YMCA of the USA. International Division.

From the 1880s on, the YMCAs of the United States and Canada helped YMCAs in Europe in a variety of ways, with the majority of the work coming as a response to World War I. The region of Austria, Hungary and Switzerland was not the scene of extensive or prolonged assistance. However, as an aftermath of World War I, through funds provided from the Student Friendship Fund, the International Committee, under the direction of John R. Mott, purchased a building in Vienna. This building was held by the Vienna YMCA under a trust agreement with the International Committee of the YMCA until 1930.

The work of the YMCA in the Philippines began in 1898 with the arrival of American YMCA secretaries with the American army in Manila during the Spanish-American War. In the beginning the work was largely serving American military personnel and civilians and later developed into an Army-Navy YMCA. William A.. Tener, the first secretary sent to the area by the International Committee, arrived in the Philippines in 1907. He was joined a year later by James E. Groves. Early in 1910, Elwood S. Brown arrived in Manila as physical director. With the help of Tener and John R. Mott, who raised additional money in the U.S., funds were obtained which made possible the erection and furnishing of the city YMCA and student branch. Partly as an outcome of the success of the financial campaign, the Young Men's Christian Association of the Philippine Islands was organized and incorporated in Manila in 1911. A permanent National Board was created in 1925, and by 1926, the Association had over 6000 members and nearly fifty Filipino secretaries. The first Filipino national secretary, Domingo C. Bascara, was appointed in 1940. The Filipino movement is notable for having been the first major YMCA in Asia to become completely indiginous in active full time staff. While the 1920s and 1930s saw significant growth in the Filipino Association, World War II nearly wiped out of those gains. In December 1941 Manila fell, and E. Stanton Turner, who had been a key leader in the Association since his arrival in 1915, was interned. The invading Japanese attempted to co-opt Association, and then in the course of Japanese evacuation of Manila which followed the advance of the victorious army, scores of thousands of the inhabitants of the city were slain by the retreating forces, and in the general holocaust the equipment and the buildings of the YMCA were either completely lost or very badly damaged. [See finding aid for more.].

In 1959 a group of men in Moshi, Tanzania formed a provisional YMCA committee with the Bishop Stephano R. Moshi as president and Reverend Dr. E. R. Danielson as the secretary. Jacob G. Mallya was elected chairman of the executive committee. In 1961 the YMCA of Sweden agreed to sponsor a Swedish fraternal secretary for five years. Tasked with setting up a self-supporting movement with its own leaders and trained secretaries, Carol. R Carlsson arrived in Moshi in 1961 and immediately began to work with the YMCA committee as its organizing secretary. By May a constitution was drawn up for the Tanzanian National YMCA. It was also decided that S. R. Moshi would become the first honorary president Right Reverend A. Stanway as the honorary vice-president and W. R. Forder as the honorary treasurer. Mallya was asked to act as chairman of the national executive committee with Forder and Carlsson as members. The Christian council of Tanzania was also asked to appoint two members of the national council.

Towards the end of 1961 the Moshi YMCA moved out of its first center in order to open a YMCA community center at Majengo. In 1963 a hostel for 36 students attending Mawenzi secondary school was opened on the request of the ministry of education. At about the same time the first preparations were being made to begin a poultry project at Nronga and Machame. The aim of this project was to teach people up in the villages in the Machame area proper poultry farming and ways of improving the family diet. Also in 1963 the YMCA was given the old sports club in the center of Moshi and activities were immediately started there for people living in that town.

In the beginning of 1962 Carlsson moved to Arusha in order to do a social survey for the Arusha town council and to start a YMCA there. The Arusha YMCA re-organized the adult education classes sponsored by the council and one of the YMCA staff members became the supervisor of the classes arranged at the Kaloleni upper primary school. The Arusha YMCA shortly spread to four centers within the Arusha region. By 1963 the Arusha region supported Arusha Central YMCA, Burka Coffee Estates YMCA, TPRI YMCA and Olmotoni YMCA while the Kilimanjaro Region held the Moshi Central YMCA, the Majengo YMCA Community Center, the Moshi YMCA Student Hostel, the Kilimanjaro Poultry Scheme at Nronga, Nkwarungo and Nshara and the West Kilimanjaro Farm Estates. The Tanzanian YMCA became a full member of the World Alliance of YMCAs in 1965.

By 1971 the YMCA in Tanzania was operating in Moshi, Dar-es-Salaam, Arusha, Tanga, Monduli, Longido, Mbeya, Dodoma, Same, Tabora, Mwanza and Ngara. The programs run were varied. There was a Christian refugee service which supplied programs that would enable the dispossessed a better chance to settle, a farm school which had 150 acres of arable land at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, a Masai project that aimed to demonstrate the cultivation of crops, provide literacy sewing and health education to the Masai people, a physical education department focusing upon theory, team games, indoor games, and swimming, civic education classes which offered history classes about Tanzania, introductions to social sciences such as statistics and economics and leadership training classes.

In 1984 the YMCA in Tanzania celebrated its 25th anniversary. At this point it operated five vocational training centers that could train young boys and girls in agriculture, leathercraft, hotel management, metal work, air conditioning and refrigeration repair, and other commercial subjects. There was also one secondary school for boys and one for girls along with seven centers for children ages five to ten that aided mothers, providing child care from morning to midday to enable them to do other work. New children’s centers in rural areas provided the children with milk, tea and food. Refugee programs supplied uprooted people with 150 houses and rural development work in Monduli, in the Masai area, where there were literacy programs, health and cookery classes, vegetable growing classes, a supply of water and lessons on crop development. There was also a small center at Pangani set up for an ecumenical youth conference and program center. As of 2010 the Tanzanian YMCA had fourteen branches in the country.

Historical Information largely adapted and quoted from the collection and from "World Alliance of YMCAs, YMCA International, Tanzania," (web, 2010, http:// www.ymca.int/where-we-work/ymcas-country-profile/africa/tanzania/)

The work of the YMCA in the Philippines began in 1898 with the arrival of American YMCA secretaries with the American army in Manila during the Spanish-American War. In the beginning the work was largely serving American military personnel and civilians and later developed into an Army-Navy YMCA. William A.. Tener, the first secretary sent to the area by the International Committee, arrived in the Philippines in 1907. He was joined a year later by James E. Groves. Early in 1910, Elwood S. Brown arrived in Manila as physical director and soon wrote urging the necessity of various facilities, including a student building for Filipinos, an athletic field, an additional wing to the building constructed in 1908 for the American-European Association, and a building for a city Association for Filipinos. (Brown went on to make significant contributions to the Association's physical education work in the region, and was the leading spirit bringing into being the Far Eastern Games, first held in Manila in 1913.) With the help of Tener and John R. Mott, who raised additional money in the U.S., funds were obtained which made possible the erection and furnishing of the city YMCA and student branch. Partly as an outcome of the success of the financial campaign, the Young Men's Christian Association of the Philippine Islands was organized and incorporated in Manila in 1911. A permanent National Board was created in 1925, and by 1926, the Association had over 6000 members and nearly fifty Filipino secretaries. The first Filipino national secretary, Domingo C. Bascara, was appointed in 1940. The Filipino movement is notable for having been the first major YMCA in Asia to become completely indiginous in active full time staff.

While the 1920s and 1930s saw significant growth in the Filipino Association (despite the financial difficulties of the Depression), the onset of World War II nearly wiped out of those gains. In December 1941 Manila fell, and E. Stanton Turner, who had been a key leader in the Association since his arrival in 1915, was interned. The invading Japanese attempted to co-opt Association, but the Filipino secretaries refused, insisting that the YMCA was not a political body. In the course of Japanese evacuation of Manila which followed the advance of the victorious army, scores of thousands of the inhabitants of the city were slain by the retreating forces, and in the general holocaust the equipment and the buildings of the YMCA were either completely lost or very badly damaged. In the islands as a whole, seventeen of the eighteen buildings were destroyed.

Despite the crippling blow dealt by the war, the Association recovered surprisingly quickly in the following years. With money raised in both the United States and the Philippines, as well as assistance from the World Youth Fund, buildings were restored and re-equipped, and new buildings were constructed and programs launched. In 1947, Turner reported that there were more Hi-Ys, Y's Men's Clubs, parents' associations, student associations, and community work than before the war; and that throughout the islands about 200,000 men and boys were being served weekly. By 1951 the Filipino YMCA had a registered membership of 14,296, a staff of 43, and 1,245 laymen serving in one or another capacity. Eight buildings were completed, there were three others for which money was available, and funds were being raised for three more. Just two years later, membership had more than doubled to 30,020 in sixteen branches.

Among the notable works and contributions of the YMCA in the Philippines were the organization of the first training class for schools in physical education; establishment of the first law school in English, now the College of Law of the University of the Philippines; conduct of the first Far Eastern Athletic Meet, the precursor of the Asian Games; organization of the first chartered Boy Scouts troop for Filipino boys; conduct of the first student conferences and first Rural Development Youth Work Camps; organization of the first National Fund Campaigns; and, establishment of the first gymnasia and swimming pools for Filipinos. The Association won international acclaim for its summer camps. Started in 1953, the philosophy of these programs was to help improve living conditions of the people in the villages and to awaken among the future professionals of the country a sense of responsibility for the welfare of their fellows. The Filipino Y also started the Rizal Youth Leadership Training Institute in 1963. Each year, it offered an intensive training in Christian democratic leadership to about 100 college students who were selected on the basis of scholastic achievement, moral character, and leadership potential.

In 1971 the national organization was restructured as a federation, decentralizing the authority of the central office and increasing local autonomy for its 22 member associations. Under the new structure, local branches, now incorporated as independent corporations, could acquire and own property.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in the Philippines, along with their dates of service:

Barnes, Henry Blencoe (1924-1927) Lewis, Charles Mason (1929-1934, 1939-1945) Berner, Harold Washington (1935-1937) Long, Golden Dice (1913-1917) Blyth, James Allison (1917-1918) Long, John Franklin (1952-1958) Brown, Elwood Stanley (1910-1918) Love, Harry W. (1919-1922) Calkins, George G. (1916-1919) Maxwell, John Truitt (1921-1929) Carroll, L. Earl (1930-1933) Mayer, Walter Cyrus (1916-1917) Collins, Zerah C. (1909-1915) Mihailoff, Vladimir Anatol (1937-1945) Douwsma, Gerrit Ben (1948-1954) Morill Alfred Truman (1914-1917) Erdman, Charles P. (1933-1935) Nestle, Mark Howard (1930-1937) Forgrave, William Matthew (1920-1922) Pronko, Stephen M (1926-1934) Fraser, Harry Carleton (1910-1916) Rice, George Ernest (1911-1913) Frazee, Charles Clifford (1916-1920) Rudman, Arthur (1906) Goss, George Edward (1913-1916) Schwan, Louis Alvin (1954-1955) Groves, James Morgan (1908-1915) Smith, Roy Glenn (1945-1952) Haag, Howard Lee (1936-1942) Tener, William Allen (1906-1916) Hall, Richard Mant (1920-1932) Turner, Everett Stanton (1915-1952) Harding, Harold Park (1923-1933) Wishard, Glenn Porter (1937-1945) Jackson, Frank Avery (1898-1900)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, the YMCA of the Philippines web site (http://ymcaphilippines.org/YMCA/history.html) and the collection.

In 1959 Merlin A. Bishop suggested opening an association in Uganda. The Uganda YMCA began organization in 1959 but did not open officially until 1961. It opened with 12 contributors and a single fraternal secretary, Daniel P. Tyler. The first membership campaign was conducted in 1962 and within two weeks 653 members were recruited. By 1964 an attendance of over 107,000 people was recorded in YMCA activities, there were three branches; Mbarara, Kampala and Jinja; ten secretaries and program assistants-in-training; and two world service fraternal secretaries, Daniel P. Tyler and Moses Perry. By this time there were forty clubs including youth ten years and up, young men's groups, the young men's assembly, model municipal council, football leagues, and concerts. Classes offered included English, French, Luganda, Swahili, bookkeeping, typing, shorthand, swimming, architectural design and public speaking. Special events were featured that included world week of prayer, a 65-mile safari bicycle race, Easter and Christmas programs and club officers' retreats. The Katwe shopkeepers project, started in 1964, assisted shopkeepers in keeping records, banking money and buying goods. A wholesale depot was also established that handled sugar, soap, milk, and matches in order to reduce cost to the consumer. By 1969 the programs had grown to include additional educational classes and special interest groups and clubs for both youth and adults, citizenship training, physical education including volleyball, basketball, cycling, table tennis, gymnastics and football. The programs also included refugee relief, an overnight hostel, assisting youth in company and government employment and counselling youth on varied personal problems. There was also a program for training lay leaders, club leaders and staff.

In 1971 Idi Amin seized power through military coup. Actions taken by Amin included expelling almost all of Uganda's Asian population and seizing their property as well as nationalizing Ugandan businesses. In 1978 Amin invaded Tanzania. The Uganda National Liberation Army, which opposed Amin, fought alongside Tanzanian forces and ousted Amin in 1979. Uganda was left with thousands of refugees. The town of Mbarara was destroyed and the YMCA branch there lost everything due to looting and property damage. The tennis courts were bombed in Kampala and the windows broken, but the YMCA there and the branch at Jinja were never looted due to their being volunteer organizations. In 1979 a Uganda YMCA rehabilitation and reconstruction program was initiated to assist the associations and their surrounding communities.

The focus of the post-Amin Uganda YMCA was on the rehabilitation needs of the YMCA in Uganda and on the rehabilitation needs of Uganda itself. The Ugandan government and religious leaders stressed the need for the reconstruction of the nation's spiritual and moral values, said to be necessary for the survival of the fragile nation. The YMCA in Uganda was seen as equipped and qualified to conduct services in values education with the assistance of the Ugandan government. In response, the YMCA's programs centered around values education, building repairs for Jinja and Kampala, Mbarara YMCA development, vocational training development, and farm schemes in Buwambo and Masaka.

The vocational training development project was initially focused in Mbarara, where a large portion of the population was involved in a relatively nomadic pastoral life. The goal of this project was to create employment out of an ample supply of material and learned skills. In these areas of Uganda, there were hides and skins which were by-products of cattle slaughterhouses and a saw mill where timber was readily available. It was decided that a tannery, carpentry and cabinetry project would create opportunities for job and skill acquisition for youth who left school programs. They would then still have a trade skill that fit within the framework for their country's development.

The YMCA youth farm scheme was designed to train youth in modern agricultural methods and animal industry. It was designed to demonstrate that sufficient food can be grown on a small acreage for food consumption and/or cash sale. The training focused on the proper techniques of pig, cattle and poultry rearing, dairy production, selection of seed, timely opening and preparation of the land and the timely planting, proper spacing, manuring, thinning, weeding, spraying, harvesting, drainage, storage and marketing of crops. The project was designed to be a solution to problems facing youth of rural areas who had a limited education, were unemployed or underemployed.

Uganda continued experience civil unrest and wars and the YMCA continued to provide essential services to the Ugandan citizens. However, the unrest made planning of the development of the movement or supplying training to its leaders nearly impossible. The YMCA in Uganda in the mid 1980s primarily focused its attention on caring for the displaced; distributing food, clothing , agricultural implements, and seeds to displaced people attempting to resettle back to their former homes. They also supplied medical treatment, nutrition and water to those sick from being on the run for many years due to civil war. This project was called the Uganda Displaced and Resettlement People Project and it focused on the Luwero triangle and the Mbarara district.

In the mid 1980s also the Uganda YMCA and the Pittsburgh YMCA formed a partnership. This allowed for trading of individuals for training purposes in values education and also allowed for some of Uganda's budgetary issues to be covered by Pittsburgh's fundraising efforts.

The Uganda YMCA continued into the 2000s and though it didn't become a member of the Africa Alliance of YMCAs, it remained helpful to its citizens, supplying them with gender, youth and educational departments.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Uganda along with their dates of service:

Evans, Ronald Thomas (1963-1965) Perry, Moses Lewis (1962-1971) Honold, James Daniel (1964-1965) Taylor, Robert B. (1966-1967) Kohlenberger, John (1962-1964) Tyler, Daniel Penick (1961-1974) La Pierre, Eduard (1969-1970)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from the collection and from "YMCA Kampala, 2011" (http://www.ymcakampala.org).

Although several attempts to establish YMCAs in India were made dating back to 1854, the first successful YMCAs were launched in 1873 in Trivandrum and in 1875 in Calcutta, Bombay, and Lahore. In 1889, the International Committee sent a young American named David McConaughy to Madras to serve as the first foreign secretary in India. McConaughy encouraged the development of YMCA associations throughout the subcontinent and held the first National Convention in 1891, which resulted in the formation of the National Council of India, Burma, and Ceylon.

By 1891, there were 35 associations throughout India with 1,905 members – many of which were established prior to McConaughy's arrival. The associations implemented the YMCA's fourfold spiritual, social, mental and physical programs, while focusing on evangelism among Indian students. In 1896, the International Committee sent Sherwood Eddy to conduct student work; however, Eddy found that the students were suspicious of Western rule and religion, leading him to focus his attention on India's middle and lower classes by traveling throughout the countryside preaching and offering medical treatment. In 1912, a Scot named J.N. Farquhar was appointed as literary secretary of the Indian National Council. Farquhar made significant contributions to YMCA work in India by writing and editing a series of publications that compared the leading Indian faiths to Christianity.

In 1915, Indian YMCAs were staffed by 44 foreign secretaries – more than any other nation except China. The associations offered programs for Indian railroad workers and the military. However, one of the YMCA's most notable contributions in India was their rural development work, which was first begun by an Indian named K. T. Paul in 1913. Paul trained young men to organize YMCA associations in rural villages with the aim of promoting thrift, increasing the financial independence of villagers through cottage industries and improved agricultural techniques, as well as encouraging physical fitness. Importantly, Paul established a system of cooperative credit societies that freed the rural poor from the grips of moneylenders. The microloan programs educated villagers on the powers of combined action and won many converts among India's lower classes. Paul's appointment was part of a larger plan of "Indianization" promoted by the influential General Secretary Edward Clark Carter who believed that the future of the YMCA in India was dependent on the development of independent Indian leadership.

The First World War led to the reduction of foreign and Indian YMCA staff, which was crippling for some associations and contributed to the National Council's increasing financial debt. After the war, YMCA physical education staff helped to form India's first Olympic team in 1924. In addition, the National Council focused on improving its relationship with individual associations, and continued its rural development work and the traditional fourfold program. The rise of the Swaraj self-government movement included many Indian YMCA staff, and in 1927, the YMCA was accused of favoring Indian nationalism because of its promotion of Indianization – despite the National Council's insistence of its neutrality on the issue.

The Great Depression once again reduced the number of foreign secretaries in India and inflicted financial hardship on the National Council. During World War II, the YMCA continued its work with the military and aided Burmese refuges in India. Following the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, the YMCA's governing body became the National Council of India, Pakistan, and Ceylon; several years later, after the formation of national organizations in Burma, Pakistan, and Ceylon, the organization became the National Council of India. By the end of 1955, following years of increased native leadership, there were five North American secretaries serving in India.

Through the late 1950s and 1960s, foreign aid contributed by the Buildings for Brotherhood Campaign led to the construction of numerous YMCA buildings throughout India. In 1969, the National Council of India proposed a new objective of becoming financially independent, which was supported by local fundraising and revenue generated by tourist hostels throughout the country – although foreign donations continued to support some special projects within India. In addition, the YMCA began to implement new programs, including industrial training, family planning, and adult education classes.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the YMCA in India made attempts to further expand its mission to new areas of the country – especially rural villages. The rural development program continued its work throughout India, and was supported by matching funds from USID. By 1982, there were 250 YMCA associations in India, 200 of which were located in rural or semirural areas.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in India, along with their dates of service, if known:

Anderson, Howard Elmer (1911-1913) Gray, John Henry (1908-1919, 1928-1939) Peterson, Harold Hill (1921-1933) Arnold, Theodore Wayne (1950-1955) Greene, Mack McGuire (1960) Popley, Herbert Arthur (1916-1932) Bagot, Lindsay Beresford (1946-1947) Guyton, Harold Lee (1944-1946) Purves, Jack Alexander (1944-1947) Barber, Benjamin R. (1899-1913) Hadley, Ross Albert (1910-1914) Reynolds, Frank Humphrey (1905-1910) Barling, Stanley Nelson (1921-1934) Harlow, Milton Wilberforce (1917-1924) Robson, John Stanley (1915-1919) Beall, Harold Gething (1915-1928) Hart, Henry Garfield (1915-1917, 1920-1927) Sarvis, Guy W. (1901-1903) Beals, Lester H. (1899-1901) Harte, Archibald Clinton (1908-1915) Saunders, Kenneth James (1912-1921) Becknell, Harvey E. (1926-1931) Hatch, Duane Spencer (1916-1937) Schaetti, Henry M. (1910-1943) Berry, Elmer H. (1938-1939) Haworth, Lester C. (1916-1917) Segard, Christian Peter (1914-1919) Boyd, Alden Work (1928-1929) Healy, Warren Dwight (1919-1932) Shelton, Melvin Robert (1913-1918) Bryce, George Pardon (1914-1920) Heinrichs, Waldo Huntley (1915-1932) Shumaker, Don Cameron (1913-1919) Buck, Harry Crowe (1919-1943) Herman, Harold Clyde (1911-1926, 1932-1935) Simonds, Everett James (1916-1918) Burr, Lawrence Clay (1947-1953) Horne, Harold Hardy (1947-1954) Slack, Frank Van Hart (1909-1922) Callan, Joseph C. (1905-1920) Hume, Wilson McClaughry (1913-1952) Smith, George Benton (1898-1904) Carter, Edward Clark (1902-1908, 1911-1919) Jessop, William Mort (1910-1913) Smith, George Haslam (1912-1919) Clarke, Dumont, Jr. (1909-1911) Jewett, Earle Melvin (1943-1946) Smith, Oliver (1944-1946) Coan, Frank Speer (1919-1932) Johnson, Frank L. (1920) Smith, Wilbert Barnes (1914-1919) Cooper, Richard Daniel (1952-1961, 1965-1970) Keith, Henry James (1904-1906) Stanchfield, Oliver Otis (1913-1925) Craig, Garland (1918-1924) Kennedy, Melville Talbot (1912-1925) Stanley, John Wistar (1915-1929) Danielson, Andrew John (1927-1932) Larsen, Lars Peter (1899-1910) Steintahl, F.W. (1900-1913) Danner, Paul Rutledge (1913-1917) Lawrenson, Frank Aubrey Wilson (1908-1910, 1911-1914) Stenger, Robert William (1949-1962) Davis, Raymond (1894-1896) Mathers, James (1912-1920) Stockwell, Albert P. (1895-1898) Day, Sherwood Sunderland (1912-1919) McCarty, Wilford Clark (1922-1924) Tebben, Alfred Harrison (1919-1922) Dewick, Eward Chisholm (1926-1934) McClain, Bovia Hunt (1912-1926) Walter, Howard Arnold (1912-1918) Dixon, Leonard Alexander (1912-1915, 1919-1931) McClelland, Dalton Finley (1915-1945) Ward, Arthur Allen (1906-1909) Doud, Harry Gardner (1904-1921) McConaughy, David (1889-1902) Ward, William Earl Dodge (1916-1932) Dunderdale, John H. (1935-1962) McConnell, Joseph Jasper, Jr. (1912-1921) Weber, Frederick (1921-1934) Earl, Edwin Charles Magary (1919-1931) McGregor, Daniel Arthur (1907-1912) Webster, Charles Robert (1913-1922) Eddy, George Sherwood (1896-1915) Michel, Frederick J. (1904-1910) White, Harry Walter (1908-1919) Elliot, William Emroy (1911-1923) Miller, Alvah Leslie (1912-1935) White, J. Campbell (1893-1902) Ewing, Robert Logan (1905-1913) Moffat, Colin Smith (1945-1947) White, Wilbert W. (1896-1898) Farquhar, John Nicol (1902-1923) Moffat, Elbert Marston (1911-1916) Whitehair, Charles (1912-1914) Fletcher, Clifton Pliny (1919-1922) Morris, Alfred George (1946-1948) Wiens, Rudolf Peter (1943-1945) Ford, Norman Franklin (1954-1966) Mott, John Livingstone (1920-1931) Wilder, Robert Parmelee (1899-1902) Forgie, Andrew Wallace (1927-1935) Murray, J. Lovell (1902-1907) Williams, Garfield Frank (1908-1910) Fowler, James Hartley (1915-1921) Noehren, Arthur Groman (1915-1928) Williamson, J. Rutter (1900-1901) Freeman, Floyd Conger (1912-1916) Ormond, John Douglas (1917-1923) Wilson-Lawrenson, F.A. (1911-1914) Gibson, Robert Godfrey (1944-1946) Park, Andrew Perry (1915-1927) Wishard, Glenn Porter (1932-1933) Gilbert, Frred M. (1902-1904) Paterson, Charles Stiven (1904-1947) Wood, F.H. (1892-1893) Glunkler, Herman (1913-1919) Patton, T. Duncan (1902-1905) Worman, Eugene Clark (1910-1929) Golden, Frederic Stanley (1903-1908) Payne, Howard John (1927-1932) Wright, William McKendee (1913-1917) Goodwin, Carl Henry (1922-1928) Peacock, Arthur Hilton (1946-1950) Wybourn, Edbrooke Sidney (1951-1958) Grace, Archibald Hew (1900-1908) Peterson, Dean W. (1913-1918)

Historical information largely adapted from the collection, as well as from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth LaTourette.

Although the first YMCA activities in Korea were begun in 1888 under the guidance of missionaries from the University of Toronto, formal organization of a Korean association was not initiated until 1899 when missionaries in Seoul requested assistance from the American YMCA's International Committee. In 1901, Philip L. Gillett became the first secretary of the Seoul Association, launching the start of the YMCA's long and significant history on the Korean Peninsula.

During the early years of the YMCA in Korea, the association was tied to the national Y association of China, headquartered in Shanghai. In Korea, the YMCA introduced the nation to baseball and offered bible study, career training, and agricultural assistance programs, among many other activities. As a result of the organization's openness and promotion of democratic values, the YMCA became popular among Korean nationalists who opposed the Japanese annexation of the country. In 1912, the Seoul Association was accused of playing a role in a plot to assassinate the Japanese governor of Korea, and in 1919, many Christians affiliated with the YMCA were involved in a revolt against Japanese occupation.

Despite pronounced tensions between the Koreans and Japanese, the Korean Association separated itself from the National Association of China in 1914 to become part of the YMCAs of Japan. During this period, Japanese and Koreans attended separate YMCAs in both nations. Notably, the first President of Korea, Syngman Rhee, was a student secretary of the Korean YMCA in Tokyo. In 1922, the Korean Association was formally separated from the YMCAs of Japan; however, the Japanese resumed control of the YMCA's 10 Korean associations in 1938, becoming increasingly oppressive as the Japanese empire expanded its control in Asia.

The outbreak of war forced the North American YMCA to cut its ties with Korea in 1937. Following the Second World War in 1945, Korea was split along the 38th parallel by the Soviet Union and the United States. Although the war had damaged the Korean leadership, the YMCA quickly expanded its operations in South Korea, establishing nine new city associations and 72 student associations in high schools and universities by 1948. The start of the Korean War in 1950, however, stifled the reemergence of the Korean YMCA movement. During the war, communist troops destroyed the Seoul Association building and killed many Christians and YMCA leaders.

Following the Armistice Agreement in 1953, the Korean YMCAs shifted their focus to reconstruction and nation building. YMCAs provided rice and milk lines for refugees, rural reconstruction programs, and English typing classes to meet the needs of the United Nations. In addition, the Seoul YMCA established Boy's Town, an orphanage that would operate for several decades following the war. By 1955, the Korean YMCA regained its momentum and had grown to include 25 city associations, 29 university associations, and 145 boy's clubs.

The growth of the YMCA in Korea was aided by funding from the Buildings for Brotherhood Program during the late 1950s and 1960s, which supported the construction of YMCA buildings in a number of cities. In 1969, the Korean YMCA announced that they would shift their focus from building-centered activities to outreach programs, which included constructing roads and community centers in rural areas, as well as anti-poverty efforts in six city slums. Many of these outreach programs were led by Korean students who appreciated the opportunity to assist in the advancement of their quickly industrializing nation. In 1971, the Korean YMCAs established programs to promote financial self-sufficiency and increased Korean leadership in the organization.

Starting in the early 1960s, periods of political turmoil in Korea impacted the YMCA and members of Korea's Christian community, who were largely supportive of pro-democracy efforts. During the 1970s, the government of Park Chung-hee arrested student demonstrators and Christian leaders who opposed the government's authoritarian rule. Following Park Chung-hee's assassination in 1979, the Seoul YWCA was the first organization to resist the imposition of martial law by holding a gathering in downtown Seoul. The meeting was violently dispersed by police and security officials. In addition, Korean YMCAs assisted the victims of the Gwangju Rebellions in 1980, and protested the government's imprisonment of two YMCA leaders in the same year.

During the 1980s, Korean YMCAs continued their community outreach efforts, and worked to maintain an effective Christian program that maintained its relevance to the changing social needs of the Korean people. Korean YMCAs offered a range of activities that included physical and religious education, as well as more modern services like computer programming classes and free legal clinics. Today, the YMCA in Korea maintains its traditional services in addition to a variety of social betterment programs that include environmental conservation, electoral transparency, and consumer protection.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Korea along with their dates of service:

Avison, Gordon Wilberforce (1925-1939) Kazmiroff, Boris M. (1969-1972) Baker, Robert Harter (1957-1968) Lucas, Adolph Edward (1915-1920) Barnhart, Byron Pat (1916-1937) Nash, William Lewis (1921-1932) Brockman, Frank Marion (1905-1929) Osborne, William Terry (1953-1958) Bunce, Arthur Cyril (1928-1934) Shields, Donald Whitman (1957-1959) Clark, Francis Orville (1929-1933) Shipp, Fred Thomas (1925-1928) Coston, William Porter (1951-1954) Snyder, Lloyd H. (1911-1916) Fitch, George Ashmore (1946-1952) Strong, Robbins (1950-1951) Gillett, Philip Loring (1901-1913) Sweet, Lennig (1956-1958) Greenberg, Marc R. (1976-1978) Webster, Mary Rita (1976-1979) Gregg, George Arthur (1906-1927) Wilbur, Hollis Adelbert (1931-1935) Hagg, Howard Lee (1961-1962) Zehner, Jan R. (1962-1963) Holland, Ira Howard (1949-1950)

Historical information largely adapted from the collection, as well as from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth LaTourette.

The first YMCA in Uruguay was established in Montevideo in 1909 with the combined efforts of an American named Philip Arthur Conrad and the region’s small Protestant community. The early work of the Montevideo YMCA focused on reaching out to European immigrants by offering courses on the Spanish language, along with the traditional programs of physical and spiritual education.

The Montevideo YMCA grew steadily throughout the 1920s and continued to expand after the long-awaited construction of a new building in 1927. The new building was funded by $100,000 in local donations, which was matched by funds from the United States and Canada – setting the standard for future YMCA fundraising projects in South America. In addition, the Montevideo YMCA played a central role in the expansion of the YMCA on the continent, as the home to the Continental Committee, as well as the Instituto Técnico – a training school for future South American YMCA leaders that was established in 1922.

By the early 1950s, the YMCA served nearly 5,000 members in Montevideo. The Uruguayan National Federation would eventually grow to include four neighborhood branches in Montevideo, as well as three other associations in the cities of Paysandú, Salto and San José. The increasing popularity of the Montevideo YMCA led to the construction of an expansive new building in 1962, which would also house the South American Federation. As a result of construction delays and rising inflation rates, however, the Montevideo YMCA could only afford to furnish the building with the assistance of a loan from the International Committee.

By 1964, rising inflation and mounting debt resulted in a serious financial crisis for the YMCA in Uruguay. To make matters worse, political turmoil led to serious disruptions in the operations of the YMCA in the country, and a coup d’état placed control of the government in the hands of a military dictatorship in 1973. During this period, the YMCA’s leadership suffered and the associations barely managed to survive the period intact.

Nevertheless, in 1973, the Montevideo YMCA launched a development initiative known as the Vivienda Project. The politically risky program established housing cooperatives for working-class Uruguayans – providing citizens with education, social services, recreational opportunities, as well as the chance to gather despite government restrictions. The project soon expanded across Uruguay.

In 1983, the YMCA launched the Educational Development (ED) Program, which sought to strengthen the leadership of the YMCA in Uruguay, as well as to promote development projects in the country. Uruguay emerged from twelve years of dictatorship in 1985; although the four YMCA associations survived the period, the National Federation was not as fortunate. Following the establishment of Hector Caselli as Director in 1986, however, the National Federation was reorganized, and continued to promote YMCA programs that included physical education, development work, human rights, and spiritual education.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Uruguay along with their dates of service:

Alvarez, Walter L. (1974-1976) Kelsey, William Irving (1925-1932) Conrad, Philip Arthur (1908-1963) Mackay, John Alexander (1923-1930) Crew, Malcolm Richard (1925-1931) McKnight, William Asbury (1913-1915) de Anguera, Herman Clifford (1918-1927) Menke, George Herman (1949-1955) Ewald, Charles Jefferson (1911-1932) Monteverde, Eduardo (1910-1915) Ewing, Harry Ernest (1932-1933) Moyna, Myles (1955-1965) Galland, Emmanuel Arnold (1916-1917, 1922-1934) Nystrom, Joel E. (1940-1950) Glenn, William E. (1957-1961) Paulson, Leonard (1922-1925) Hinnant, Odis Benjamin (1926-1932) Summers, James Stewart (1922-1948) Hopkins, Jesse Townsend (1912-1928) Thompson, Roy Ephraim (1916-1922) Janette, Bernadette (1980-1981) Walker, Steven D. (1967-1969) Johnson, Prescott K. (1962-1972) Welch, Dwight Otis (1950-1957)

Historical information largely adapted from the collection, as well as from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth LaTourette.

The earliest efforts to start a YMCA in Liberia occurred in 1881 in Cape Palmas. This small group, begun by Bishop Samuel D. Ferguson, continued on for approximately six months. In 1906 the bishop's son attempted to revive the group. Again, it only lasted a few months.

Hilary Richard Wright Johnson, grandson of U.S. President Andrew Johnson, brought the YMCA idea to Monrovia with him in 1919. Under his leadership, the YMCA resonated with the population of Monrovia and the Sunday afternoon programs became popular. Following Johnson's early death, one of his students, James Boymah McCritty, revived his work. McCritty became executive secretary and formed both an executive committee and an advisory board. He also acquired lots where future YMCA buildings would stand. In 1935 McCritty left to study in the United States and Jacob Brown was elected secretary. During Brown's administration an emphasis was placed on sports, open forums and a collection of funds for property and a building. The ideas of honorary patrons and a board of trustees were also introduced. C. L. Simpson, Liberia's Secretary of State and an interested and active promoter of the Liberian YMCA also made contact for the first time with the World's Alliance of YMCAs on his visit to the League of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 1935 Samuel David Thomson, grandson of Bishop Ferguson, organized a YMCA in Cape Palmas along with Ernest C. B. Jones . A board of directors was organized and committees were set up. For a number of years the association continued with meetings, and occasional programs.

McCritty returned to Monrovia in 1940. He opened a YMCA reading room and established a “community chest” to secure finances. He also organized a YWCA in 1941 to serve the young ladies of the community. Frederick P. Hibbard was also active in promoting the work during these years. With the help of YMCA Mixers, a group of young men organized in 1944, assistance was made available from abroad. On his visit to the United States in 1945, C. L. Simpson made a request to the International Committee of the YMCAs of North America for program assistance, and in 1947, a decision was reached that some assistance in strengthening the Liberian association would be given. Trained leader David N. Howell arrived in Liberia in 1949.

The movement continued to spread throughout the country during the 1950s and 1960s. An association was organized in River Cess in 1950 through efforts of J. Hamilton Travers, Joseph Nelson and Charles Johnson. A year later in Lower Buchanan a board was established and the first employed officer, H. G. Greenfield, was secured to carry on the work with Joshua Harmon as chairman. Provisional committees were established in Cape Palmas, Sinoe and Cape Mount in 1951. An association was organized in 1954 in Tchien and a Harbel association was organized at approximately the same time. The Sinoe association was organized in 1956, a provisional organization in Marshall was set up in 1957, and an association was organized in Sanniquellie in 1961. The first YMCA building was constructed in Monrovia and opened its doors to the public in 1954. A gymnasium and a boys' wing were added in 1960 as part of the Buildings for Brotherhood program of the North American YMCAs. By 1953 there was growing concern for the interior part of the country. The first YMCAs were organized on or near the coast of Liberia but as inland associations such as Tchien and Sanniquellie emerged, programs were extended to other areas. Hi-Y clubs became popular as well as the National Men's Assembly. The meeting of the National Older Boys' Conference was the first time in Liberia's history that high school boys from every high school in the country had come together for a meeting. Members of the first National Young Men's Assembly carried ideas back to their various homes and YMCA groups, and boys' clubs were organized in many interior schools. YMCAs were organized in six centers throughout Liberia and a total of over seventy groups spread across the country; 25 of them being in areas that did not previously have a YMCA presence. At the end of 1968 there were 6023 YMCA members in Liberia.

The Liberian YMCA became a full member in the World Alliance of YMCAs in 1953. Dr. Charles D. Sherman of Liberia was elected president of the World Alliance of YMCAs in 1955, re-elected for a second term in 1957 and a third in 1961.

A major project during the the 1970s was leadership training with potential professionals, high school and college youth and with laymen. In 1971 the American secretary in Liberia had retired leaving a lack of strong leadership. In response, arecruitment program was implemented in 1972 to increase the number of young men on scholarships to train as YMCA secretaries. Also in 1971, William Tubman, the Liberian president died and was replaced by William Richard Tolbert Jr.. With the change in the political administration in Liberia came a severe financial crisis. The poor economic circumstances of the community made it necessary for the Liberian YMCA to restructure its method of delivering services to people. A development project was established in 1974 for the assistance of rural communities, which made up seventy percent of the population. This project was backed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Liberian YMCA, with the colaboration of USAID, also implemented a Rubber Plantation Project in 1974. This project sought to fight unemployment, the level of low income in Liberia, a lack of technical and vocational training present within the country, a lack of community and youth involvement within their communities, and the lack of funding for the YMCA for development projects.

In 1980, as a result of a military coup led by Master Sergeant Samuel Doe of the Krahn ethnic group which overthrew and killed President Tolbert and formed the People's Redemption Council to govern Liberia, the YMCA lost most of its patronage base and support. The YMCA in Liberia was put in a very serious financial position. In 1984 the Peace Corps and USAID funded a YMCA craft shop project that served to further increase training opportunities and funding for the YMCA in Liberia. By 1985 the Liberian YMCA was only primarily active in Monrovia, Yekepa and Harbel, though Sinoe, Maryland and Cape Mount still had weak structures. By 1987 only two of the six branches were operating with a professional executive and carrying out programs. A beach house rental project intended to create income for the National Council of Liberia was not complete and required an additional $18,000 in repairs. Due to the financial situation in Liberia no programs could be developed and no staff employed or dismissed. With the help of the United States YMCA's International Division the YMCA in Liberia began a revitalization campaign. As the YMCA rehabilitation progress was underway in 1989, the First Liberian Civil War began. Yekepa YMCA, located in Nimba County where the fighting began, was looted, damaged and the YMCA Secretary in Yekepa, John Arku, had to flee to the Republic of Guinea.

Relief activities were carried out in the early 1990s coordinated by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). They involved relief organizations such as the Red Cross, CARITAS, the Catholic Relief Society (CRS), USAID, International Red Cross, International Red Crescent and the National Disaster Relief Commission, among others. The challenges of working during this period of revitalization and the number of other relief organizations in the field limited the YMCA in Liberia's participation in the relief effort. The Liberian YMCA did however work with the Student Committee of Nimba County, seeking to assist displaced students and also sent some essentials to YMCA members who fled to Guinea or to Cote D'Ivoire.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Liberia along with their dates of service:

Dixon, James Floyd (1963-1966) Howell, David Newton (1949-1972) Gay, Milton F. Jr. (1963-1964) Livingston, Kenneth W. (1962-1964) Greer, Donald Payne (1969-1973) Oranch, Michael J. (1983) Hardy, Arthur Wesley (1955-1956) Tyler, Daniel Penick (1957-1962) Hargrave, Edward (1975-1978) Wright, Ronald L. (1972-1974)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette; from "World Alliance of YMCAs, YMCA International" ( http://www.ymca.int, 2010; retrieved August 2, 2012); and from the collection.

The first YMCA in Africa was established in Liberia in 1881. It was only a small group of men and short-lived, but was soon after re-established and popular. North American YMCA work in Africa began with an appeal made in 1889 for men and women to go to Africa as missionaries. The first United States YMCA representatives sailed for Africa in 1890. YMCAs began to spread throughout the African continent, becoming a crux for the development of many communities. Many African Nations' YMCAs became members of the World Alliance of YMCAs.

North American YMCA assistance in Africa took place primarily through the International Committee of the YMCAs of the United States and Canada and in later years through the International Division of the YMCA of the USA. Prominent International Committee members who focused a significant portion of their assistance on Africa included Moses Perry, Desta Girma, Marvin Jay Ludwig, Steve D. LaVake and Daniel Penick Tyler. These men helped to create and secure many developmental programs, procure outside funding and make the needs in Africa well known. Though African YMCA development through North American assistance occurred as early as 1890, it was not prevalent until the 1950s, 1960s and even later, when droughts and war brought worldwide attention to the continent of Africa's ongoing plight. The attention helped the North American YMCA International Committee to gain assistance from United States YMCAs to fund projects, the supply labor and organize the exchange of YMCA members for projects such as camp programs and vocational training.

Programs in Africa sponsored by the YMCA focused primarily on youth, who formed the majority of its population and were seen as representing Africa's future. It was believed that if the youth of Africa was able to gain education in the correct areas they would be able to lead without assistance and secure the future well-being of the continent. YMCA youth development programs in Africa included health education, vocational training, crafting development, small business development, rural development, family planning, refugee assistance and rehabilitation, environmental protection, youth sports projects, youth job development, leadership training, young women training and education and camp programs that included farm training.

Another area of focus for YMCA work in the continent of Africa was the continual problems brought about by war and drought. Many YMCA relief efforts were continuously underway in Africa, and many occasions where the YMCA either asked assistance from outside agencies or simply made them aware of the problems that Africa was facing and suggested that they get involved. Among the agencies that the YMCA worked with were USAID (United States Agency for International Development), Africare, UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief), the Red Cross and the Peace Corps, to name a few. The Y's Men International was also quite helpful to the relief efforts and the individual YMCAs in Africa. The YMCA's relief work played a significant role in the survival of the African citizens at times, and established the organization as a trusted agency concerned with the well being of Africans.

The African Alliance of YMCAs was founded in 1977 and became the umbrella body for all African YMCA movements. As of 2011 the continent of Africa supported movements in 22 separate African countries and the African Alliance of YMCAs was the leading pan-African youth development network on the African continent. Youth, gender and environmental work have continued as the main interests, with top goals being empowerment through education and leadership development.. The African Alliance of YMCAs also supplied associated African nations membership to the World Alliance of YMCAs. This association has helped the African YMCAs stay aligned with the mission statement of the YMCA itself while remaining true to Africa's needs. A continual dialog with and association to the rest of the World's YMCAs was also secured within this membership.

[Historical Information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, from "African Alliance of YMCAs" (http://www.africaymca.org), and from the collection.]

