YMCA One Million Voices

Date: 03 November 2015


The YMCA has conducted the world’s largest research program of young people because they want to hear the voice of young people in order to serve them better.

Nearly 20,000 young people from 60 countries shared about their needs in 3 primary areas; employment, health and human rights.

The results will drive ongoing dialogue to impact future YMCA strategies to better serve young people for the next 170 years.

The report: “What we need now”: is the culmination of the YMCA’s first global research programme.   

The YMCA set out to hear from the world’s young people. To hear their views and to better understand their needs, with the view to helping give the young people of the world a voice.

To achieve this the World YMCA reached out to young people aged 15-24 through local YMCAs.

“What we need now” speaks to the YMCAs heart for empowering young people, as well as detailing the professional research components.

The Report realises the YMCAs intention to hear from young people and to establish future strategies for greater relevance and impact with young people everywhere.

What is the YMCA One Million Voices research project?            
This is a key element of the YMCA OUR WAY Strategy, the YMCA’s strategic plan for 2014-2018. The research is a loud message to YMCAs everywhere.
We believe this is the world’s largest research of 15-24 years olds ever conducted.

Outcomes: This concludes phase 1 – the listening phase . Now we begin phase 2 –having the dialogue about what we can do, and then we go to phase 3 which is about changes for more impact.

One of the key messages is that we don’t have all the solutions to these problems.

We don’t have all the answers. We don’t have all the right services or programs. We don’t have any easy answers, nor do we have a ‘5 point solution’ to save the world.

So what then? 

As a result of this research we do have a heart and a commitment to letting it lead and influence our YMCA strategies moving forward.  This is the start of the dialogue.

Launch day of the Report :  November 16th
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And in the meantime support us  give your VOICE to our THUNDERCLAP, some kind of virtual Flash Mob: