Empowering young people and communities to be and to lead the change they want to see

The 21st YMCA World Council will be held in Toronto in July 2026: we are moving fast towards the premier event in our global calendar.

Read more โ€ฆ and register now for up to 30% off with โ€˜Early Birdโ€™ prices!
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Group of happy people

12,000

local YMCA branches

90,000

YMCA staff

920,000

YMCA volunteers

65 million people

reached every year

Our latest News

Two years of SAMS: aligning as One YMCA to strengthen m...

04 November 2025

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October reflections: Skills, health, peace and digital ...

02 November 2025

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Network Solutions: YMCA Cameroon provides plastic waste...

29 October 2025

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Week of Prayer 2025: Jubilee, 150 Years of Prayer in Ac...

28 October 2025

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Stories from across the movement

Vision 2020 Logo

Global impact, lives changed

Experience the inspiring stories of YMCAs worldwideโ€”from supporting refugees and empowering young people, to fostering mental health and sustainability. In 2024, we made a series of films showcasing real impact across the four Pillars of YMCA Vision 2030. We screened them at the Accelerator Summit in Mombasa, and you can see them all on the Pillar pages of this website, and on our World YMCA YouTube site. And see here all 8 films rolled into one!

Learn more about YMCA Vision 2030

There are 1.2 billion young people in the world aged 15-24

This is how we support them, and their communities:

Community Wellbeing

We nurture young people in body, mind and spirit.

Community Wellbeing
Community Wellbeing
This matters because...

1 in 7

young people aged 5-19 worldwide experience a mental health disorder

UN/WHO

Meaningful Work

We support worthwhile jobs and sustainable livelihoods.

Two women talking
Meaningful Work
This matters because...

264 million

young people aged 15-24 are not in education, employment or training (two-thirds are girls and women)

UN/ILO

Sustainable Planet

We channel young people's commitment to climate justice and sustainability

A group of people planting trees
Sustainable Planet
This matters because...

1 billion

children and young people worldwide are at โ€˜very high riskโ€™ of the impacts of the climate crisis

UNICEF

Just World

Young people demand justice. We amplify youth voices and actions in communities.

Community
Just World
This matters because...

400 million

children worldwide face discrimination because of their ethnicity or religion

Save the Children

Where we make our impact

We are in 120 countries. Find your National Movement:

YMCA Presence Globally

YMCA Africa

Regional HQ (Area Alliance)

Nairobi, Kenya

National Movements:

23

View all countries
YMCA Presence in Africa

YMCA Asia Pacific

Regional HQ (Area Alliance)

Hong Kong

National Movements:

23

View all countries
YMCA Presence in Asia Pacific

YMCA Europe

Regional HQ (Area Alliance)

Brussels, Belgium

National Movements:

42

View all countries
YMCA Presence in Europe

YMCA Latin America & Caribbean

Regional HQ (Area Alliance)

Cancun, Mexico

National Movements:

27

View all countries
YMCA Presence in Latin America and the Caribbean

YMCA Middle East

National Movements:

3

View all countries and associations
YMCA Presence in Middle East

YMCA North America

National Movements:

2

View all countries
YMCA Presence in North America