In 1920 the Premier of Latvia asked the International Committee to undertake work in the Latvian army. Two secretaries were sent. The army work was conducted in Dvinsk and Rjeshitsa. The program in physical education and children's playgrounds was so popular that it was extended among civilians. In 1923 a constitution was registered for an association in Riga and in 1924 a board of directors was elected. For the civilian associations the North American staff was never large. In 1923 it was B. G. Mitchell and H. D. Anderson, and in 1925 it was J. Brackett Lewis and J. C. Greiner. In 1927 O. J. Frederiksen succeeded Lewis, who transferred to Czechoslovakia, and by 1930 only Greiner was left. Greiner remained until 1934.

For a short time the Latvians thought of the association as not belonging to them. This was due to the non-North American staff being largely made up of Russians. By 1925 however the non-North American staff was purely Latvian and the membership was also predominantly of the Latvian nationality. At first the Latvians regarded the YMCA as simply an athletic club but the YMCA began to introduce programs like educational classes, lectures, student groups and social events. The Riga association rapidly developed its program and was the only Latvian Association where all nationalities existing in Latvia; Latvian, Russian and German predominantly, met in joint activities. Volleyball and basketball were introduced and became quite popular. The boys' department and boys' camp were very successful. Various subjects were covered in the educational classes and a trade school was begun which became a precedent for similar schools. Vocational guidance for highschool students was introduced. Religious meetings were held for boys, group study of the life and teachings of Christ was promoted, and a religious-emphasis week on a nationwide scale was organized. By the end of 1932 there were four organizations outside of Riga.

In 1934 Greiner was demobilized and turned his post over to Zarrins, a Latvian trained in Geneva. By the end of 1935 four of the five men that had trained as YMCA secretaries in North America had resigned and a fifth accepted a post with the League of Nations, mainly for financial reasons. The Latvian YMCA had a hard time without a North American secretary. Despite the deteriorating financial state of the United States combined with the effects of the depression in Latvia, some financial assistance was still given by the North American association to support the programs for students and secondary boys, the national organization, a program for training secretaries, and a project for the unemployed. Occasional visits by Davis of the World's Committee and Lewis from Czechoslovakia helped to maintain contacts.

In 1937 the Latvian YMCA combined with the Latvian YWCA and the two formed the Youth Christian Association. This step was urged by the Latvian government to reduce the number of organizations in a small country. However, by 1939 the union was terminated as it did not prove to be a happy one.

In 1940 Latvia was occupied by the USSR. Under the Soviet occupation the YMCA was officially dissolved and the Riga building was taken over by the local authorities. However most of the YMCAs activities were carried on secretly and illegally. Numerous Latvian citizens disappeared during that time due to the discovery of these secret practices. During World War II, YMCAs sprang up spontaneously in camps for displaced persons in Germany. These YMCAs became rallying points for displaced Latvians. The Latvian YMCA in exile also carried on in Sweden where there was a large population of Latvian refugees. In May 1945, the first board of directors, in exile, was elected. The Latvian YMCA in exile focused on religious work, intellectual work, social work, physical education and boys' activities. The Latvian YMCA in Sweden held religious services, cycles of lectures and bible study groups. They organized an office for publishing school books in the Latvian language and set up a reading room for Latvian YMCA members in Stockholm. The Latvian YMCA in Sweden set up a mutual relief fund based on contributions from members. This was for those Latvian citizens who could not stand the hardships of the physical labor job market that they were forced into because of their displacement. This fund was on urgent need basis only due to the severe shortage of earnings among YMCA members as a whole. Among these other things, the Latvian YMCA in Sweden carried with them volleyball and basketball for entertainment and health purposes, and also organized within the boy scout movement.

The Latvian YMCA began to openly serve again in Latvia post occupation and became member of YMCA Europe in 1991.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Latvia along with their dates of service:

Anderson, Harry Dewey (1922-1924) Lines, Ira Raymond (1920-1925) Frederiksen, Oliver Jul (1928-1930) Mitchell, Bertram Grant (1921-1924) Greiner, John Casper (1924-1934) Sommerville, Joseph John (1921-1924) Lewis, John Brackett (1924-1928)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, from the collection, and from "YMCA Europe, YMCA Latvia 2006-2011" (http://www.ymcaeurope.com/ymca-latvia).

The YMCA movement in Kenya began in 1910 when United States president Theodore Roosevelt gave 1000 pounds for the construction of a hostel for young European boys coming to Nairobi. Kenya was a British colony and the YMCA movement at the time mainly served European expatriates, immigrants and refugees. J. J. P. Curnow, a British General Secretary, was sent to manage the YMCA, his expenses being met by the British Y. During the first world war, the Nairobi YMCA was taken over by the Overseas Forces YMCA and later it was again managed by a local board of management. In 1923 the financial support from the British YMCA was interrupted due to the world-wide financial depression and the activities of the YMCA diminished. The YMCA was discontinued in 1932 due to lack of funds and leadership. The government took over the building; property and assets were sold and proceeds were held by the government against the re-establishment of the association.

Though there were no organized activities, the YMCA also did some work in Kenya during the second world war. In 1943, through the War Prisoners' Aid of the World Alliance and the assistance of a World Alliance staff member Alfredo Wood, the YMCA began work among the Italian prisoners of war in 58 camps throughout Kenya. Among many other activities, a YMCA hut was opened at Nairobi as a center for members of the armed forces.

In 1947, post World War II, the British sent fraternal secretary Tom Kay to develop additional Kenyan YMCA work as a missionary enterprise of the British National Councils. The first two hostels in Nairobi, the Nairobi Central YMCA and Shauri Moyo, were completed by 1950 and intended to accommodate youth. Subsequently, a swimming pool was added and accommodation was increased to 100 beds at the Nairobi Central YMCA. In Shauri Moyo, a youth center was added in 1965.

In the middle of 1950 work started in rural areas; mainly in the central province, and there were programs specifically at Murang'a, Nyeri, Limuru, Meru, Kaimbu and Ngewa. Local secretaries were employed and the YMCA increased in number and programs. By the end of 1957 there were fourteen YMCAs covering 27 villages within the triangle of Ngecha, Kabete and Kambui. In 1960, forty acres of land were acquired on the southern shores of Lake Naivasha where a camp was officially opened in 1962.

In 1960 arrangements were made for the inauguration of a Kenyan National Movement and a Kenyan constitution was adopted. The Kenya YMCA also became a full member of the World Alliance of YMCAs.This same year the urban population of educated youths was growing and the YMCA opened more centers. Two more hostels were started in Mombasa and Nakuru and the YMCA Naivasha Camp was built with the help of an international work camp which included North American youth. In 1962 the YMCA opened a Farm Training school in Limuru in order to train young Africans in modern farming methods. The center supplied coursework in all branches of agriculture with the intention that many of the young men would return to their families' small farms and introduce these modern methods to their communities. By 1962 the YMCA in Kenya was heading towards its peak of operation.

In 1963 the YMCA in Kenya became concerned about the widening gap between male and female education. There was a need to train young women in the domestic services and in nutrition so the Women's Training Center was established at Kiambu. The YMCA hoped that the young women returning from the year long program might not only improve their skills and knowledge, but in turn pass on what they had learned to a wider constituency in their home villages. The center was moved to Limuru in 1965.

As the nation of Kenya moved towards its political independence in 1963, the YMCA in Kenya showed a decline. The two hostels in Mombasa and Nakuru were closed and the properties sold. In 1965 the Farm Training School was discontinued. The YMCA's role in youth work declined rapidly due to the development of many church youth movements with denominational biases. It was clear to YMCA leaders that the future of the movement depended on its youth so in 1965 the Kenya YMCA asked the German YMCA for fraternal assistance to revitalize its youth work. The German Y sent Albert Schwarz and the Youth in Industry program was started. The YMCA was able to work with young people in technical and industrial institutions in Kenya. Social and educational activities were features of the program, including Christian forums, seminars, conferences, holiday camps, and sports. It served youth in all sorts of academic, technical, and professional institutions. By the end of the 1960s the Youth in Industry had developed as part of a vocational training project, later on becoming the Crafts Training Center located in Shauri Moyo, Nairobi. This center trained young people in various technical skills; leather work, ceramics, woodwork, fine art and cabinetmaking. The home industries and co-operatives sponsored by the Center were included as part of the Center's extension program to rural communities.

In the late 1960s the YMCA administration was in transition from expatriate to African management. Though the old administration was very effective, it had a paternalistic approach to people and activities. The desire was to put Africans in charge and to make the YMCA in Kenya more African in nature. Hostels became program centers and camp activities began to take place. Rural units also began to develop into self-reliable branches. The largest issue was finding qualified staff to train further for leadership roles. A Leadership Development Program was undertaken with the backing of the World Alliance of YMCAs. Designed to inform, motivate and involve members to take a lead in the development of relevant services to Kenyan people and communities, it proved a successful program. Vocational training also continued on to be a very popular and useful program for the Kenyan population. The courses in later years diversified from the academic and technical professions to include accounting, secretarial and computer training.

In 1973 the Kenya YMCA allocated small strips of land on its campsite for the cultivation of vegetable crops for squatter families located in the Naivasha area This Naivasha Squatters Self Help Project helped to provide an adequate amount of food to a number of these squatter families to supply vegetables for a cash income and home consumption. This program provided a non-formal style of education in the activity of cultivating these crops and opportunity for the development of community run self help organizations in the Naivasha area. The Kenyan YMCA also, through this program, worked to promote sports such as football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis and etcetera for enjoyment and competition among the squatters.

The involvement of the YMCA of the United States started in the 1960s and continued into the 2000s. This connection fundamentally existed through the United States' assistance to Kenya's various YMCA projects. The United States contributed partially through programs such as the YMCA National Development Program, International Camp Counselor Exchange, the Young Ambassadors Program, and USAID or United States Agency for International Development. Many of these programs contributed to projects already in place, contributed via student exchange or donated to mini-development projects. The Oloiyiankalani Dispensary and Water project was one such project. It was partially sponsored by CODEL (Coordination in Development) through the United States YMCA. This project supplied water and medical services to the Oloiyiankalani community, within walking distance, in order to reduce long journeys made by people in the community in order to reach the nearest medical treatment center. It also meant to motivate people to improve the water conditions for both human and livestock use and to introduce nutritional and child care education to mothers. This project was introduced in 1981. Other programs such as the Nakuru Recreation Program with Monroe County Family YMCA, the Trilateral Work Camp Seminar with Hannover, Germany and Reading Pennsylvania and the swim program with Chicago, IL carried on through the 1980s, 90s and into the 2000s.

By 2010 the YMCA in Kenya maintained the Shauri Moyo, Nairobi Central, Mombasa, Meru, Nyeri, Githumu, Indaglasia, Kisii, Kakamega, Guatine, Kondo, Kibera, Lumurul Center, Ngecha, Mugona, Naivasha, Kisumu, Chavakali, Busia, Kilifi, Githumu, Eldoret and Nakuru branches as well as the Shauri Moyo, Nairobi Central and Nairobi South Hostels, the Limuru Agricultural Center, the Naivasha Camp and the National Training Institute. The Kenyan YMCA also retained membership in the African Alliance of YMCAs, the World Alliance of YMCAs and the Y's Men International while maintaining its focus on social justice and communities within Kenya and especially with greater emphasis on women and children.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Uganda along with their dates of service:

Doxzon, Steve (1976-1979) Glenn, Kim (1978-1980) Gilman, Boyd (1980-1982) Jacobson, Jill (1987-1989)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from "Kenya YMCA," (web, 2010, http://www.kenyaymca.com) and from the collection.

Myron Clark arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1891 upon request of George W. Chamberlain, a Presbyterian missionary to Brazil, to see if the area was suitable for a YMCA. After visiting Sao Paulo, Clark decided that that area was not well suited to host the country's first YMCA. Instead the first YMCA in Brazil was founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1893 and is the oldest continuous YMCA in Latin America. The founding of this Y also marked the Y's first foray into a Roman Catholic nation. In order to operate efficiently and reach a wide base of people, the YMCAs in Brazil became religiously tolerant - allowing Catholics membership in October of 1929. These were the first YMCAs to allow membership to non-Protestants.

The membership was predominantly Brazilian. They acquired a building in 1897, but was burdened by heavy debt for several years. Nevertheless, by the end of 1895, Brazil was home to two moreYMCAs in Campos and Sao Paulo. However, it was not until 1904 than an additional secretary was sent from North America. The first National Convention of the Brazilian Associations (The Brazilian Alliance of YMCAs) was held in July of 1903. Clark described it as the "first interdenominational gathering of any sort in all South America."

In 1901, another association was founded in Porto Alegre. The operation of this YMCA was unique in that it had no financial assistance from the national or international associations. This Y was responsible for raising money to fund all of the programs and the wages of its employees. Because of this, this YMCA had a lot of trouble getting up and running. However by 1930, under the direction of F. M. Long, the educational program was so successful that its night schools had inspired other night schools. City leagues for track and field sports were organized. Welfare work was done in the state penitentiary and sports and educational classes were started for newsboys.

The Rio de Janeiro Association grew rapidly after finally shedding its debt in 1906. Clarke retired from his position as general secretary in 1911 to focus more fully on his national secretary position and was succeeded by V.P. Bowe. In the following year the membership increased from 950 to over 1,400. The building was soon overcrowded and another building campaign was started in 1917 that eventually raised $100,000. An increase in membership again followed, reaching about 1,600 members in 1918.

In 1920, the popularity of physical education and athletic sports, in which the Association had been a pioneer, mounted rapidly. The National Committee decided to create a Department of Physical Education and appointed H. J. Sims as its head. They also recruited five young Brazilians for physical directorships. In 1922, the Association was also asked to find three directors of physical education for the Brazilian navy. But, the Association did focus on more than physical exercise. The National Convention of Brazil met in 1921 and voted to adopt a national program for social action and in some situations to take the principal leadership in dealing with alcoholism, sexual immorality, illiteracy, and thriftlessess.

The YMCA entered the 1940s with operations in only three Brazilian cities: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Porto Alegre. And all three struggled during the depression but then soon recovered. In 1951 the membership of Rio de Janeiro was reported at 5,000 with 600 in the boys’ department and a student body of 900 with eight Brazilian secretaries. In 1937, Sao Paulo acquired a building of its own, and in 1954, it had 2,600 members, and nine secretaries. It was noted for its educational programs extending outside the building into the twenty districts in the town. The Port Alegre Association also made an impressive recovery from the decline. In 1954, a campaign was organized locally to raise funds for new premises.

In 1960, a new constitution was adopted and the national organization has since then been called the Federação Brasileira das Associações Cristãs de Moços (Brazilian Federation of Young Men's Christian Associations). Later on more associations were formed including: Belo Horizonte (1951), Sorocaba (1956), Campinas (1964), Brasilia (1965), and Londrina (1966).

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Brazil, along with their dates of service.

Bordwell, Theodore Ivan (1911-1918) Lueras, Paul D. (1973-1977) Bowe, Vernon P. (1908-1921, 1926-1945) Lyon, Harry Speidel (1920-1922) Clark, Myron Augustus (1891-1920) Magee, Douglas George (1921-1926) Clarke, Dumont, Jr. (1909-1911) Manuel, Arthur Webster (1911-1919) Davison, Waldo Burton (1916-1929) McArrol, Ralph Bruce (1913-1915) Frohberg, Susan (1987-1989) Melby, Harry Charles (1922-1927) Fugua, James (1980-1982) Parks, Samuel Ryder (1912) Gallyon, Irving Henry (1912-1931) Salassa, Maurice Clarence (1911-1912) Gruenau, Curtis Thomsen (1943-1949) Shaw, Paul Vanorden (1921-1922) Henna, Chester B. (1920-1925) Sims, Henry James (1912-1932) Hill, Harry Oliver (1906-1913) Stair, Carl Edmund (1951-1964) Hinnant, Odis Benjamin (1932-1934) Vollmer, John (1908-1911) Lichtwardt, Henry Herrman (1916-1950) Warner, John Howell (1904-1928) Lightsey, Anne (1984-1986) Watson, James Boyd (1912-1915) Long, Frank Millard (1913-1934) Wiens, Rudolf Peter (1952-1972 )

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth LaTourette, and from the collection.

Although the YMCA movement had been active in China as early as the 1870s, the first North American work YMCA work in China dates from 1889, when Luther Wishard travelled there as part of his efforts to lay the groundwork for a major expansion of YMCA foreign work. He found four student YMCAs in existence and organized three more. Associations, chiefly for foreigners living in those cities, had also been organized in Shanghai and Hankou (Hankow). In 1895, the International Committee of the YMCA in North America sent the first American YMCA secretary, D. Willard Lyon, to China as a response to appeals from missionaries in Beijing (Peking), Shanghai, and Yantai (Chefoo). This was the beginning of fifty-five years of North American YMCA involvement in China. Over the years approximately 150 secretaries served in about forty associations throughout the country.

Lyon launched his work in Tianjin (Tientsin), rather than Beijing, as he had first intended, for there, so he said, was "the only city in China with a well-organized system of educational institutions for the teaching of Western subjects." As the future leaders of China, students were the focus of much the International Committee's attention. Following a tour of institutions of higher learning by Lyon and John R. Mott, then general secretary of the newly organized World's Student Christian Federation, twenty-two new student YMCAs were organized in China in 1896.

Part of the appeal of the YMCA was the International Committee's policy of stressing indigenous leadership, support, and control, which appealed to the burgeoning nationalism of the Chinese. However, the rapid growth of the YMCA in China initially required additional staff from the North American Association. Among the other early YMCA secretaries sent were Robert Ellsworth Lewis, Robert Reed Gailey, and Fletcher Sims Brockman. The Boxer Rebellion briefly halted the YMCA's activities in China, but recovery and advance followed rapidly. The General Committee of China, Korea, and Hong Kong was founded in 1901. The following year, headquarters were established in Shanghai. In 1912 the General Committee became the National Committee of the Young Men's Christian Association of China, with Brockman as the first national secretary (1901-1915). The peak of the International Committee's involvement came in the early 1920s, with 89 secretaries serving in China. By that time, there were 30 city associations with a membership of over 32,000, plus 170 student associations counting 14,200 members. Local boards of directors and the National Committee soon became predominantly and then exclusively Chinese. More and more, the responsible positions, both local and national, were filled by Chinese. In the position of National Secretary, Brockman was followed by C. T. Wang (1915-1916), David Yui (1916-1936), S. C. Leung (1926-1949), and Y. C. Tu.

While the YMCA's foreign work was rooted in the missionary movement and Bible classes were among the first activities offered by the fledgling association, the program included a variety of other educational programs, including English classes, lectures, and vocational training. Physical training, public health education (a national health campaign organized by the YMCA in 1920s virtually ended typhus in China), and other fields of work were soon added as the YMCA responded to local needs. The YMCA introduced many Western sports and Western-style sports competitions, and can also take credit for the early organization of the Olympic movement in China. Under the leadership of Max Exner, who became the first national physical director in 1908, as well as C. H. Robertson and educator Zhang Boling (Chang Poling), the YMCA organized the Far Eastern Games, the first international competitions in the far east.

