World YMCA announces 16 finalists for the 2026 YMCA Impact Awards

4 projects each for the 4 Pillars of YMCA Vision 2030

16 projects have been chosen as finalists for the World YMCA Impact Awards to be presented at the 21st YMCA World Council in Toronto on Thursday 23 July 2026.

“It has been an exceptional response to our call for Award submissions”, said World YMCA Secretary General Carlos Sanvee.

“And all are winners: the global YMCA Movement; its National YMCA Movements and Local YMCA Associations which carry out these exceptional programmes; and the young people and communities who are served by them.

It wasn’t easy to arrive at these 16 projects, and we thank all YMCAs who have proudly presented their work. We commit to sharing and multiplying it all, in the spirit of our wider work in ‘learning, innovation and impact’.

We very much look forward to revealing the winners in Toronto. For now, we invite the Movement to enjoy a taster of the 16 finalists, and also a summary of all the submissions from which they were chosen. It adds up to a story rich in content, excitement, energy and impact.”

From an initial 70 submissions, the 16 projects chosen as finalists are:

Community Wellbeing

From YMCAs Queensland and Whittlesea in Australia, a project which has set up Community Schools serving vulnerable people.
From YMCA Norfolk in England, a project connecting vulnerable young people with mental health counsellors who offer professional therapeutic pathways to wellbeing.
From the Metropolitan YMCA of Singapore, a project providing nature-based therapy, skills training, and employment pathways for young people and people with disabilities.
From YMCA of Middle Tennessee, USA, a mental health first aid initiative equipping staff with the skills to identify, understand, and respond to mental health challenges.

Meaningful Work

From YMCA Sierra Leone, a youth livelihoods programme providing skills and entrepreneurship training and small grants to help marginalised young people, especially women.
From YMCA East Jerusalem, a vocational training centre in a refugee camp in Jericho giving vocational education to young people and vulnerable groups, and a boarding facility for resident students.
From YMCA Ghana, a project giving onsite training to young people in filmmaking and media, all for the cause of peace.
From YMCA Tayside in Scotland, a ‘Learn2Earn’ programme offering immersive programmes combining digital skills, enterprise development, and accredited qualifications.

Sustainable Planet

From YMCA Togo, a demonstration farm set up to train young farmers in climate-smart organic, zero-waste, sustainable agriculture.
From YMCA North in New Zealand, a community-led ecological restoration initiative to restore the Te Wairoa River.
From YMCA Cameroon, a social enterprise recycling agency to reduce plastic pollution through community and school engagement, and a plastic bottle recycling unit.
From YMCA Gombe in Nigeria, a climate, livelihood and training initiative to establish community nurseries and plant income-generating trees.

Just World

From YMCA India, a programme delivering primary healthcare through a community outpatient clinic and a mobile unit travelling to villages in the mountainous Bhimtal region.
From YMCA Madagascar with YMCA Sweden, the ‘Doing it right’ project creating Youth Power Spaces, advancing Youth Justice rights, protection and reintegration, and supporting green ideas.
From YMCA Morioka in Japan, a children’s human rights project using a traditional card game to teach human rights and counter bullying.
From YMCA Mexico with YMCA of San Diego County, USA, a project to build a binational YMCA in the Cali-Baja border region, coordinating programmes, leadership, fundraising and community initiatives.

See below the full listing of the 16 finalists.

See a compendium of worldwide YMCA projects addressing the four Pillars of Vision 2030. It includes the 70 Award submissions from March 2026, and 12 submissions from the ‘Call for Content’ of November 2025.