ohayo! Bwanji! G’day!

The 19th World Council kicks off this afternoon with over 1,200 delegates from over 80 countries represented who have travelled from as far and wide as Serbia, Peru, Myanmar and more to be part of the peak global event.

The air is hot and sticky in Chiang Mai, Thailand but the excitement is growing for a week of global strategy and reinforcing the YMCA’s commitment to youth empowerment through workshops, meetings, excursions and presentations.

The theme this year is dedicated to our global focus and long-term vision of Empowering Young People. “Youth Empowerment 4 Good” is an ongoing commitment to the 4 strategic areas: employment, health, environment and civic engagement.

World Council is also a celebration of 700 YMCA Change Agents who are the leaders of today and tomorrow.

The YMCA reaches over 60 million people and although the countries are diverse and offer many different programs we all stand together for young people.

The World Council aims to further unite YMCAs and our cause while also tackling important global issues such as youth unemployment, mental illness, climate change and more.

Highlights of the coming week include:

• Secretary General Report
• One Million Voices 2 Research and Press Conference
• Safe Space Strategy
• National Secretaries: Our Journey Together Presentation
• Elections and new president

Stay up to date by following our Facebook page.

You can also experience the excitement of the World Council through the eyes of our young change agents who will be sharing their stories through video, text and photo. Daily blogs will be shared on the blog page.