After the revolution in 1949, the American YMCA continued to support Chinese YMCAs in Hong Kong and Taipei, Taiwan. Involvement by North Americans (or acknowledgement of the Y's Western connections) proved impossible under Communist rule. Nevertheless, a number of YMCAs on mainland China persisted. As of 1955, twenty-six continued to operate, the only Christian institution with a social program which had not been taken over by the government, but the YMCA in the United States had little direct contact with the YMCA in China during the middle decades of the century. In 1979, relations between the Chinese and American YMCA movements were renewed when Li Shao Pao, K. H. Ting, and Wen Han Zhou attended the World Council on Religion and Peace Conference in Princeton, New Jersey. Following friendly negotiations, funds held by the U. S. National Council of YMCAs for the YMCAs of China during World War II and following were returned in 1983. Subsequently, there have been continued delegations and visits by groups and individuals.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in China, along with their dates of service:

Adamson, Arthur Quentin (1909-1929) Lerrigo, George Edward (1909-1931) Allen, Arthur Jones (1912-1932) Lewis, Robert E. (1898-1908) Anderson, Paul B. (1913-1917)) Lockley, Arthur (1916-1927) Arnold, Roger David (1916-1952) Lockwood, Edward Harrison (1915-1920, 1926-1950) Barnett, Eugene Epperson (1910-1937) Lockwood, William Wirt (1903-1936) Barrie, H.G. (1901-1902) Long, Austin Oliver (1918-1928) Bates, Lewis George (1918-1922) Lyon, David Willard (1895-1930) Beard, Willard Livingstone (1904-1910) Magill, Orrin R. (1913-1927, 1930-1935, 1945-1951) Bishop, Merlin Asa (1945-1951) Masterson, Harris, Jr. (1913-1915) Blaisdell, Thomas Charles, Jr. (1922-1925) McCloy, Charles Harold (1913-1921) Boynton, Charles Luther (1906-1913, 1915-1920) McCormell, Thomas Cunningham (1915-1928) Brace, Albert James (1911-1936) McLachlin, Louis Ensley (1904-1931) Bradshaw, John (1916-1923) McMichael, Jack Richard, Jr. (1938-1939) Brockman, Fletcher Sims (1898-1915) McPherson, John Livingstone (1905-1934) Brockman, Whitfield Walton (1916-1935) Mead, Lawrence Meyers (1913-1927) Brunger, Harry (1947-1950) Mills, Wilson Plumer (1912-1932) Buckley, Earle Reid (1944-1948) Minard, Herbert Leslie (1945-1949) Burgess, John Stewart (1909-1930) Moeller, Roy Llewellyn (1919-1927) Carruthers, Donald Wallace (1915-1919) Moran, Hugh Anderson (1909-1914) Chambers, James Wheaton (1909-1911) Moritz, Paul Walter (1939-1951) Childs, John Lawrence (1916-1927) Munson, Edward Hartman (1910-1939) Clack, Robert Wood (1913-1924) Nipps, John Wesley (1913-1931) Clark, Arthur Leo (1925-1929) Northrup, Filmore (1919-1920) Clark, Jesse Claude (1911-1927) Oliver, Jay Charles (1916-1951) Cline, Warren Williams (1918-1932) Parker, Vernon DeLancey (1921 -1932) Clinton, Jacob Mancil (1904-1911) Peabody, Allen Stone (1921-1925) Cole, George Herbert (1905-1925) Peter, William Wesley (1913-1927) Collins, Stanley Browning (1910-1919) Petitt, Clifford Walter (1918-1931, 1936-1939) Colson, Ralph Brownell (1917-1920) Pettus, William Bacon (1906-1940) Cooley, Frank Leonard (1945-1952) Phraner, Stanley Lansing (1919-1920) Cooper, Richard Daniel (1947-1949) Platt, Joseph Eyre (1913-1925) Cowles, Samuel Macon (1918-1931) Richardson, Henry K. (1912-1916) Crocker, John Howard (1911-1917) Rinvold, Georg (1944-1945) Dadisman, John Hunter (1912-1917) Ritter, Richard Henry (1917-1919) Dennis, Herbert Ernest (1913-1919) Roberts, Ray Clinton (1912-1927) de Vargas, Philippe (1913-1920) Robertson, Clarence Hovey (1902-1931) Dome, Arthur Edmond (1921 -1926) Robinson, Arthur Greenwood (1913-1927) Dome, Earl (1916-1923) Rope, Raymond Funnelle (1917-1919) Edwards, Dwight Woodbridge (1906-1946) Rounds, Harold Judson (1917-1927) Elliot, Thomas Maxwell (1907-1928) Ruby, Clem Gerald (1916-1917) Exner, Max Joseph (1908-1912) Rugh, Arthur (1903-1921, 1924-1927) Fenn, Burtt Stoddard (1912-1920) Schmidt, Ben Harrison (1921-1931) Fitch, George Ashmore (1909-1946) Schrock, George A. (1916) Forbes, Robert Ireland (1919-1932) Schwenning, Gustav Theodore (1925-1926) Frantz, William Earl (1917-1925) Scofield, Carl Edward (1921-1928) Froelick, Louis Daniel (1907-1910) Sears, Lawrence Milton (1924-1928) Purer, Gottfried Edmund (1913) Service, Robert Roy (1905-1934) Gailey, Robert Reed (1898-1930) Shedd, Charles Clark (1916-1926) Gamble, Sidney David (1918-1932) Shires, Wilbur Stuart (1919-1920) Geldhart, John Hayes (1911 -1925) Siler, Charles Arthur (1912-1920) Gillett, Philip Loring (1913-1927, 1928-1932) Smith, B. Ward (1915-1932) Gold, Ralph Gaylord (1915-1928) Smith, I.H. (1930) Grant, Benjamin Ernest (1922-1925) Smith, Karl Blair (1920-1923) Gray, John Henry (1920-1928) Stange, Karl Henry (1946-1950) Guttery, Arthur Minton (1913-1929) Stanley, Rupert Harrison (1912-1919, 1923-1927) Hall, Edward Leverich (1915-1929) Starrett, Oscar Garfield (1916-1919) Hall, James Worthington (1943-1949) Stewart, William Ramsey (1910-1939) Hall, Lawrence Kingsley (1918-1929) Strong, Robbins (1949-1950) Hall, Raymond Stearns (1909-1945) Swan, Alfred Hjalmar (1912-1921) Harvey, Charles Way (1902-1930) Sweet, Lennig (1916-1917, 1920-1936) Hayes, Cameron Douglas (1911-1913) Sweetman, Herbert Ray (1918-1927) Hayes, Egbert McGinnis (1913-1927, 1930-1937) Taylor, William E. (1905-1917) Hayes, Luther Newton (1910-1932) Tobin, Chester Martin (1928-1936) Heck, Charles McGee (1911-1912) Todnem, Lawrence (1915-1934, 1936-1948) Helde, George Grace (1916-1943) Tomlinson, Percy Richard (1923-1927) Hening, Sydney Evans (1912-1923) Trindle, John Robert (1914-1915) Herschleb, Charles Augustus (1913-1920) Turner, Eugene A. (1913-1949) Hersey, Roscoe Monroe (1905-1927) Turner, George Frederick (1914-1919) Hines, William Earle (1929-1950) Tuttle, Nelson Sabinas (1920-1922) Hoagland, Amos Nathan (1912-1918) Van Winkle, Charles W. (1934-1936) Hogan, Ralph Montague (1919-1934) Verink, Ellis Daniel (1918-1925) Holroyd, Alexander Waldo (1921-1927) Veryard, Robert Kelsey (1911 -1932) Hoover, Lyman (1930-1949) Wagner, Harry Milton, Jr. (1916-1926) Howell, Lawrence Day (1913-1915) Wallace, James Hill (1905-1916) Irle, William Kenneth (1917-1919) Watkins, Wilson P. (1918-1925) Jones, Tracey (1917-1928) Wear, Robert Benjamin (1913-1927) Jordan, Wayne Clark (1913-1924) Wheeler, Mark Hotchkiss (1921-1932) Jorgensen, Charles William, Jr. (1944-1950) Whitmore, Frank Beach (1905-1915) Kees, Marion Andrew (1909-1912, 1916-1932) Wilber, Francis Edmond (1911-1918) Kelsey, Dean Lewis (1911 -192 8) Wilbur, Hollis Adelbert (1913-1925, 1935-1938) Kingman, Harry Lees (1921-1928) Wilson, Lucian Clovis (1913-1917) Leake, Ralph Andrew (1916-1930) Wilson, William (1910-1911) Leavitt, George William (1906-1907) Winning, Robert Gerald (1908-1910) Leiser, Frederick Oscar (1905-1916) Wise, Edgar S. (1921-1924) Lenz, Frank Bernhard (1916-1922) Yelton, Elmer (1912-1914)

Historical information adapted in part from Kenneth Scott Latourette, World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of The Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, New York: Association Press, 1957.

From the founding of the YMCA, the leaders of the American and British movements believed in the idea of universal Christian brotherhood and the power of their evangelical mission to transcend national boundaries. In 1886, the initial steps towards the organization of an international movement were begun at the first Student Christian Conference at Mount Hermon, Massachusetts, where a group of one hundred students signed a pledge to participate in volunteer work in foreign countries. One of these students was John R. Mott, the future general secretary of the YMCA's International Committee.

The conference at Mount Hermon, in addition to requests for assistance from missionaries in India, led YMCA leaders to organize the International Convention in Philadelphia in 1889, which would formally establish the basis of YMCA international work. It was agreed that the YMCA's International Committee (the governing body for YMCA work in the United States and Canada) should work to establish associations staffed by trained secretaries in foreign lands. These fraternal secretaries would help the associations to become self-sustaining, self-governing, and self-propagating; secretaries were to help acquire buildings, recruit and train native staff, and perform special educational and administrative duties. In 1889, a subcommittee was organized to oversee international work, which was known as the Foreign Department or the Foreign Committee.

On October 3rd, 1889, two Americans, John T. Swift and David McConaughy, set sail to become the first YMCA secretaries to serve abroad. Swift was sent to Japan, while McConaughy was assigned to India. The YMCA also sent Luther D. Wishard on a three-year tour of the world to investigate the possibilities of future international expansion. In addition, John R. Mott was sent on a tour of existing YMCAs abroad from 1895 to 1896 in order to stimulate interest in the movement. By 1900, eighteen YMCA secretaries were serving in India, Japan, Brazil, China, and Ceylon. The movement gained popularity at such a rate that requests for fraternal secretaries quickly outpaced the existing funds – demand from associations in China and India was particularly pronounced.

YMCA international work continued to flourish during the first decade of the twentieth century, with 106 fraternal secretaries serving in fourteen nations and Puerto Rico by 1910. Conferences on foreign work were held, and the YMCA organized a publication known as Foreign Mail to publicize the international mission of the organization. Importantly, YMCA international work was successful in developing native leadership; by the end of the decade, about one hundred native secretaries were working in YMCA associations around the world.

The role of the YMCA abroad continued to expand, and the organization became to be seen as an aid to national welfare. In 1916, YMCAs in India launched the National Rural Development project, which provided agricultural, economic, and educational opportunities in rural areas of the country. A similar program was established in Uruguay. During World War I, the YMCA was credited with serving six million men in camps, hospitals, and prisons, while assisting another twenty million on the battlefield. By 1918, the YMCA supported 188 fraternal secretaries, while another 435 native secretaries were working in associations around the world.

The postwar era came with changes for the international work of the YMCA. The movement shifted from missionary-driven evangelism to a have a greater focus on social welfare and departmentalized specializations, giving attention to physical activities, health, education, and boys' work. As buildings were erected and national committees were firmly established, greater focus was placed on sending specialized secretaries abroad who had experience in specific areas, such as student work and physical education. By 1925, YMCA international work had reached its highpoint with 229 fraternal secretaries serving alongside 693 native secretaries.

By 1927, however, the Foreign Department was faced with a serious deficit of over a million dollars, forcing the YMCA to begin a two-year retrenchment period by withdrawing 47 fraternal secretaries from their posts abroad. The situation only worsened following the crash of the global economy in 1929. In 1933, the number of fraternal secretaries had been reduced to 81, and Foreign Department expenditures were reduced from $2.2 million in 1925 to just under $800,000 in 1933. Although YMCA work was forced to cease in Cuba, Portugal, and Estonia, other nations were able to weather the crisis because of the support of established native secretaries – providing credence to the wisdom of the YMCA's 1889 mission of establishing self-sustaining associations abroad.

The International Committee was integrated into the YMCA's National Council in 1936, and the Foreign Department was renamed the World Service. Following the outbreak of World War II, the YMCA restarted its war work once again, serving troops, prisoners, and refugees. The YMCA also played an active role in reconstruction following the war. In 1947, the YMCA launched the World Youth Fund, which raised $5,755,000 for the construction of 66 buildings and allowed 641 secretaries to return to their work abroad. The National Council was reorganized in 1950, and the International Committee was dissolved to make way for a new International Committee that administered the World Service of both the United States and Canada.

In 1958, the International Committee launched an immense fundraising campaign known as the Buildings for Brotherhood program, which raised $5.5 million in the United States and Canada, while another $12.5 million was raised abroad. In all, the program led to the construction 112 new buildings in 35 different nations around the world. In 1968, the YMCA joined with other service organizations in attending the first World Consultation on Management and International Development in Geneva, which heightened the International Committee's focus on development work around the world.

The United States and Canada began to administer separate World Service programs in 1970, leading to the formation of the International Division under the National Board, which was established to replace the International Committee of the USA and Canada. This new division made a renewed commitment to pursue a program of international development. In 1973, the YMCA began its relationship with USAID after the development agency made a $1.2 million grant to the International Division. Between 1976 and 1986, the YMCA received a total of $19.2 million for international development work from USAID. As a result of increased funding for development grants and the training of native secretaries, the number of YMCA fraternal secretaries serving abroad had declined to twenty by 1972.

Along with the rest of the YMCA's National Board, the International Division moved its offices from New York City to Chicago in 1981, while the YMCA of Greater New York assumed responsibility for International Program Services. By that time just six American YMCA personnel served abroad, overseeing larger geographic regions such as Southern Europe, Africa, and Asia; however, additional personnel were assigned to specific projects in individual nations, especially to help establish new YMCA associations.

Throughout the 1990s, the YMCA's International Division continued to provide funding for development work, promoted the establishment of new YMCA associations, and placed emphasis on student work around the world – hosting student exchange programs and international conventions to continue to foster international fellowship.

[Historical information largely adapted from the collection, as well as from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth LaTourette.]

YMCA associations were established in Singapore in 1903 and in 1905 in Kuala Lumpur. These early associations were predominantly attended and administered by westerners, as well as Chinese and Indian Christians. The Singapore Association, led by a British secretary named R. D. Pringle, opened a new building in 1911, while the YMCA in Kuala Lumpur constructed new buildings in 1908 and 1915 with the help of government grants and assistance from several Chinese donors. The quickly growing associations offered physical education classes, organized sports, religious programs, and hobby groups.

In 1920, a new YMCA association was established in the Malay city of Ipoh. The associations in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur also constructed hostels, which attracted people to the YMCAs and served as a steady source of revenue. World War II disrupted the activities of the YMCA in the region, and the secretary of the Singapore YMCA, Rowland Lyne, was imprisoned by the Japanese for three years before his release in 1945. The YMCA of Kuala Lumpur was able to continue its work during part of the occupation because of the protection of a local Japanese Christian; however, after the man left the city, the YMCA building was turned over to the Japanese military. Following the war, a second YMCA was established in Singapore to serve the needs of Chinese speaking citizens who were displaced by the war and had long been a sizeable minority group in the city.

The Malayan Council of YMCAs was formed in 1950, joining the two YMCAs in Singapore with the two associations in the Malaya Federation. The YMCAs promoted programs with a strong emphasis on sports, physical education, and youth clubs. In addition, several YMCAs offered vocational training programs and night school for members. Notably, both YMCAs of Singapore offered popular commercial and language training programs. Through the late 1950s into the 1960s, the YMCAs received funds from the Buildings for Brotherhood Program, aiding in the construction of new YMCA buildings. Following several failed attempts, a YMCA association was established in the Malay city of Penang in 1959. A new association was also established in Sabah in 1966, as well as in Kuching in the 1970s.

In 1970, the Malayan Council of YMCAs was dissolved, leading to the formation of the National Council of YMCAs of Singapore and the National Council of YMCAs of Malaysia. In addition to opening three new neighborhood branches, the Chinese YMCA of Singapore changed its name to the Metropolitan YMCA of Singapore in 1974 in order to fit with the YMCA's racially inclusive, non-sectarian mission. The YMCAs of both nations continued to focus their attention on youth work and sports. In addition, the Kuala Lumpur Association created a program to assist the nation's deaf and established a vocational training school for the handicapped. The YMCA continues its work in both Singapore and Malaysia today.

[Historical information was found within the records of the YMCA in Malaysia and Singapore located at the Kautz Family YMCA Archives, Minneapolis, MN. Additional information was obtained online from YMCA International: http://www.ymca.int/where-we-work/ymcas-country-profile/asia-pacific/singapore/]

The first YMCAs in Argentina, dating from the 1870s, were chiefly for English-speaking young men, mainly from England and Scotland. An early contact with the American YMCA was in 1884 when a group of six young men sent an inquiry to the International Committee of YMCAs of North America about Association methods. Myron Clark, the general secretary of the Y in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, visited Argentina in 1900. As a result of that visit, a request for a secretary for Argentina came to the International Committee. In 1901, Bertram A. Shuman arrived in Buenos Aires and founded a YMCA there in 1902. He was joined in 1903 by Charles J. Ewald, who focused on YMCA work among students. Using money raised in Buenos Aires as well as a fund obtained by John R. Mott, a building was erected in 1912.

In 1914, the South American Federation of Young Men's Christian Associations (Federación Sudamericana de Asociaciónes Cristianas de Jovenes) was formed, bringing together the YMCAs of that continent for comprehensive planning and fellowship. Inaugurated at a conference in Montevideo, Uruguay and attended by secretaries from the Associations and representative leaders of the Protestant churches of the continent, it was considered by some "the most representative interdenominational and international gathering ever met in Latin America to consider in a scientific way the intricate problems of this field." One of the central issues was the basis of active membership. While the YMCA was Protestant in origin, in Latin America it was operating in a region which nominally was overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. Ultimately an agreement was reached to open membership to young men who were either members of an evangelical church or who affirmed in writing "their faith in Jesus Christ as their Divine and only Saviour, the sufficient source of moral strength for the individual and society . . .and their purpose to unite with other Christians, irrespective of church affiliations for extending Christ's influence among young men . . ." This alternative permitted Roman Catholics as well as Protestants and also those without church membership to be active members.

The onset of World War I brought financial difficulties, complicated by tensions among British and German members. The Y persevered, however, and continued to grow. In 1916 Emmanuel A. Galland was sent by the International Committee to help with the students. Soon he was reporting Bible classes for students in Buenos Aires, contacts with high school boys, and efforts in other student centers in Argentina. A National Committee for Argentina was created in 1919, as well as a national physical directorship and the first summer institute for the Association physical directorship.

While the membership was primarily British and Protestant at the outset, concerted efforts were made to attract Argentinians as members and leaders. By 1925, only two North American secretaries remained -- Shuman as general secretary and Frederic W. Dickens as physical director. The other posts were filled by nationals, including F. Camerini Zabban, who served as joint general secretary with Shuman. In 1926, the Central Association had 4,400 members. Other developments of the 1920s included the acquisition of a site for summer camps and for community work, growth in boys' work, and the selection of Dickens to train the country's representatives in the Olympic games.

After 1930, no North American secretary was resident in Argentina, partly because of the costs of the foreign work. Thereafter only occasional assistance came from North American secretaries, and they were on the staff of the Continental Committee and not allocated exclusively to Argentina. Despite the strains of the depression, the Argentinian Y continued to grow. In 1938 a new and much larger building was completed and dedicated. There were 8,000 members, said to be the largest number in any YMCA south of the equator, and there were twelve secretaries, all nationals.

Besides the Association in Buenos Aires, two other YMCAs were organized in Argentina, at Rosario, in December 1929, and in Bahia Blanca. Both were begun on local initiative stimulated by secretaries of the Continental Committee. Both were inaugurated at a time when the depression was deepening and when Roman Catholic influences were tightening. Both struggled financially, particularly since the Roman Catholic Church later gained increased power in the government and the latter reduced its financial support to the Associations. Both were served by Argentinian secretaries and to neither was a North American secretary assigned.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Argentina, along with their dates of service:

Bell, John Burton (1966-1969) Hull, Angus Clifton (1911) Conrad, Philip (1906-1908) Hurrey, Charles du Bois (1908-1911) Dickens, Frederic William (1920-1932) McKnight, William Asbury (1912-1913) Ewald, Charles Jefferson (1903-1911) Phillips, Philip P. (1912-1921) Ewing, Harry Ernest (1910-1930, 1933-1934) Shuman, Bertram Arthur (1901-1931) Field, Jay Clayton (1913-1925) Sims, Laura (1980-1982) Galland, Emmanuel (1917-1922) Underwood, Herbert George (1917-1918)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette.

American YMCA members' visits to Egypt began in the early 1890s. Luther De Loraine Wishard, during his world tour, visited Egypt. He held meetings in Cairo and at the college maintained by the United Presbyterians of North America in Assiut. John R. Mott also came repeatedly beginning in 1895 on his mission for the World's Student Christian Federation. He organized a student association in the United Presbyterian college at Assiut in 1896. In 1893-94 an attempt to organize a YMCA in Cairo had been made, but it did not last longer than a year. Early in 1909 a YMCA was effectively launched, but this Association, created through local initiative, was restricted to British and American membership. The following year, in 1910, an Arabic-speaking branch was organized, largely by the British YMCA and the Church Missionary Society. The membership of this branch was primarily Coptic and Syrian Christians. The English national council did not have the means to support the Egyptian Association and in 1913, the American YMCA's International Committee began to assist. It brought in Cairo, Egypt's first resident secretary, William Mort Jessop.

Jessop was not in Egypt for long before the country became involved in World War I. Due to the British occupation Egypt sided with the Allies. Jessop worked devotedly with British troops, dedicating much of his time attempting to distract these troops from the temptations of the cities. He aspired to branch into different areas of Egypt, eventually creating an Army Branch in Alexandria for men on active service. Programs and services that he began in Egypt included communion services on Sundays, bible classes, cricket, football, tennis, and a rifle range. He also started lectures, Arabic and French classes, debate groups, a photography studio, socials and concerts, all for British or American men only. He served in Egypt until 1921 when it was decided that a change in management of the Egypt YMCA business affairs should be made. Wilbert B. Smith was brought in to handle this change in management, becoming the Senior Secretary of the YMCA in Egypt.

Drawing on his extensive experience in India, Smith quickly organized the Egyptian YMCA, including all of the men and funds coming from the English National Committee, under one North American senior secretary. While each city in Egypt had its own general committee, a central office coordinated certain aspects of the organization. Smith stressed the importance of inclusion in YMCA work and from the beginning pressed for the recruitment and training of Egyptian secretaries. He also extended his operations to Alexandria, feeling that both Cairo and Alexandria should have permanent associations in place. In Cairo he inspired the International Committee to purchase and renovate the former palace of an Egyptian Prime Minister for YMCA use. In Alexandria he opened the Anglo-American branch in 1921 and an Egyptian Branch with Muslim and Christian members in 1923. The Central Branch in Cairo also opened in 1923. Within 3 months it could report a membership of 320 Muslims, Christians and Jews.

When the YMCA began in Egypt, the country was under British control. British occupation began in 1882 and continued on until 1936. In 1921 Egypt was officially declared independent but certain functions were reserved to Britain. In 1922 a constitution was devised and nationalist sentiment grew. The nation highly identified itself with Islam and strove to make any Christian enterprise from abroad recognize this fact and adjust to it. Laws were put in place that ensured that all paperwork and documentation be written in Arabic and that a certain percent of jobs in the organization be filled by Egyptian citizens. Study of the Arabic language became a major concern for the secretaries of the YMCA in Egypt.

In the early 1930s the effects of the depression in the United States began to make themselves felt in Egypt. The Cairo Central Association gave much attention to finding work for members that were unemployed and undertook no further expansion during this time. Development was stunted in Assiut due to the delay in obtaining funds from America. Despite these difficulties the Assiut Association succeeded in raising its local budget, supporting its Egyptian Secretary and completing and dedicating its building by 1932.

Nationalist feelings continued to grow during the mid- to late-1930s, and the use of Egypt by British troops as a base for Allied operations during World War II exacerbated Egyptian discontent. In 1952 the "free officers" overthrew King Farouk, initiating the Egyptian Rebellion. Expecting immediate reforms, the workers started riots in Kafr Dawar. The existing Egyptian government then drafted a constitution and declared Egypt a republic in 1953. During this time of chaos and unrest the YMCA focused on community and leadership activities, and thus avoided being seen by the Egyptian government as a threat to the newly formed system of Arab Socialism within the country.

In 1959 the YMCA in Egypt began again to grow and develop. Several new building projects came into being during this time including, Mina and Abu Kurkas, Quesna, Port Said, Luxor, Shoubra El Kheima and Tema. The services available in each of these individual YMCAs varied depending on the needs of the communities. By 1976 Associations had formed in as many as 12 other cities and provincial towns along the Nile River. These YMCAs focused on youth work, day care programs, helping children of working mothers, medical services, inner-city work, vocational training, citizenship education, and physical education. Since 1967 leadership had been entirely in Egyptian hands and women were able to increasingly fill these leadership roles. The U.S. International Division provided a continuing liaison relationship with the Egyptian YMCA leaders.

As of 2012 the YMCA in Egypt was running strong with the Alexandria YMCA as the largest branch. At this time there were 18 branches throughout the country. Though these branches focused on working with the young people and the women of the country they also offered many different services to the diverse population of Egypt.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Egypt along with their dates of service:

Atwell, Donald Bliss (1921-1934) Jessop, WIlliam Mort (1913-1921) Barber, John Clarke (1955-1960) Long, John Franklin (1959-1963) Boyd, Alden W. (1929-1934) MacQueen, James McGill (1922-1925) Brown, R. Gerald (1976-1979) Malcolm, John Baden (1929-1932) Burns, Robert Wayne (1926-1929) Martin, Randolph (1978-1980) Creighton, David Coleridge (1943-1945) Oliver, Jay Charles (1951-1952) Denison, W. Harold (1949-1950) Quay, James King (1928-1948) Dinsmore, Lee F. (1943-1945) Smith, Wilbert Barnes (1920-1932, 1934-1945) Gallagher, Quentin Pershing (1953-1957) Tamblyn, Gerald Matthews (1922-1929) Holcombe, Clinton Steele (1922-1932) Torrence, Edgar Clifton (1963-1967) Hume, Wilson McClaughry (1952-1956) Ward, William Earl Dodge (1932) Hutchinson, Frank Louis (1944-1947) Wiens, Rudolf Peter (1946-1952)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, from the collection and from the YMCA of Alexandria Egypt web site (www.ymcaalex.net) by Ossama Alber and YMCA Alexandria, 2012.

Plans to start YMCA work in Ethiopia began in 1947 as the idea of Michael Wassef, an Egyptian YMCA secretary, a member of the Cairo YMCA, and supervisor for physical education in the Ethiopian government's school system. The National Council of the YMCA in Ethiopia was organized with the help of Naguib Kelada, James K. Quay. Wassef's initial plan was developed with the encouragement and intense interest of Emperor Haile Selassie I, and representative citizens of the community. It was also made possible through the support of the North American YMCA. Active programs were in place as of 1949. An Ethiopian YMCA constitution was drafted and adopted in 1950 and endorsed and made into law by Selassie in 1951. During the early years the YMCA in Ethiopia operated in quarters at the Arat Kilo. The central YMCA in Addis Ababa was officially opened in 1955 by the Emperor. Able-bodied, well-educated, enthusiastic and devoted to his work, Wassef introduced social, recreational and educational activities including athletic teams, informal recreation programs, dramatic clubs, religious programs, bible classes, lectures and cinema programs. Though he had a strong association already, Wassef was anxious to have the assistance that a North American secretary assigned to Ethiopia would bring.

Merlin A. Bishop was the first North American secretary sent to Ethiopia. He arrived in 1951 and initially began a program for health education. By 1953 it reached more than 200,000 people with information and demonstrations on nutrition and hygiene. Bishop also introduced natural sciences such as astronomy and handicraft classes such as woodwork, metalwork, carving, mimeograph and printing. Bishop also recruited and kept on three local secretaries by 1954. In 1955, when the Addis Ababa YMCA building was officially opened, Marvin J. Ludwig was sent to assist the program in Ethiopia.

The expansion of the YMCA took place by request of communities asking for the YMCA services. The Ambo Student Center was begun in 1955 in cooperation with the program of the Ambo Agricultural School. The Asmara YMCA was opened in 1960, Adwa opened its YMCA in 1961. The first additional branch of the Addis Ababa Central YMCA was opened in 1962 in the market area. Work in Bahr Dar was opened in 1963 as well as the second additional branch of the central YMCA. In late 1963 work was begun in Dire Dawa. The fourth central branch YMCA in Addis Ababa, the Foundation YMCA was opened in 1964 and the Debre Berhan Student Center was opened in 1965. By 1967 there was fifteen Ethiopian secretaries, two fraternal secretaries, two buildings owned, five buildings rented, and three buildings used rent free.

In 1967 there were programs in YMCA leadership, club leadership, physical education leadership, crafts teaching, counselling, guidance, boys' work, handicraft, a future citizens' club and the desire to develop a stronger camping program. There were adult education programs that included literacy classes, mass education, dramas and lectures. Religious programs were regularly organized around the holidays and festivals of the Orthodox church and also conducted regular World Week of prayer programs in cooperation with the World Alliance and the local Orthodox church. The YMCA in Ethiopia also had a regular radio program on Saturday afternoons and a TV program on Saturday evenings. In 1964 the Ethiopian YMCA was the first agency to receive the Haile Selassie First Prize Trust Award for "Outstanding Achievements in Humanitarian Activities."

In 1973 the province of Wollo in Ethiopia was seriously affected by drought. This drought caused a massive flow of displaced and starving people to travel to the capital of the Wollo province, Dessie. Dessie, which was already suffering a 55 percent rate of unemployment, was unequipped to handle the massive flow of new population. The YMCA quickly set up shop in Dessie providing relief services to these dispossessed people. They set up temporary housing, provided children with food and medicine and built latrines in town as to avoid illness that poor hygiene was bound to create. The YMCA focused its attention on the supplying of clothing and medicine. There was a campaign in Addis Ababa and other areas to collect used clothing. The YMCA saved the lives of at least 250 abandoned and orphaned children in Bati, a drought-hit town within the province of Wollo.

The YMCA in 1975 also focused its energies on self help community development activities and farming programs. The rural development program's purpose was to improve the existing conditions of subsistence farming, to improve the living conditions of farmers, to develop community self-help organizations and to upgrade the education level of the farming population.

In 1976 a military regime took power in Ethiopia and all companies began to be nationalized. This limited the YMCA's ability to gather its funding, which prior to this had been eighty percent covered by the contributions of local businesses. The YMCA began to ask the International Committee and the North American YMCA for assistance as well as the Ethiopian government. Shortly thereafter, in 1977, the Ethiopian government decided to also nationalize the Ethiopian YMCA. All sixteen branches and twelve buildings were taken over by the government and the local staff was retained by the government as well. At this point the association for all intensive purposes was dissolved.

In 1992 the Ethiopian YMCA was reestablished by the Ethiopian government. It was developed as a volunteer-led association with programs on HIV/AIDS awareness, street children education, physical fitness and character building training. It became a full member of the World Alliance of YMCAs in 2006.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Ethiopia along with their dates of service:

Bishop, Merlin Asa (1951-1960) Manchester, Owen D. (1967-1970) Eveland, John Charles (1965-1966) McCann, Alan (1960-1963) Houser, Norris D. (1971-1974) McClure, Carl (1970-1971) Lineweaver, Norris David (1967-1968) Smythe, John (1963-1967) Ludwig, Marvin Jay (1955-1968)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, from the collection and from "YMCA International, World Alliance of YMCAs, Ethiopia" (http://www.ymca.int/where-we-work/ymcas-country-profile/africa/ethiopia/).

In 1909 Angus Clifton Hull was sent to Santiago, the capital and largest city of Chile, to explore the possibility of beginning an Association but a decision was made not to pursue the attempt. In 1910 while visiting Valparaiso, Chile, Charles D. Hurrey met with a group who were interested in forming a YMCA. Through them a provisional committee was formed. In 1912 the International Committee sent Frederic Christian Wurtz as secretary and in September of that year the Association was launched.

By the middle of the twentieth century Chile had three YMCAs: one in Valparaiso, founded in 1912 as stated above by Hurrey; one in Santiago, organized in 1918 by Ralph C. Scott; and one in Concepcion, begun in 1927. The YMCA in Antofagasta was founded in 1962 and extended to Iquique in 1981.

When the Valparaiso Association was founded, the membership was chiefly from the English and German communities. In June 1915, A. E. Turner arrived and was general secretary until 1933. He gave special attention to attracting Chilean young men. Various types of social work were begun by members including classes for working women and a center for homeless children. There was also a campaign to reduce illiteracy. Basketball was introduced, and by 1930 about 68 teams and 17 clubs were participating in a city-wide tournament. Under Turner, better housing conditions were obtained, visiting nurse services were started, and an anti-fly campaign was carried through. In 1938, with the deepening of the depression, Turner was retired from the staff. No North American secretary served the Valparaiso Association after that point.

The Santiago Association had a long struggle. The city was a major student center and the Association was first formed there to serve solely this group, but soon expanded beyond it. Hugo Grassi devoted some months to inaugurating the physical department; he was followed by another Uruguayan. A succession of North American also secretaries helped. In 1926 there were about 800 members, and in 1947 the boys work was so successful that the Government gave it financial assistance.

The Concepcion Association had almost no assistance from North America and, except briefly, was carried on entirely with South American secretaries.

As of 1952, the local YMCAs were coordinated by the Chilean Federation with its office located in Valparaiso. In the early 2000s the Chilean movement reached 12,000 members, with Santiago making up 30% of Chile's participants. The principal programs were related to physical education, sports, camps, schools, recreation, and community work.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Chile, along with their dates of service.

Andersen, Ted (1983-1985) Hansen, Conrad J. (1926-1931) Baldwin, Lawrence E. (1941-1947) Hull, Angus Clifton (1908-1911) Binkley, Wade Everet (1916-1919) Hutsell, Garry Wayne (1969-1970) Bjorlie, Wayne E. (1966-1967) Maricle, Victor Neal (1950-1955) Brooks, Mila W. Rayburn, Clarence Elmer (1925-1928) Costas, James H. (1964-1971) Scott, Ralph C. (1916-1926) Crew, Malcolm Richard (1921-1925, 1931-1952) Turner, Augustine Elmer (1915-1933) Dickens, Frederic Williams (1932-1933) Viramontes, Edward (1976-1978) Dunbar, Elizabeth L. (1967-1968) Wurtz, Frederic Christian (1911-1915) Ewing, Harry Ernest (1930-1932)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, and from the collection.

YMCAs in the area formerly known as Czechoslovakia pre-date the coming of representatives from the North American movement; the earliest seems to have been organized in Prague in 1888. Like much of the other YMCA work in Europe, the American YMCA's involvement really began during World War I. Service to Czechoslovak legionnaires in France, Italy, Siberia, and elsewhere led to a request from the newly formed Czechoslovak government for a similar program in the army. In 1919 an agreement was entered into between the Czech government and the Association authorities in Paris and New York, and by May 1919, twelve buildings or "huts" were in operation. Headquarters were established in Prague and large numbers of American YMCA secretaries were sent. Typical programs included organizing lectures and addresses on religion and morals, as well as athletics. In 1919 a school for training personnel was begun. Work with the Czech army peaked in 1920 with seventy fully equipped centers in operation.

The popularity of the YMCA's work with the army soon resulted in request to expand the work to the civilian population. Early work, led by Donald Lowrie, Howard B. Durkee, Walter W. Gethman, and others, focused on serving students, who had urgent needs for housing, cheap meals, and a social and study center. The Association constructed a large army type of YMCA hut in Prague, known as the Studensky Domov, which served the thousands who flocked to the university following the war. Building on the army work, the International Committee selected and trained a body of Czech secretaries who facilitated the relatively quick development of a self-supporting YMCA movement in that country. The first National Convention was held in July 1921 and a Central Committee chosen. Later that year Walter W. Gethman was elected national secretary. A few weeks later the International Committee had offered its property in Czechoslovakia to the Central Committee. Growth of the movement was rapid, with 120 associations in operation by 1923. Six buildings were erected during 1923 and 1924. In 1928 the Prague building was completed and was said to have been equaled by no other Association building outside the United States.

Summer camps for boys were developed and proved popular. They were entirely new in Europe and became models for the camping and youth organizations of the country. A publishing department was set up which issued books and magazines. In 1926 Gethman became general secretary of the World's Committee and Durkee was appointed senior secretary for Czechoslovakia. By 1931, there were 325 associations with over 22,000 members. This rapid expansion brought financial problems however, chiefly relating to the debt accumulated from construction, which left the Czechoslovak association ill-prepared to face the Depression and consequent decline in funds and personnel from North America. After an unsuccessful attempt to raise funds in the U.S. from American-Bohemian sources, Durkee left and Charles T. Tidball became senior secretary with a much-reduced staff. The Association persevered, however, and continued to thrive. Physical work flourished and educational classes, cultural groups, summer camps, and boys' and young men's clubs (including Hi-Y and Y's Men clubs) continued to expand until the German occupation. By 1938, believing that the Czechoslovak Association was solid enough to stand on its own feet and no longer needed help from North America, the final remaining fraternal secretary, Brackett Lewis, resigned after five years as general secretary in Prague and five as national secretary.

With the onslaught World War II, the North American International Board stepped in again, along with the Associations of Scandinavia, Holland, and Great Britain to help provide aid for the many refugees that flooded what was left of Czechoslovakia after portions were annexed by Germany and Hungary. Under the German protectorate and subsequent occupation, Associations were increasingly restricted and secretaries were under the scrutiny of the Gestapo. A student secretary, Jaroslav Simsa, and two of his volunteer leaders lost their lives in underground opposition to the Nazis. In Slovakia in 1941, the Association was ordered dissolved. In 1943 a command for dissolution in Bohemia and Moravia followed. The Association did not entirely disappear, however, managing to carry on under the protection of the churches.

In 1945 Czechoslovakia was again independent and measures were taken to restore the YMCAs with the help of the International Board. Lawrence Aplin arrived in October 1945 as its representative. Under his direction, much of the Association's work focused on youth left orphaned or half-orphaned by the war. The coup of 1948 by which the Communists seized power did not immediately put an end to the YMCA but quickly created new problems. The government ordered a single official Communist youth movement called the Cz.J.M. The YMCA attempted to remain independent on the grounds that it was more than a youth organization. In its efforts to remain a representative of non-Communist Western-style democracy, it soon became viewed as a center of opposition to communism. The situation rapidly deteriorated and in 1950, Aplin was withdrawn. For a time the Association was permitted to operate but activities with youth under eighteen years of age were prohibited and raising funds by public subscriptions was forbidden. For a few months grants continued form the government, but in February 1951 the Association was dissolved and its property was taken over by the Union of Czechoslovak Youth.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Czechoslovakia, along with their dates of service, if known:

Allen, P. McGregor (1919-1925) Lewis, John Brackett (1928-1938) Aplin, Lawrence Edgar D. (1945-1950) Lowrie, Donald A. (1922-1930) Barden, Henry Clark (1918-1925) Machotka, Joseph Frank (1920-1925) Duffy, Edward Francis (1931-1934) Riess, Lewis William (1921-1924) Durkee, Howard Bertram (1920-1929) Riley, Charles Wood (1922-1931) Gethman, Walter W. (1925-1926) Sommerville, Joseph John (1924-1933) Jennings, Asa Kent (1921-1925) Vavrina, Vaclav (1920-1933) Karlovsky, Ludwig George (1921-1927) Watts, Richard Nottingham (1927-1929) Lamb, Charles Stanley (1919-1921)

Historical information adapted and largely quoted from World Service: A History of Foreign work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, by Kenneth LaTourette, and from the collection.

The YMCA in Asuncion, Paraguay was established on May 10, 1943 with the assistance of the South American Federation of YMCAs and a group of local laymen. The initial organization was managed by a temporary commission, until the YMCA obtained official legal recognition from the Paraguayan government in 1945. One of the first projects of the Asuncion YMCA was to establish a hospital in a suburb of the city to demonstrate the YMCA’s commitment to community service.

Robert Tilford, who had previously served with the Chicago YMCA, was selected as the first General Secretary of the Asuncion YMCA in 1949. Under Tilford’s leadership, the YMCA in Paraguay would continue to expand in membership and held cultural, spiritual, and physical activities in rented buildings in the Paraguayan capital.

In addition to the construction of a camp 50 kilometers outside of Asuncion, the YMCA gained strength and popularity through the purchase of a permanent building in the heart of the city. The property was purchased in 1953 with the help of the International Committee and the Chicago Association, which gave $25,000 for the project. The new building allowed the Asuncion YMCA to grow in popularity and contributed to the development of a strong physical education program.

The Asuncion YMCA was often challenged by limited funds. The poverty of the local population made fundraising a challenge, and the Paraguayan economy was consistently plagued by rising inflation. As a result, the YMCA experienced difficulty in obtaining new equipment, as well as providing adequate salaries for college-educated staff members.

Although the YMCA was successful in garnering the support of the local Paraguayan population, including the Catholic leadership, their mission was strained at times as a result of political turmoil within the nation. At one point in 1953, the president of the board of directors, Dr. Crispin Insaurralde, was arrested as a political prisoner. Furthermore, the political repression of Paraguayan President Alfredo Stroessner was of concern to the YMCA leadership. Aside from police surveillance, however, the Asuncion YMCA was largely left alone during periods of political strife.

Robert Tilford was succeeded as General Secretary by Charles E. Rolfe in 1956. Like Tilford, Rolfe would play an important role in expanding the mission of the YMCA in Paraguay. With the assistance of the Buildings for Brotherhood Program, the YMCA added an outdoor pool in 1960 and an addition to their building in 1965. As the YMCA continued to improve its facilities, the Asuncion YMCA witnessed a sustained growth in its membership.

By 1965, Rolfe, and others in the YMCA leadership, viewed the mission of the International Committee in Paraguay to be complete, and they began to withdraw international staff assistance. In order to become more financially sustainable, the Asuncion YMCA established a primary school with 7 grades in 1965, which was followed by a secondary school in 1971. In addition, the organization began to generate revenue through the operation of two shops within the city.

By the 1970s, the YMCA in Paraguay had expanded its mission to several suburbs of Asuncion, as well as the impoverished city of Trinidad in southern Paraguay. While the YMCA’s board of directors was led almost exclusively by men, the organization itself became staffed primarily by women. During the mid 1970s, the YMCA became focused on combating social problems, such as youth unemployment and sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, the YMCA held lectures on women’s rights and offered classes on topics ranging from parenting to plumbing at YMCA buildings, as well as in factories and on television.

The following is a list of Individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Paraguay, along with their dates of service:

Robert Claude Tilford (1949-1956) Charles E. Rolfe (1956-1965)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth LaTourette, and from the collection.

The roots of YMCA work in Pakistan date back to 1875 when an association was established in Lahore and another in Karachi in 1905. These associations were part of the YMCA of India until the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. Subsequently, the Pakistani YMCAs became members of the Council of India, Pakistan, and Ceylon until 1954 when the Lahore and Karachi associations established the National Council of Pakistan.

The early program of the Pakistani YMCA was focused on the traditional physical, spiritual, and educational development of boys through organized sports and religious and educational activities. Both the Lahore and Karachi associations also placed emphasis on community service work, especially among Pakistan's Christian minority. The associations also offered hobby clubs, reading rooms, and hostel facilities. Pakistanis of all faiths were welcome at the associations, and in fact a majority of the members were Muslim.

Raymond D. Healy was sent to Pakistan as fraternal secretary in 1952, and David R. Wilson followed in 1953. Healy and Wilson sought to address the losses of English and Indian staff, who had left following the 1947 partition, by encouraging the indigenization of the association staff and the board of directors in Karachi and Lahore. Also under the direction of fraternal secretaries, both associations used funds from the Buildings for Brotherhood program to construct new buildings in the early 1960s. The Karachi Association also received funding from the German YMCA to open the YMCA Technical Institute in 1961, which grew to become a well-known vocational training program.

The National Council made several unsuccessful attempts to expand the YMCA to other areas of Pakistan. However, YMCA associations failed to take root in the cities of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Sukkar, and Quetta, partly because the National Council could not afford to provide secretaries to each new association. In addition, it was not easy for the YMCA to operate in a predominantly Muslim nation. In 1957, students in Lahore protested outside the YMCA because of its refusal to rent a room for a political rally on the Kashmir dispute. In addition, growing anti-Western sentiment, especially following Pakistan's 1965 War with India, was a determent to the expansion of the YMCA. However, the associations in Karachi and Lahore continued to develop; each association served over 1,300 members by 1975.

During the 1970s, the YMCA expanded its traditional program to include more community development work. The Karachi YMCA began to operate a recreation center in the Korangi refugee settlement, and the Lahore Association launched a program to feed impoverished children with funding from the Refugee Work Committee of the YMCA World Alliance. The YMCA also established the Urban Uplift Program to teach technical skills to illiterate young men in urban slums. With the support of the Karachi Association, the YMCA opened a vocational training program in the city of Quetta in 1977, while the Lahore Association established a vocational school earlier in the decade to teach typing, steganography, accounting, and other commercial trades. The YMCA also reinitiated efforts to establish a YMCA in Islamabad. The YMCA's development work was partially supported by funding from USAID into the 1980s.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Pakistan, along with their dates of service, if known:

Coan, Frank Speer (1948-1953) Sutliff, Ralph Calvin (1962-1963) Healy, Raymond Delosse (1952-1958) Wilson, David Ross (1953-1973)

The first youth society within the German world (Juenglings Vereine) was formed in Basel, German Switzerland in 1825 by a pastor, who became its president. Nine years later based on the Basel model, Pastor Mallet founded the first Juenglings Vereine in Bremen Germany. In 1848 the Young Men's Organisation of Rhine-Westphalia (Rhenish-Westphalian Bund [of] Juenglings Vereine) was founded in Elberfield. Germany. By 1855 there were 130 Christliche Juenglings Vereine societies within Germany. In 1855 the German Christliche Juenglings Vereine joined the YMCA's first international conference, held in Paris France. The World Alliance of YMCAs was founded there and the Paris Basis, the YMCA's first mission statement, was adopted.

In the 1880s the influence of the North American movement began to emerge. In time, partly due to this influence, city associations arose with buildings and employed secretaries. A German international secretary and evangelist who had worked with the YMCA in North America, Friederich von Schluembach, founded an association in Berlin in 1883 on the principles held in North America. It was thought necessary to choose a new name of Christlicher Verein Junger Manner (CVJM) -- in English, Young Men's Christian Association -- to represent the new North American ideals. The system of Juenglings Vereine was eventually abandoned in Berlin in favor of the YMCA. Von Schluembach also visited Stuttgart and through his influence the Juenglings Vereine there, though well established, also became a YMCA. Numerically, the German YMCA was the largest in the World Alliance of YMCAs after the North American Y. The majority of the membership in the German movement remained within church groups and although sports and physical education were not ignored, the emphasis of both the city and parish YMCAs was on bible study, religious fellowship and evangelism. The German YMCAs remained distinctly German and influenced by Lutheran pietism due to their Evangelistic origin.

In 1933 the National Socialist, or Nazi, Party took over in Germany. The National Socialist Revolution was welcomed by a large portion of German citizens who were struggling in the post-war period and supported its call for national honor outside of the country and social justice within it. The National Socialist Party wanted to unite the various religious denominations into one "State Church: and the "German Christians" wanted to synchronize Protestantism with national socialistic ideas. The leaders of the National Alliance of YMCAs within Germany, unaware that Reichbishop Ludwig Muller was an ally of Adolf Hitler, sought his help against the aspirations of the National-Socialist Youth League, which wanted to monopolize the whole of German youth leadership. The German YMCA was exposed as being oppositional to the German government, though they never contested the State's right to educate the German youth in civic matters. In 1935 uniform clothing, insignias, parades, flags, banners, pennants, the running of private orchestras or bands, hiking and camping under canvas in the open, physical training and exercise all were prohibited to all "confessional" youth movements besides the National Socialist Youth movement. Dual membership to Hitler Youth and Protestant church youth groups was forbidden if it could be proven that members were dependant organizationally or financially on leaders or members of the YMCAs. In practice, every German youth had to be incorporated into the Hitler Youth. Eventually, the YMCA had to abandon youth work. YMCA members who were assisting churches in their youth work were forced to give up their membership to the Y at once as well. Starting in 1938 YMCAs in the north began to close and members of these associations were prosecuted in case they rallied in private homes. After World War II broke out, soldiers were not even permitted to visit YMCA buildings. Our YMCA Press, a monthly magazine, was restricted and in May, 1941 forbidden. Gestapo spies were inserted within all YMCA work and classes. All YMCAs remaining in the North were closed and the secretaries examined. Buildings and funds were confiscated. Air raids and bombings from Allied powers also contributed to the destruction of YMCA buildings.

Following the war, the German movement found itself in a desperate plight. Dr. D. Erich Stange, the national general secretary, was able to find only a handful of secretaries and leaders. Most of the city YMCA buildings had been destroyed and the YMCA, abolished under Hitler, had become largely a church-affiliated youth movement. The national headquarters at Kassel-Wilhelmshohe was reopened, contacts were established with regional leaders and efforts were made to rehabilitate the work. Many national YMCA movements were alerted to Germany's emergency problems by the World Alliance and responded with portable buildings, program supplies, relief materials and so on. Emergency appropriations were included in the World Youth Fund and through other sources in North America as well.

The new German movement faced enormous social problems. A massive number of refugees crossed the "Iron Curtain" into Western Germany. An addition of over ten million former residents of Eastern Germany and the eastern lands taken over by Russia, 25 percent of whom were youth, were added to West Germany. A national refugee camp service was implemented initially by the World's Alliance of YMCAs and taken over by the CVJM. Within these refugee camps a new idea called "Haus fur Alle" (House for All), a small barracks community center, was initiated. These refugee camps lined the border from Flensburg to Munich and were manned by 100 secretaries. The CVJM also operated youth villages that offered character guidance and vocational training for the 200,000 plus vagrant boys in West Germany. Many city CVJMs also operated youth homes that housed approximately 100 boys. Returning prisoners of war from Russia, more than 18,000 a month, also added to the refugee problem. The YMCA had eight homes available to those who had been held within prison camps for at least five years.

The German YMCA petitioned the International Committee for specialists available for consultation. Elmer Ott, Milo Henke and Millard Collins rendered significant service. These were short term assignments only, averaging one to two years. The North American YMCA agreed to assist the German YMCA in funding their reconstruction. Prior to 1950 a small appropriation was included in the World Youth Fund campaign towards a number of buildings and a significant grant was made to the secretaries' Fellowship Fund for physical rehabilitation. Building projects were implemented in multiple locations throughout Western Germany. By 1954 the North American International Committee had only Robert H. Miller in Germany. It was hoped that he might become a permanent counselor to the German YMCA but his wife's illness forced them back to North America. Miller continued to visit Germany and promote understanding of the German YMCA in the United States. He raised funds and maintained assistance with the German Y's continual reconstruction program. He also helped to maintain fellowship between the German and North American YMCAs.

The German YMCA initiated many reconstruction projects and grew rapidly after World War II. A West Berlin association was reintroduced and became a symbol of the western world within the eastern portion of Germany. International work was developed. The German World Service Program included Ceylon, Pakistan and multiple nations within Africa. Throughout the 1960s more women and girls began to take part in the work of the YMCA in Germany. This lead to a name change in 1985. The name Christlicher Verein Junger Manner which meant Christian Association of Young Men became instead Christlicher Verein Junger Menschen, or Christian Association of Young People. The acronym stayed the same. Youth education and social work continued on to be essential portions of the German YMCA's program. Membership remained open to anyone regardless of their sex, race, denomination or social class. As of 2010 the German YMCAs continued their operation while staying linked together in a network, regionally, nationally and internationally, offering a chance for young people to learn from each other through meetings and mutual exchanges.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Germany along with their dates of service:

Alexander, Chester Stephen (1917-1920) Henke, Milo Walter (1948-1950) Arnold, Merle V. (1919-1923) Miller, Robert Harry (1952-1955) Clark, Arthur Lee (1921-1923) Ott, Elmer Frederick (1947) Collins, Millard Franklin (1948-1950) Ramish, Timothy E. (1971-1973)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette; from CVJM, www.cvjm.de/english/ymca-in-germany/, 2010; retrieved October 18, 2012; and from the collection.

The first contact of the American YMCA movement with Palestine was through Luther Wishard during his landmark 1888-1891 tour of YMCA missions worldwide. He found in Jerusalem a small Association with British connections. That Association, organized in 1890 by W. Hind Smith, visiting secretary of the National Council of the English YMCA, had been preceded by short-lived attempts, also British, which appear to date back as far as 1876 or 1878. In 1892, the Arab members withdrew and formed a separate organization with a charter from the London Association. In 1909, the English National Council sent Stuart Donnithorne as the first general secretary.

In 1906, before the arrival of Donnithorne, a request for a secretary came to the American YMCA's International Committee from the committee of the Jerusalem Association. Accounts had already been received by the American Y describing the great need for expansion of YMCA work in the region. In 1907, YMCA General Secretary John Mott and the International Committee planned to send Archibald Clinton Harte to Jerusalem. However, needs in Sri Lanka and India ended up taking precedence, and Mott and Harte agreed to the appointment of Donnithorne by the English YMCA. During his tenure, a site near the Damascus Gate was secured.

With the outbreak of World War I, the Association had to close its doors due to suspicion on the part of the Turkish Government. Following the occupation of Jerusalem by General Edmund Allenby in 1917, however, YMCA work quickly resumed. Branches were set up along the military railroad route. In Jerusalem, YMCA members provided services for men on leave, including tours of the historic sites, educational lectures, and overnight accommodations in tents and huts.

In November 1919, the American and English YMCAs agreed to jointly sponsor Harte to lead YMCA work in Jerusalem. Under Harte's leadership, activities expanded rapidly. From the beginning Harte envisioned the construction of a grand building to provide a range of services and amenities. By 1924, the results of Harte's work were impressive enough to convince his friend, James Newbegin Jarvie, of Montclair, New Jersey, to donate one million dollars towards the construction of a suitable building. A plot of land in the "West Nikephoria" section of Jerusalem was purchased from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate with funds donated by the International Committee of the North American YMCA, the British National Council, and a group of Jewish friends of the YMCA in Manchester, England. Excavation began in 1926 and the cornerstone was laid in 1928. Designed by American architect Arthur Loomis Harmon, the building design incorporated symbolism of the three major western monotheistic faiths, and was intended to embody the YMCA's message of devotion to spirit, mind, body, and harmony between peoples. A commanding feature was the "Jesus Tower" with its carillon, and the building also featured a large library with a collection centering on Jesus. In addition to this building, there was a camp site with a house and athletic field at Peniel on the shores of Lake Galilee, and a camp on the Field of the Shepherds near Bethlehem on which Christmas Eve celebrations were held.

The completed Jerusalem building was dedicated in April 1933 by Field Marshal Edmund Lord Allenby. His address, broadcasted internationally, described the structure as "an international monument of peace and brotherhood." As expressed on the plaque beside the main staircase, the building and the Association it housed were envisaged as "a place whose atmosphere is peace, where political and religious jealousies can be forgotten, and international unity be fostered and developed." The opening of the complex was a major event described in detail in the world press, and the building quickly became a landmark, as well as a cultural, social, athletic, and intellectual center in the city. Its stadium was the only soccer stadium in Jerusalem until 1991. Until the 1960s, it housed the city's only only swimming pool.

By the time the building was completed in 1933, Harte was no longer on the staff. In December 1929 disagreements arose over whether the terms of Jarvie's bequest required that the building project be managed by Harte in Jerusalem or staff from the National Council. Ultimately Harte decided to part ways with the Jerusalem Association, and retired to the house on the property at Peniel-by-Galilee, where he lived until he passed away in 1946. W. B. Smith took over as the next general secretary in Jerusalem until Waldo Heinrichs was appointed in 1931. Racial and religious tensions grew troublesome during his tenure, and were only accentuated by the completion of the building. Its architectural prominence reinforced perceptions among some from the Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish communities that the YMCA was a proselytizing organization. Following a major disagreement between Jewish and Germans members centered around German-language newspapers in the library that promulgated Nazi anti-Semitism, Heinrichs was ultimately forced to resign. Wilbert B. Smith served temporarily as senior secretary for both Palestine and Egypt, until Alvah L. Miller was selected for the post in 1935. Lee Terrill joined the staff soon afterwards as his assistant.

In spite of the tensions and changes in staff leadership, the Jerusalem Association thrived. In 1936 it had nearly 1,500 members and about 800 individuals were participating in the physical education program. Other programs included religious pageants and dramas in the auditorium, Bible study, and weekly lectures on health, travel, and personal problems. The building was a meeting ground of Jews and Arabs and was popular with the soldiers stationed in the region. In 1944, membership rose to 1,927. Activities continued throughout 1946 in spite of the bombing of the King David Hotel just across the street from the building. the Association conducted an open tennis tournament in which British clubs and Jews competed, and was said to be the only organization in the country under which that could have been done. Both Jewish and Arab boys continued to use the swimming pool. In the total membership, 32 nations were represented; two-thirds were Christians (including Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox, and Armenians), a little over a sixth were Jews, and slightly less than a sixth were Muslims.

When hostilities broke out in Jerusalem on the eve of the British departure from Palestine, the YMCA played a significant role. In 1946 it became the headquarters of the Anglo-American Commission of Enquiry, followed by the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine in 1947. In order to escape seizure by one or the other of the combatants during the war that broke out following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, the Association turned over the building to the International Red Cross. Provided with funds from the YMCA International Board, the American Friends Service Committee, and the Brethren Service Committee, it became a relief station for both Arab and Jewish refugees. When the Red Cross found it necessary to move, the United States Consulate General took over the building. In June 1948, the YMCA was asked to house the United Nations Mediation Committee headed by Count Folke Bernadotte . In September of that year, Bernadotte and his aide, Colonel Andre Serot, were assassinated, and their bodies were taken to the YMCA where they lay in state before being flown home for burial. The building was returned to the YMCA in 1949, and regular activities resumed.

With the outbreak of the 1948 War, the city was divided into Jordanian-Arab Jerusalem in the east and Israeli-Jewish Jerusalem in the west. The YMCA continued its activities in the western part, serving mainly the Jewish population and a minority of Christians and Muslims, and a new YMCA was established in the eastern part, catering to the Muslim and Christian population on that side of the city. With the great needs in the area, especially for services to the many Palestinian and Jordanian refugees displaced by war, this Association quickly grew and became fully independent in 1954. Headed by Labib Nasir from its inception until Nasir's death in 1979, the East Jerusalem Association's work focused on school education, public health, supplementary feeding for children until these tasks were handed over to the UNRWA for Palestine refugees when that organization was created in 1950. Realizing that something needed to be done for young refugees to help make them self-supporting individuals, raise the self-esteem and stop their dependence on international relief, Nasir led the establishment of a Vocational Training Centre in Jericho for training refugees to be skilled in wood, metal, and leather work. Painting and varnishing courses were later added, along with classes on building maintenance and mechanics and electrical work.

The main building in Jerusalem continued with a membership which was 90 percent Jewish. To relieve Miller, J. Leslie Putnam was sent out as the next General Secretary in 1950, assisted by Herbert L. Minard, who took over in 1959. Minard saw the Association through a major modernization project for the building in the mid-1960s and the 1967 Six Day War. During that conflict, the UN established temporary headquarters for its Jerusalem offices at the YMCA, remaining there over two months. Despite the frequent outbreaks of violence in the region, the Y continued to thrive, running a successful hotel operation, a kindergarten and day camp for Jewish, Christian and Muslim children, an Arab-Jewish youth leaders' club, and numerous sports programs. The membership continued to grow and change as well. By April 2003, the 2,600 members were just under 63% Jewish, almost 20% Muslim, and 18% Christian. In recognition of its efforts in promoting peace, kinship, and the dignity of humankind, the Jerusalem International YMCA (or JIY), as it came to be called, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, and was awarded the first Jerusalem Marta Prize for Tolerance and Democratic Values in 1996.

The East Jerusalem Association also continued to thrive. Construction of a modern headquarters building with hotel facilities was completed in 1965. The facility also included a full physical recreation department, auditorium, and meeting rooms. It ran the Field of Shepherds site in Beit-Sahour, near Bethlehem and started YMCAs in Nazareth, Gaza, and Ramallah. Services to refugees continued to be a focal point with programs including a leadership development program, summer day cam, sport activities, educational and cultural activities, and the Jericho Vocational Training Centre.

The JIY was unique among the many YMCA programs the American Y movement helped to found in that whereas most of these Ys were turned over to autonomous, local leadership within a few decades of their founding, the Jerusalem Association remained under the auspices of the YMCA of the USA. Financial and political challenges continued to keep the West Jerusalem Association from becoming fully independent for the better part of a century. Lifelong JIY staff member Rizek Abusharr became the first indigenous Director General in 1998. After Abusharr's retirment in 2002, however, the role was again filled by an American, Len Wilson. Norris Lineweaver accepted the assignment to follow Wilson in 2005 on condition that Y-USA would support a transition to local board control and selection of his successor. In October 2008, the Y-USA Board of Directors, at the request of the JIY Board of Directors, approved a resolution to move JIY to full independence and local control over the following two years. In May 2009, Forsan Hussein became the JIY's first CEO not appointed by Y-USA.

Foreign Work and World Service Secretaries serving in Palestine/Israel (and their dates of service) include the following:

Adamson, Arthur Quintin (1929-1933) MacDonald, Jan (1932-1939) Armstrong, J. Bruce (1980-1981) Miclot, Robert W. (1972-1974) Barwick, John Workman (1923-1926) Miller, Alvah Leslie (Senior Secretary, 1935-1950) Buswell, Karl Porter (1925-1927) Minard, Herbert Leslie (1950-1973, West Jerusalem Senior Secretary 1959-1973) Bussey, Michael (1975-1977, JIY Director 1990-1998, 2009) Moffat, Ronald Colin (1969-1971) Crackel, Mathew David (1932-1936) Ogle, Homer Benton (1944-1945) Dean, David F. (JIY Director 1987-1990) Pollock, Richard and Kathleen (1978-1980) Glunkler, Hermann (1925-1933) Putnam, James Leslie (West Jerusalem Senior Secretary 1950-1959) Harte, Archibald C. (General Secretary 1920-1930) Rhoads, James L. (JIY Director 1976-1981) Hartman, Paul C. (1946-1930) Rymer, H. Russell (1963-?) Heinrichs, Waldo Huntley (General Secretary 1932-1934) Schmidt, Clarence Frederic (1960-1976, West Jerusalem Senior Secretary 1973-1976) Hyde, Richard Wallis (1965-1968) Smith, Robert H. (1968-1969) Koronakos, John Peter (1953-1955) Smith, Wilbert B. (1934) Lattof, Nicholas Michael (1928-1936) Terrill, Lee Miller (1936-1949) Lineweaver, Norris (JIY Director 2005-2009) Thompson, Fred D. (1951-1952) Lockley, Arthur (1927-1928) Wilson, Len (2002-2005)

Sources of ths historical background sketch include and were largely directly quoted from the following: "In the Heart of the Holy City" (1931); "Perfect Harmony: The Symbolic Design of the Jerusalem International YMCA" (2003); and Kenneth Scott LaTourette, World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957). Additional information was gleaned from various material in the collection.

The YMCA in Spain was founded in 1880 as a distinctly Protestant operation. At the end of a decade the effort ceased and all support was withdrawn. A few local groups continued to operate as YMCAs, but with minimal success. As of about 1910, the YMCAs of the Netherlands and Switzerland were providing support for a "missionary secretary" there. In 1922, Robert Horner, a member of the YMCA World Committee, reinitiated the YMCA in Spain, organizing the first committees and piquing interest in the Association by a number of people who belonged to foreign colonies. The Spanish YMCA was legally constituted in 1923 and accepted the offer of a full time secretary from Geneva, Switzerland, William E. Salzmann. This YMCA was patterned after the German type of Church-related associations.

In 1936 a military revolt against the Republican Government of Spain erupted. When the initial coup failed to win control of the entire country, a civil war began. Amidst the civil war a workers' socialist revolution also took place. In 1939, after the Civil War was over, the YMCA in Spain was banned, but a group was permitted to function in a Church in Madrid. A member of this group, José Galeote, an accountant for a foreign firm, decided in 1956 that he would go to South America for YMCA training and experience so that he might bring the YMCA back to Spain when the prohibition was lifted. Jose Galeote became the general secretary for Belo Horizonte, Brazil for a number of years until 1969 when he was sent to Madrid by the North American International Committee of YMCAs and the World Alliance of YMCAs to reopen YMCA work in Spain.

The YMCA in Spain became a national entity in November of 1969. The Madrid association began to develop slowly until, with the help of the World Alliance and the International Division of YMCAs of the US, it was able to buy land, start a health club and put together a group of 200 family members. The YMCA began to receive recognition. In 1972 a large installation in the southern zone of the city was offered to the association but such a project was beyond their small means. At this point a rumor surfaced that the YMCA was to soon be attacked by the extreme right of the country who accused the YMCA of being Masons and Protestants. In response to this, the YMCA modified the national board in Spain, admitting various persons with connections to the Spanish government. A contract was also signed with the company Comark, whose president had been the second vice president of the Spanish YMCA. This contract stated that Comark would help to finance and develop projects for the YMCA.

By 1973 the YMCA expanded a great deal. It was also recognized as a full member of the World Alliance of YMCAs during an International Council meeting in Kampala, Uganda. By 1974, the Spanish YMCA counted more than 10,000 members. During this year financial difficulties also surfaced. The year progressed and aid in the form of an official subsidy or monetary fund did not arrive. By 1975 a 6 million dollar loan was taken out from the United States International Division of YMCAs and expenditures were cut, however, the poor results of the membership campaign that year and the fact that many members were not paying their fees made the financial situation still very serious. Plans were made to restructure the YMCA of Spain to reduce its initial expansion. A federation of YMCAs was planned to take the place of the national organization.

In 1975 the YMCA in Spain was taken over by a small group of members who had formed a commission as a governing body. They abolished the national board and dismissed 33 of the 56 employees, including José Galeote. Dave Rogers, a secretary of the Spain YMCA who had been asked to stay on by the commission, informed the International Committee that the commission potentially wanted the YMCA in Spain to become a sort of country club. The North American International Committee of YMCAs advised Rodgers to stay on with the commission and to keep them informed.

The YMCA in Spain legally remained a continuation of the originally established YMCA. In 1977 Peter LaRosa was sent to Spain to serve as the technical director for two years. There was a question as to whether the YMCA in Spain would remain a YMCA specifically or become instead a private club. In 1978 a new community program was launched and directed by José Louis Rodrigues and Ruben Daveri. This program was committed to youth and community development in the barrios. Funds for this program were made available through the YMCA Europe World Alliance Working Fund.

The Spanish YMCA continued to grow and develop. They became part of the YMCA Europe member movement in 1978. They also remained part of the World Alliance of YMCAs. As of 2011 the coordination for development program was strong as were programs involving communication, training, international exchange, and volunteer work.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Spain along with their dates of service:

LaRosa, Peter (1977-1979)

Rogers, David G. (1974-1976)

Schuyler, J. Barry (1971-1973)

Historical information largely adapted from "YMCA Europe" (http://www.ymcaeurope.com/ymca-spain, 2011; retrieved October 26, 2012), and from the collection.

In 1920 Jay C. Field was sent to Lima, Peru in order to establish a YMCA. Carl H. Johnson arrived as his reinforcement in 1922. For the next 25 years the Lima association was a pioneering youth movement. Basketball, volleyball, aquatic programs, track and field, and camping were all initiated in Peru by the YMCA. Thomas A. Badley followed Johnson and Roy G. Smith succeeded Badley.

In 1953 the YMCA of Lima began a program of expansion and in 1961 the YMCA started a national extension campaign in Peru. By 1969 the Lima association operated from five branches, one camp, two community extension centers, and a training institute for secretaries. The programs and services that it offered at this time were education, physical education and sports, rural work, group work and social service community development.

During 1967 the Peruvian currency, the sol, suffered a considerable devaluation; from 26 to 43 soles per US dollar. This increased a debt that the Peru YMCA owed after the purchase of a lot of land in the center of Lima. Due to this, by 1973 the Lima YMCA was put on the edge of closure with a debt of $US 90,000. In April 1973, the International Committee provided a loan to the Lima, Peru YMCA. This saved the YMCA in Peru from closure but also created a debt that they were paying off to the International Committee throughout the 1980s.

The Peru YMCA is still functioning today, focusing on children's programs and community outreach.

The following is a list of Individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Peru, along with their dates of service:

Anderson, Charles B. (1962-1963) MacMorran, Marsha Katinka (1964-1965) Badley, Thomas Wayne (1947-1951) Mazurkewiz, Edward A. (1916-1921) Brown, Ruben Stanley (1963-1964) Peate, Thomas L. (1972-1974) Field, Jay Clayton (1920-1940) Press, Robert M. (1964-1965) Fitzmorris, Michael (1980-1981) Rinehart, Irvin Lynn (1960-1961) Herriott, Andra James (1961-1962) Russell, James (1979-1981) Johnson, Carl Herman (1922-1934, 1940-1948) Smith, Roy Glenn (1952-1972) Glenesk, Ernest J. J. (1951-1952)

Historical Information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A HIstory of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, and from the collection.

YMCA work in Russia began in 1899, when Clarence J. Hicks, with the financial support of philanthropist and International Committee member James Stokes, travelled there to study the means of introducing welfare activities for the railroad workers of that country. This did not come to pass, but Hicks did succeed in winning the approval of a high Romanoff for a young men's society in St. Petersburg and secured his personal protection for the organization. Called a "mayak," or lighthouse, it was essentially a YMCA. The new organization, directed by Franklin A. Gaylord, had its first home in a building given by Stokes. Stokes went on to found the James Stokes Society to support the work in Russia.

Religious activities in the Russian Y were directed by Orthodox priests. The program grew from modest classes in French, German, and bookkeeping through gymnasium work to popular lectures. A library and a drama program were also added. Stokes was insistent that the society should preserve its Russian character. In 1908 an American director for physical education activities was secured and what was said to be the best-equipped gymnasium in Russia was built in the courtyard of the Mayak. An athletic field was constructed and basketball introduced. The success of the operation attracted the interest of the Czar, who after about 1907 contributed five thousand rubles annually.

Plans were laid for the expansion of the organization into Moscow, but war and revolution prevented this, despite a promise from John Wanamaker to finance a building. In 1917, a society was founded in Vladivostok., However, the rise of the Bolshevik regime disrupted the growth of YMCA work, forcing American YMCA secretaries to leave and many of the Russian personnel into temporary hiding or prison. YMCA work continued as war relief work, mainly in Siberia, as well as among the Russians of the dispersion in Harbin and in Paris. Russian exiles assisted the North American YMCA with the creation of the YMCA Press (located originally in Prague, then Berlin, and then Paris) and the Chekhov Publishing House (in New York), both dedicated to help with the preservation of Russian Christian culture. These presses worked closely with Russian exiles in Europe and North America for many years post World War I

The following is a list of secretaries of the Mayak in St. Petersburg, as well as secretaries working with prisoners of war in Siberia and with Russian émigrés in Europe, along with their dates of service:

Alexander, Chester Stephen (1917-1920)

Anderson, Harry Dewey (1924-1927)

Anderson, Harvey Winfred (1919-1918)

Anderson, Paul B. (1917-1918, 1920-1947)

Arnold, Merle V. (1918-1919)

Baker, Harry Thomas (1916-1918)

Cattron, John Gardner (1918-1919)

Colton, Ethan Theodore (1917-1922)

Corcoran, Albert Tryon (1919-1930)

Day, George Martin (1909-1917)

Frederiksen, Oliver Jul (1922-1925)

Gaylord, Franklin Augustus (1899-1922)

Gott, Herbert Sidney (1916-1919)

Haag, Howard L. (1920-1936)

Harte, Archibald Clinton (1915-1920)

Heald, Edward Thornton (1916-1921)

Heinrichs, Waldo Huntley (1918-1919)

Hedden, Charles L. (1917-1919)

Heinz, A. E. (1819-1919)

Hollinger, Ralph Wall (1914-1920)

Hudson, Roy David (1917-1919)

Jenny, Arnold Eugene (1919-1920)

Kempa, Arthur Adolphus (1919-1925)

Lewis, John Brackett (1917-1924)

Lewis, Watson, F. (1919-1921)

Long, Harry Winfield (1916-1919)

Lowrie, Donald Alexander (1916-1919, 1919-1920)

MacNaughten, Edgar (1919-1920, 1924-1926)

Mitchell, Bertram Grant (1918-1921)

Moraller, Erich Ludwig (1906-1912)

Moran, Hugh Anderson (1916-1919)

Nelson, Claud Dalton (1917-1919)

Niederhauser, James Edward (1919-1920)

Ostergren, Ralph C. (1919-1918)

Phelps, George Sidney (1918-1920)

Riley, Charles Wood (1918-1921)

Robertson, Clarence Hovey (1917-1918)

Ropes, Ernest Chapin (1919-1921)

Scott, Roderick F. (1913-1914)

Simmons, Arthur Aborn (1917-1922)

Somerville, James, Jr. (1917-1918)

Somerville, Joseph John (1916-1920)

Sonquist, David (1919-1920)

Swartz, Philip Allen (1913-1915)

Historical information taken from History of the YMCA in North America, by C. Howard Hopkins, and from the collection.

Beginning in 1931 officials from the rapidly expanding petroleum industry of Venezuela, some being Venezuelan and some active members of United States YMCAs, began to prepare the way and to urge the YMCA international committee to begin work in Venezuela. In June, 1940 Walter C. Taylor made a survey of Venezuela in order to establish the nation’s level of need, and in February, 1946 Mr. Clair H. Johnson arrived in Caracas as a representative of the international board. On April 9th 1946 Venezuela became the 69th nation to have a YMCA.

A constitution for the new association was established on May 23rd 1946 and a five point program was defined; to obtain a building near the center of Caracas, a sports field in the city, to establish a late afternoon sports and training program for underprivileged boys, to request a loan of a physical director for two years, and to inaugurate a leadership training program. Judson Wood, Eligio Alcega, Luis Vaamonde, and Clair H. Johnson were established as the President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Secretary of the International Committee, respectively.

A public warning against the YMCA was issued by the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Venezuela almost immediately upon its arrival. Johnson responded by developing recreational, cultural and social program activities in each of several economically deprived areas of the city, rather than to first establish a central operation. This atypical approach provided a greatly needed service otherwise unavailable to large numbers of children and adults in the poorer sections of the city. It gained the approval of the dominant church and the willing support of the influential business leaders of Caracas. By 1955 the Caracas YMCA operated twenty-one branches.

The disadvantages of establishing its branches before developing a central Caracas location became apparent throughout the years. The middle classes were insufficiently involved in the life of the association as participants, so they did not grow up in the YMCA programs. This limited the professional leadership and non-professional experience that the YMCA could have drawn on throughout this local community. The YMCA turned to building a “Central” operation in the late 1950s. It was intended that this building be financed entirely from Venezuelan resources but in 1966 the Caracas YMCA took out a eighty-four thousand dollar loan to complete construction. This loan was extended due to an earthquake in 1967.

The Venezuelan YMCA experienced rapid expansion between 1963 and 1967, partially due to the assistance of the U S Peace Corps. In addition to Caracas, which had six neighborhood centers, three resident camps, an industrial recreation program, and one large central building, YMCA branches were opened in the cities of Maracaibo, Punto Fijo, Punto Cardon, Puerto Cabello, Valencia, Maracay, Puerto La Cruz, and Anaco. These were varied sized YMCAs in poor economic areas. A national soap-box derby program was also initiated throughout Venezuela. This program took place in all of the YMCA established cities and also in the cities of Maturin, Puerto Adaz, San Cristobal and Barquisemeto.

By the end of the twentieth century the YMCA programs in Venezuela focused on social service to underprivileged children and some adults, Hi-Y and Gra-Y clubs, industrial recreation, soap-box derby and athletic sports including, volleyball, basketball, football, baseball and swimming. An intercambio (cultural exchange) program between Venezuela and Tennessee was also started, outlining youth exchange, training among professional staff, sports and cultural exchange and leadership dialogue among community and national leaders involving hemispheric human issues.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Venezuela along with their dates of service:

Bender, Robert Vincent (1972- ?) LaRosa, Peter (1956-1965) Cannon, Douglas W. (1961-1964) Marks, Donald Thomas (1963-1970) Dow, Leslie M, Jr. (1972) Rodrigues, Joseph Ignacio (1954-1955) Hutchinson, Richard L. (1961-1962) Royal, Nicholas N. (1959-1960) Johnson, Clair Harvey (1945-1962, 1970-1974) Sayre, James Stephen (1974-1976)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men’s Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, and from the collection.

In 1955, Gerrit B. Douwsma of the YMCA International Committee began corresponding with a group of young Vietnamese men who were interested in establishing a YMCA association in Saigon. Paul M. Limbert was sent to meet with the group in 1956, and after visiting with the men, he recommended that the situation in Saigon was ripe for the establishment of a YMCA.

Despite appointing Lê-hoàng-Luong as General Secretary and establishing a board of directors, the group faced resistance from the largely Catholic government of Ngo Dinh Diem. The group was unable to obtain visas to attend YMCA events in Hong Kong and the Philippines, and the government refused to give the group formal approval to operate despite overtures made by American officials on the YMCA's behalf. Nevertheless, in 1957, the YMCAs of the Philippines assisted the group in constructing a tentative constitution.

However, the International Committee refused to send a fraternal secretary because of the lack of a clear Christian emphasis within the constitution, specifically the absence of any requirements concerning the religious affiliations of the leadership. Furthermore, the International Committee was concerned that the group was using the YMCA title without having the formal approval of the Vietnamese government. After the Catholic Church demanded the resignation of the board's only Catholic members, the group was forced to reorganize by compiling a new board of directors and adopting a new constitution in late 1957. Although the Saigon YMCA received approval from M. G. Dharmaraj – YMCA Area Secretary for South and East Asia – in 1959, the association did not receive official government approval until after the fall of Ngo Dinh Diem's government in 1963.

The fledgling YMCA in Saigon worked out of a two-story house since 1956 where they offered English classes and the use of a reading room. The YMCA also offered activities at local Protestant churches around the city. By 1965, the YMCA served 200 members, offered several elementary and kindergarten classes, and owned its own playground. Although the International Committee didn't include the association as a cooperating member, the Saigon YMCA maintained a relationship with the World Alliance of YMCAs and received modest financial support from the YMCAs of India and the Philippines. The escalating violence in Vietnam and serious disagreements among the board of directors severely hindered the growth the Saigon YMCA, and the group ended its services by late 1973.

The work in Vietnam overlapped significantly with work in the larger region known as Indochina, which included the countries of Laos and Cambodia. Laos was considered a fertile ground for further YMCA work, but it was determined to be best initiated through the assistance of the YMCA in Thailand, due to a similarity in attitude and lifestyle of the populace within the respective countries. Cambodia was regarded as possessing very little opportunity for active YMCA work within the country due to the political situation between Prince Sihanouk, the Vietnam conflict and the United States. Much work in regards to refugee relief efforts, however, was attempted.

Starting in 1964, YMCA Refugee Services operated a center in Saigon. Although the center temporarily housed the struggling Saigon Association for a time, the primary mission of the center was to provide assistance to villagers who were forced to relocate to urban areas following increased military action in the countryside. By 1973, the YMCA served three resettlement villages outside of the city by offering a range of recreational, educational and community development programs. The YMCAs of Japan sent Yukio Miyazaki to work with the center in Saigon in 1969, and an American named Ron Luce was sent in 1974. The YMCA in Indochina was also extremely active with Church World Service, The Red Cross, The United Nations, The Johnson Foundation and other organizations in relief work with Cambodian and Laotian refugees.

The YMCA was forced to end its refugee work in Vietnam prior to the fall of Saigon. Luce and other YMCA staff, along with thousands of Vietnamese refugees, were evacuated by Britain's Strategic Air Command in April 1975. The YMCA continued its work with Southeast Asian refugees at the Refugee Reception Center at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida. In addition, the YMCA was active in pushing for humanitarian aid to the people of Vietnam in the years immediately following the Vietnam War.

[Historical information was found within the records of the YMCA in Vietnam located at the Kautz Family YMCA Archives, Minneapolis, MN.]

The South American Federation was established in 1914 in order to promote fellowship and coordination among the YMCA associations of South America, as well as to further expand the movement throughout the continent. The Federation, originally composed of nine member nations, was based in Montevideo, Uruguay and was headed by a Continental Committee or "Junta Continental."

Upon its establishment, the Federation was faced with a dilemma regarding the religious qualifications for YMCA membership due to South America's largely Roman Catholic population. It was determined that membership would be based both on the "Portland Basis," which required membership in an evangelical church, as well as on a personal basis for those who merely avowed their Christian faith, allowing both Catholics and those without a church affiliation to join the YMCA.

Early on, the Federation focused its efforts on expanding YMCAs in major urban areas and building on the YMCA's traditional four-fold mission to improve the spiritual, mental, social and physical condition of young men. Physical education and sports attracted new members to the associations, while religious activities like Bible study were less popular. The Federation also focused on recruiting South American intellectuals who often held little loyalty to the Catholic Church. Through lectures and publications written by prominent intellectuals, the Federation appealed to educated South Americans who held positions of power in government and business.

In addition to the South American Federation headquarters in Montevideo, the Federation operated the International Student Camp at Piriápolis, which hosted YMCA conferences and worked to foster international fellowship. Under the direction of Philip Arthur Conrad, the Federation also established the Instituto Técnico in Montevideo in 1923 to train Latin American secretaries and physical education directors. The school's graduates, combined with the assistance of the South American Federation, allowed most associations to survive the years of the Great Depression, which resulted in drastic cuts in funding and staffing from the North American YMCAs.

In 1940, A. Hugo Grassi replaced Conrad to become the first South American to serve as the General Secretary of the Junta Continental. Under Grassi's leadership, the Federation established new associations and constructed new YMCA buildings, increased South American leadership, and helped to put the Federation and local associations on a more stable financial footing. By 1950, there were 14 YMCA associations in South America that served 300,000 people and included over 26,000 active members.

The Federation was reorganized in 1962 to become the South American Confederation, which placed more emphasis on operations at a regional level. Also in 1962, the Confederation established the Christian Emphasis Program that sought to increase the religious purpose of the YMCA mission.

The South American Confederation was reorganized again in the early 1970s; large national federations such as Brazil and Argentina were permitted to have direct affiliation with the YMCA's World Alliance in 1971, and a new constitution was adopted in 1972 that allowed all Latin American nations to have representation in the new Latin American Confederation (Consejo Latinoamericano de Asociación Cristiana de Jóvenes or CLACJ). In addition, the Confederation began to focus more attention on development missions and began to work in partnership with other international development organizations like USAID, which provided matching funds for YMCA projects in Latin America.

Following the late 1970s, the Latin American Confederation placed most of its attention on small and newly developed YMCA associations, rather than on more established associations that were administered by largely self-sustaining national federations.

Historical information largely adapted from the collection, as well as from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth LaTourette.

In 1899 Walter J. Southam was assigned to Hong Kong by the International Committee of the USA and Canada. By 1903, Chinese- and English-speaking branches each operated separate premises but were governed by a single board of directors. In 1908 they became two completely independent associations. The work in Hong Kong was closely associated with the work in China up to 1949. In 1961 the Council of YMCAs of Hong Kong, which joined both the Chinese and European YMCAs in Hong Kong, was officially inaugurated.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Hong Kong, along with their dates of service, if known:

Amsden, Lynford C. (1967) Kreitner, Joann (1973-1974) Brunger, Harry (1950-1961) Mohler, Frank Martin (1964-1974) Coleman, Katherine M. (1970-1974) Ortmeyer, Richard Arthur (1964-1974) Drake, Matthias (1960) Patterson, Terry (1963-1964) Drury, Clifton M. Reid, John M. (1959) Eng, Homer Wone Yee (1956-1959) Rutledge, Carl Clyde (1903-1907) Epperson, David Ernest (1961-1962) Southam, Walter John (1899-1906) Fong, Matthew Stange, Karl Henry (1962-1966) Glenn, William Walter (1964-1970) Stewart, Ronald (1972-1974) Gribe, Douglas (1962-1963) Twesten, Steven R. (1975-1976) Ketcham, John D. (1970-1971) White, Frederick Glover (1921-1914)

In 1865 the first South African YMCA was founded in Cape Town, primarily to serve British young men who had come to South Africa as employees in British firms or as permanent settlers. This association had the backing of some of the most influential families in the country. The movement spread to Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg. In 1896 Luther Wishard visited the continent of Africa as part of his missionary tours and organized a Student Christian Movement in South Africa, on the basis of linking together students of all races. As early as 1900, not long after the South African War, approaches were made to the North American associations and the YMCA's International Committee to appoint a YMCA secretary to Johannesburg. In 1906 John R. Mott agreed to see whether a traveling secretary could be obtained for students in that region. For many years both the International Committee and the North American associations were urged in various directions throughout the whole of Africa, but no direct actions were taken to place a secretary in South Africa until Max Yergan was sent to serve there in 1921.

Yergan had been secretary of the Colored Men's Department of the International Committee and then served with the association in its war work in India, East Africa, and France. Once in South Africa, he initially focused his time primarily with the the special committee for work in native institutions and in studying the whole problem of the needs of the South African young men. He gave his time primarily to African students, but also encouraged night schools, recreation, promoted sanitation and religious education among members of the association and to villages throughout South Africa. By 1924 there were 24 associations with a membership of over 2,000. In 1925 Yergan obtained E. M. Ncwana, a well educated young African clergyman, to be his associate and temporary replacement during a furlough. By 1931 Yergan had two African associates, forty associations and a total membership of about 3,250. Over 2,000 participated in Bible study groups and between 400 and 500 were in various types of social service programs.

In 1927 a Rockefeller gift of 25,000 dollars allowed for a building to be constructed in Alice, Cape Province. The land was given by the South African Native College at Fort Hare and the building was to be a center for all YMCA activities in South Africa. The building was completed in 1930 and an interracial student Christian conference was held there, with 285 Bantu, Afrikander, British and Indian students in attendance. They met for a week, spoke frankly and participated in a conference that was unprecedented in its intermixing of various racial groups that existed in South Africa. This conference was considered to be a momentous and the peak achievement of Yergan's service in South Africa.

Yergan resigned in 1936, partly due to his health but also partly due to his dissent from the racial policy of the government of the Union of South Africa. He was convinced that his conviction would force him to speak out and that as an alien in Africa he would be an embarrassment to the enterprise which he had nourished. Yergan's resignation raised the question as to whether the North American associations should continue their involvement with South Africa. It was eventually decided that an African, S. Mosese, would carry on as secretary. A gift from the Carnegie Foundation helped to accommodate this and also helped to keep the Fort Hare building in repair.

The English National Council also had a representative in South Africa, T. R. Ponsford, who was appointed by the World's Committee. He was helping to rebuild the association movement, especially for Europeans. Ponsford became the National Secretary for YMCAs for the Union of South Africa and the World's Committee Consultative Secretary for Africa. He reorganized the South African Council and made a plan to develop YMCA work among both the Europeans and the Africans. The North American association knew that their assistance would be welcome in training Bantu YMCA secretaries especially, but they also knew that an African American would not be acceptable for this role. As it was only an African American that the North American association was interested in sending and as the North American International Board of YMCAs did not wish to give financial assistance to a country where it did not have an authorized representative, in 1940 the North American International Board terminated its official connections in South Africa.

In the 1940s the South African National Council of YMCAs was established. In 1941 the Jan H. Hofmeyr School of Social Work was started. Initially 22 African students were picked to go through courses in social and economic problems, elementary sociology, social legislation, personal hygiene, community health, the problems of family life, individual and social psychology, the technique and practice of social case work, social pathology, modern penology, leisure time organization, Christian social teachings, the conduct of bible classes and Sunday schools, musical appreciation, dramatics, arts and crafts, physical education and so on. Actual field work also supplemented classroom instruction. Some students from the initial graduating class were selected to teach future classes. The South African National Council of YMCAs selected a general committee made up of individuals of different races to have control of the activities of the school. The school also was granted recognition by the South African Union.

During World War II the YMCA, along with Toc H (otherwise known as Talbot House), another international Christian movement, organized an extensive war work campaign that stretched from the South African Union through East Africa into Egypt and eventually into Italy. Initially dry canteens were set up along with games, tables, radio and cinema equipment. The war services were for Europeans as well as Africans and 80,000 Italian war prisoners.On top of the war work campaign, a Bantu men's social center was begun in Johannesburg, gamma sigma clubs were spread among 25 centers along the Witwatersrand hills, and classes in sewing, knitting, Sunday schools and work among the Talitha Home and Detention House for Delinquent Native Girls, which had been established previously, remained active.

The war work proved advantageous in that the YMCA gained a lot of public support and was subsequently able to build many new structure. After the war, with the retirement of Ponsford, Ronald van Buuren became the National General Secretary and Richard J. Rathebe the Associate African Secretary. In 1950 due to the overwhelming nature of the post war work and lack of financial resources Rathebe resigned and van Buuren became the General secretary of Johannesburg as well as National Secretary.

In the mid-1950s the YMCA was operating in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, and Cape Town. With the onset of apartheid in 1948 it became increasingly difficult to serve the various nationalities throughout South Africa at the same time. Programs became increasingly segregated and Europeans and Afrikanders began to dominate the YMCAs membership. The YMCA strove to include the Bantu population through use of the Bantu Education Act and the Chiappini Street Boys' Club. They also wished to connect to the African community as a whole and strove towards active African leadership in order to accomplish this. Throughout the 1950s the YMCA concentrated on the needs of non-Europeans. By use of literacy classes, informal education classes, courses in shorthand and typing, and training in leadership the YMCA attempted to fulfill some of the needs of the native African population and prepare them for life in their communities.

By 1965 the YMCA in South Africa had locations in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town, Natal and Kimberley. It was also expected that they would soon be opening in Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth, Dundee and Alice, where a students' Christian association had already existed. By 1978 building and development projects became prevalent, the Ga-Rankuwa youth center project was among many that were designed to serve multiple purposes for their communities including, a social center, a cultural training center, a vocational training center, a place for a children's creche, hot and cold showers, a literacy program, physical education and recreation programs and leadership development programs. In 1979 the YMCA chose to install the PLATO learning system in Soweto, South Africa. This computer based learning system was considered a solution to the poor quality of educational services provided by the South African Department of Bantu Education and Training. The recipients for this training were between the ages of fourteen and thirty and within the capability of grades four through ten. Supplementary training was offered to 490 government school dropouts, fifty secondary school teachers and eighty first and second year university students as supplementary academic training.

In 1985 the World Council of YMCAs passed a resolution condemning the South African government's policy of apartheid as a crime and "a permanent violation of all human dignity and of the most elementary civil rights." South African YMCAs solidified their policies towards racial integration, both in membership at the YMCAs and in the employees of the YMCAs. They promoted education of young Africans whose potential had been impaired by the process of "separate development." The YMCA also selected a joint task force for action on apartheid whose responsibilities were to to follow up on the recommendations and agreements emerging from the World Alliance delegation's visit to South Africa and the international meeting on apartheid. The YMCA also began a Youth In Exile project that provided services to youth who were displaced and living as refugees in the countries bordering South Africa due to the economic and military destabilization efforts of the South African government.

In 2007 the South African YMCA went through an in-depth consultative process of revisioning and emerged with a clear direction on timely social relevance and sustainability. The South African YMCA also started the Global Operating Plan process in 2008 and began working with the Canadian YMCA, the United States YMCA, and the International and Swedish YMCA/YWCA.

(Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, from the collection, and from "YMCA Africa Alliance, South Africa YMCA profile" (http://www.africaymca.org/south-africa-ymca-profile).)

The French YMCA was founded in 1851. In 1855 they hosted the first international meeting of nine countries' YMCAs, which resulted in the definition of the Paris Basis, a group of principles guiding the YMCA's mission and purpose as a whole. This meeting also created a central international committee that would eventually become known as the World Alliance of YMCAs. Before World War II most of the French YMCA activity was centered in Protestant churches. The YMCA provided for the religious training of youth as well as other activities such as informal education, social activities, sports, camping and etcetera.

A Russian YMCA movement in France developed alongside the French National YMCA movement, though it remained autonomous. Among the hundreds of thousands of Russian immigrants moving west in the wake of the Russian Revolution, there were many of student age and a considerable number of intellectuals. In 1923 the regular work of the Russian Student Christian Movement was inaugurated and approved. The movement spread to several countries including Yugoslavia, Germany, Czechoslovakia, and France. Along with the educational program, the YMCA aimed to preserve and develop the spiritual Christian values of the Russian culture by the publication of the theological, philosophical and other literature forbidden in Soviet Russia. The YMCA Press, the publishing arm of the YMCA, initiated in Geneva and supported by the United States, was used to publish many works by the elite Russian refugees and immigrants who were settled in France. The YMCA Press in France and the Russian Student Christian Movement (RSCM) became very close. They shared a building for many years. Within this building the YMCA Press created a technical school and lectures of the Religious-Philosophical Academy and the RSCM created a Sunday school, clubs for teenagers, chapels, summer camps, conferences and more.

French YMCAs were affected greatly during World War II. In 1940 France was occupied by German forces. The French YMCA lost its ability to assemble membership and, through captivity as prisoners of war, the greater part of its pre-war secretaries. Many members were forced into labor or deportation. Many of the French YMCA secretaries also died in the bombardments. More than twenty national or regional training camps were held during these years of occupation and the training of new leaders was continued. Due to this effort the French YMCA was able to persevere. The French YMCA tried to face their new situation with a change in outlook. The need to young men wherever they might be led the YMCA towards work in secret foyers or clubs. The use of mobile canteens also assisted with reaching separated groups and isolated individuals. Many YMCA secretaries and volunteers occupied themselves with this effort. As the liberation of France advanced, this secret activity became official through the opening of military foyers in the cities along the line of passage for the Allied troops, including Castres, Nîmes, Aix-en-Provence, Valence, and Lyon to name a few.

After the war the churches excluded the YMCA from their programs because they wanted to direct the youth programs as strictly church programs. Since many buildings that the YMCA had built were taken over by the church, the YMCA had to develop a separate identity. Matthew Asensi, a YMCA member, took leadership in the rebirth of the YMCA in France. He traveled among the villages and cities to reignite the spirit of many of the inactive associations. Camp Joubert became the center for leadership training.

1955 meetings of the World Alliance of YMCAs in Paris developed the initiative to launch a ten year development program that spanned 1957 to 1967. In 1962 the North American International Committee offered its assistance with $60,000 for a new six story YMCA building in Lyon and the services of fraternal secretary Larry Aplin. During this ten year period a large modern gym was built in Le Havre, a training center in Melun and new dormitories at Echery and Sanary camps. An old hotel was also purchased at Toulouse and a training center at Avignon. Paris, the central location, sponsored each regional association, foyer and establishment in France though centers of the program of the Committee of Action, the official body carrying out the ten year plan. They were separate from the National Y until 1969 when they were merged with the French National YMCA. The YMCA Press, Russian Student Movement and Les Editeurs Reunis remained apart with little communication with the French National Movement.

A second ten year development program, 1967 to 1977, saw the completion of a new YMCA cultural center at Nîmes, a Barta community center near Toulouse and facilities for a camp at Aresquiers among other projects. Tristan Mercier became the Secretary of the French YMCA and set up aid for more than 40 Chilean refugee families in Paris. A five year plan of exchanges between professional personnel of France, Canada, Mexico and the United States, meant to lead to new and permanent cooperation between YMCAs, was established in 1973. The French YMCA sought to maintain development and growth throughout the years. It became a member of YMCA Europe in 1974. As of 2010 the French YMCA maintained a commitment to its members bringing together 23 communities and focusing on the areas of tourism and education. It also focused greatly on youth job training, cultural programs and charity work.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in France along with their dates of service:

Aplin, Lawrence Edgar Denison (1959-1969) Kennedy, Joseph Francis (1945-1947) Chaffee, Herbert Watson (1920-1932) Lamb, Charles Stanley (1925) Davis, Darius Alton (1915-1919) Schroeder, Louis Charles (1920-1925) Dilley, Earl E. (1920-1922) Wagner, Hubert Hudson Duffy, Edward Francis (1919-1928)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette; from UCJG YMCA France, www.ucjg-ymca-france.org, 2010; retrieved January 3, 2013; from YMCA Europe, "YMCA France," www.ymcaeurope.com/ymca-france, 2011; retrieved January 3, 2013; and from the collection.

In 1851, the YMCA movement arrived in America and in the same year, under the auspices of the London Association, a branch opened in Adelaide, Australia. In 1853 Melbourne and Sydney YMCAs appeared; followed by branches in Hobart in 1854 and Brisbane in 1875. In 1876, the first "Inter-Association Conference of the Australian YMCA" was conducted and in 1877 the "Inter-Colonial Convention of the Australian and New Zealand YMCA" was formed. The Perth Y started in 1908. The year 1918 saw the separation of Australia and New Zealand Associations and the "National Committee of the YMCAs of Australasia" came into being. A name change occurred in 1958, to "The National Council of the YMCAs of Australia", and in 2004 to "YMCA Australia."

Historical information taken from the YMCA Australia web site (http://www.ymca.org.au/), the World Alliance of YMCAs web site (http://www.ymca.int/302.0.html) and the collection.

In 1904 a letter was written by Chief Engineer of the Panama Canal Zone, John F. Wallace, to Admiral J. G. Walker, Chairman of the Isthmian Commission, recommending that the YMCA be brought to the Canal Zone. With the approval of both U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt and Secretary of War William Howard Taft, A. Bruce Minear, an experienced secretary, was sent to organize the association work in the Canal Zone. Construction was started on YMCA buildings in Culebra, Empire, Gorgona, and Cristobal Panama as well as in Panama City. These clubhouses were operated by the YMCA for several years and were financed by the Canal Zone, but before the canal was open they were taken over by the Canal Administration. In 1918 the Army and Navy YMCA was asked to come into the zone and twelve Army and Navy secretaries were brought in at the expense of the YMCA war fund. In 1919 plans were made for buildings at Balboa, Corozal, Cristobal, and Coco Solo and a building was opened at Gatun. By 1920 there were nine buildings in operation in the Canal Zone. In 1942 the Army and Navy YMCAs were turned over to the U.S.O. which assumed general management of the Balboa and Cristobal YMCAs and opened other facilities that operated during the war period. Gymnasiums were added to the Cristobal and Balboa buildings in 1943, and in 1948 the two clubs became Armed Services YMCAs receiving support from the U.S.O. and operating under the National Council of the YMCA's Armed Services Committee. In 1960 the Armed Services Branch of the YMCA terminated relations with the U.S.O.

The goals of these branches in the Canal Zone was to provide the men working on the canal with entertainment of an elevating character, stimulating social intercourse, a banishment of class distinction, opportunity for intellectual improvement, to keep men in good healthy conditions, to promote a spirit of contentment among canal employees, and to elevate moral standards of living. Some of the suitable entertainments provided included camera club with a darkroom, bowling, checkers, chess, dominoes, shuffleboard and other small games, a reading room, calisthenics, volleyball, handball, indoor baseball, basketball, fencing, Spanish class, mathematics, mechanical drawing, bible class, minstrel shows, boxing smokers, dramatic clubs, literary clubs, debate clubs, glee clubs, orchestras, lectures, excursions, activities for the boy's department, and afternoons for the ladies. These activities were intended to help the men better themselves, remind them of home, and avoid the the temptation of taverns. The YMCA partially measured their success by the lack of alcohol sales in an area.

In 1966, Ambassador J. L. Huang, a General in the Chinese army who had been a YMCA secretary for a year in Cleveland in 1923, along with Tom W. Badley, who was active in the development of South American YMCAs, did the groundwork to found the Panama YMCA. The Panama YMCA was founded on May 24th, 1966. The main goal of this YMCA was to secure the well-being of the Panamanian youth by use of programs that would allow them to succeed in their future endeavors. In 1967 Paul Krouse was assigned to the Panamanian YMCA as a Secretary. Krouse began a very popular summer activities program that had many active members and succeeded in establishing the Association as an organization that catered to the youth of Panama. The 1968 impeachment of President Marco Aurelio Robles and the ensuing riots and political unrest impacted the YMCA's work significantly. Due to the chaos, the schools were closed for five months and the after-school programs at the Panama YMCA were canceled. The use of the school equipment, such as the pool and gym, greatly helped the YMCA's ability to continue on with the swimming classes and summer programs. These programs remained popular throughout this time.

In 1969 the Panama YMCA was given their first piece of property, a forty-acre piece of land for a day camping and nature center site, allowing them to expand their programs and to consider the possibility of exchange programs. At this time they were working out of a rented office, using school facilities, and were looking for a larger youth center facility where ongoing programs, such as swimming, youth and adult recreation, english classes, field trips, and sports leagues, could be carried out with greater ease. The camp allowed the Panama YMCA to expand a great deal and became a major resource for the program. The camp also was used as a conference center. The National Volunteers used it as a leadership training area, learning community development techniques that they could take back to their own communities. The Girl and Boy Scouts as well as church groups also used the area.

Amadeo Basile, an early volunteer, became the first indigenous Executive Director for the Panama YMCA on January 27, 1972, taking over for Paul Krouse. Programs that were offered at this time were swimming, judo, kindergarten, camping, adult and youth recreation, drug education and leaders clubs.

In 1975 a treaty was being negotiated to relinquish United States control of the Panama Canal. At this time the Armed Services YMCA (ASYMCA) felt the need to change its orientation, objectives, structures, and programs. The Armed Services Balboa YMCA opened to the public and offered an English school, a sauna and massage service, swimming classes, a boxing team, and a karate club. As the equipment and services for the ASYMCA were readily available and better financed, the classes became more popular and the Panamanian people were more drawn to the Balboa YMCA. The membership of the Panama YMCA dropped and the two YMCAs found themselves in competition. In 1976, Jose Chong Hon, treasurer of the Panama YMCA and Guillermo Cochez, past president of the Panama YMCA, pushed the U.S. YMCA for assistance in the reorganization of the organization in Panama. As of December 31, 1976, a provisional committee was appointed, and the camp became the basis for a new YMCA and a reorganized board. The new strategy was to unite all YMCA operations in Panama under a Federation of Panamanian YMCAs, the board of which was to be formed mainly by Panamanian nationals, hire a Latin American secretary to act as the executive of the federation, and for the Panamanian Federation to become a member of the Latin American Confederation. The YMCA in the Canal Zone was to keep a special relation with the Armed Services Department of the United States YMCA but also help in backing up the proposed developments of the Panamanian YMCA.

The new reorganization brought in Jerry Prado Shaw as the general secretary, kept Jose Chong Hon as the president and Guillermo Cochez as the honorary president. Youth support was still the focus, as the population in Panama was forty-five percent age of fifteen or under. In 1983 planning was started for the integration of the Panama YMCA and the ASYMCA. In 1985 Fred D. Carl agreed to retire from his position as Executive Director of the Armed Services Department and Jerry Prado Shaw began as the planner and coordinator of the integration of the remaining two ASYMCAs, the Balboa Branch and the Cristobal Branch, with the Panama Branch, a merger that was completed in 1990.

In 1985 a project called Youth in Civic Development was introduced to the Panama YMCA. This program instructed Panamanian youths about democratic participation through understanding of the nation's legal and legislative institutions and involvement in social action projects in the local community. The project was quite successful and popular and continued to expand into the 1990s.

The 1989 bombing of General Manuel Antonio Noriega's headquarters half of a mile from the YMCA Panama City headquarters in Panama City created strife that displaced many people. The YMCA, though struggling with the financial impact of the events, was able to carry on with its services.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Panama along with their dates of service:

Freeman, F. C. Minear, A. Bruce (1905-1910) Krouse, Paul, E. (1966-1972) Morgan, Maria (1980-1982) Ludwiszewski, Christine B. (1972-1973) Morgan, Mark (1980-1982)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from the collection.

With the end of World War I in 1918, Poland regained its freedom and was deemed independant after having been partitioned between Prussia, Austria and Russia for over a hundred years. Its frontier provinces on all sides were still occupied by enemy troops. Polish soldiers, who had been fighting in France, came to Poland as an organized army, and with them, at their request, came the American YMCA.

American secretaries arrived in Warsaw in 1919 and opened huts for soldiers. By July of 1919 they had opened forty huts within the country. Eventually the American YMCA worked in ninety locations and had rolling canteens that followed the Polish army. In addition to Polish soldiers the American YMCA worked with thousands of Russian prisoners of war remaining after the defeated invasion. The YMCA helped in fighting a typhus epidemic, assisted railway men who were restoring railroads in the eastern provinces, and cooperated in feeding needy students and children.

Impressed with the wartime work of the YMCA, the leaders of Poland quickly united in a request that the American YMCA help Poland to organize a Polish YMCA for its citizens. Eight American and Canadian secretaries were sent at first, but 1921 brought a reduction to staff and equipment in Poland. Operations were confined to five localities, with several YMCAs in Warsaw and Krakow, all under the leadership of Arthur Stuart Taylor as senior secretary.

In 1922 Paul Super succeeded Taylor as the senior secretary for Poland. Super emphasized the importance of training local secretaries and focused the YMCA to three capitals within the country, Warsaw, Lodz and Krakow. In 1923 Marshal Pilsudski, the man largely responsible for Poland's independence, became the first honorary member of the Polish YMCA. His name in connection with the YMCA gave the association a wide acceptance and influence within Poland. Towards the end of 1923 the American YMCA organizers within Poland felt that the movement was sufficiently established for the Polish National Council to take charge completely. The American YMCA in Poland was terminated, and property, bank balances and staff were transferred to the Polish YMCA's central committee. Paul Super was re-elected as general director of the Polish YMCA. Super also continued to be supported by a North American staff that included E. O. Jacob and Earle R. Cummings.

With strong Polish leadership aided by North American secretaries the YMCA grew rapidly. It introduced sports and games, camping, and training schools for YMCA work. The Polish YMCA declared itself to be non-political, aiming instead to the intellectual, spiritual and physical development of its members. Gifts for buildings came from the United States, and the North American International Committee continued to give financial aid to the Polish National Council. In 1926 a building in Krakow was completed and a plant in Warsaw was completed in 1936. A building in Lodz was also begun and in use by 1935. Membership and activity miltiplied for the YMCA in Poland. Boys camps grew and a radio school and automobile school were created. Since within Poland religious and formal education were considered strictly the domain of the Roman Catholic Church, the YMCA stressed growth through creative activity.

During the 1930s the depression resulted in cuts in North American personnel and appropriations, as well as a decline in the YMCA's membership and income. By 1936 the North American staff had been reduced to only Paul Super. Financial relief measures were taken and construction continued on the incomplete buildings in Warsaw and Lodz. In 1938 and 1939 German advances into Czechoslovakia and Austria prompted the YMCA to offer its facilities to the Polish government. Courses were conducted in civilian war service to prepare citizens for the impending hostilities.

In September 1939 the German invasion of Poland made Paul Super a refugee along with thousands of Polish citizens. He went to Rumania and organized a relief effort for refugees. After transferring his responsibilities to Polish citizens in Hungary, Super went to France to help Polish citizens there. Upon the German invasion of France, he returned to the United States where he traveled, arousing interest in Poland's cause and developing funds for Polish YMCA budgets. He helped to give direction to the Polish YMCA in exile as it spread from country to country.

During German occupation the Polish YMCA continued to be a useful institution to those remaining in Poland. The Warsaw building hosted day nurseries for children where they could obtain food and professional training courses aiming to prepare people who could no longer work at their previous professions. A first aid program for refugees on the western part of Poland, an area incorporated into the Reich, was begun. The branch of the Warsaw YMCA called the "Section for Working Youths" continued with its work. The Polish YMCA was forced to discontinue its language courses because the only language that was permitted to be taught was German. The buildings in Krakow and Lodz were taken over completely and the town of Lodz was in the part of Poland incorporated into the Reich. Contact with Polish YMCA work in Poznan and Gdynia was cut off due to the two towns also being incorporated into Germany. Sports were prohibited, secondary schools were closed, there was no Polish press and officially neither the State of Poland nor the Polish people were recognized, instead becoming a General Government Area and National Group in the General Government Area. On one occasion a branch of the Warsaw YMCA was surrounded by German police and one worker and sixteen boys were arrested. They were accused of illegally playing volleyball. None that were arrested survived.

Ultimately, the Polish YMCA was closed officially and its property confiscated, but administration of the building remained in Polish hands and activities were carried on under the name of another institution which had not been prohibited, YMCA-Pomoc Jencom, Pelnomocnik w Warzawie a legal agency of Kriegsgefangenenhilfe der YMCA, or YMCA Help for Prisoners, Representative in Warsaw, War Prisoners Aid of the YMCA. From 1940 to 1945 the Polish YMCA assisted in relief efforts for prisoners of war in Germany and Polish workers deported for forced labor. Hundreds of thousands of prisoners were cared for through this effort.

Poland was taken from German forces by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. Immediately after German occupation ended the YMCA in Poland resumed its standard activities. Buildings were reconstructed in Lodz and Warsaw. The Polish National Committee was reconstituted and the training of secretaries resumed. The program and membership improved and steps were taken towards self-support. In 1948 there were YMCAs in ten cities, summer camps were conducted, meals were served to needy children in schools and physical education and educational classes were carried on. In 1949 pressures were brought onto the YMCA by the communist government occupying Poland for the YMCA to become a purely governmental agency. The Polish YMCA adopted a new charter, was renamed the Association for Social Work, or Association "Hearth" (Ognisko) and cut its ties with the World Alliance of YMCAs.

The Polish YMCA continued outside of Poland. Sections continued in Great Britain, Germany, France and Switzerland, among other places. In 1953 the Polish exiles' YMCA was recognized as a national cultural movement with its own constitution and national council. The recognition of a national movement in terms of culture rather than territory was a decision that was unique in the history of the World Alliance of YMCAs. The Polish YMCA in exile aimed to promote YMCA ideals and moral responsibilities among the Polish diaspora. They had regular YMCA programs including reading rooms, libraries, study groups, lectures and other educational, cultural and recreational activities. There were Polish YMCA canteens and a hostel in London, summer camps for Polish boys from refugee communities in Western Europe. Assistance was given to Polish students, artists, writers and scientists, especially those taking part in international conferences. Additional services were also offered to Polish people with greater need due to age, ill health or a profession which they could not exercise in countries of their residence. As of 2011 the Polska London YMCA was still a fully operational association, continuing on with its support of young people with Polish origin.

In 1990 the Polish YMCA re-emerged in Poland with the help of members of the YMCA from forty years earlier. The Polish YMCA based its work upon its pre-war constitution and commenced activity within many cities including Gdynia, Lodz, Krakow and the camp Pilica near Lodz. In 2010 the YMCA of Poland had eighteen branches and a growing popularity among the people of Poland.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Poland, along with their dates of service:

Cummings, Earle R. (1921-1935) Moffett, Harry Clement (1920-1921) Duffy, Edward Francis (1928-1931) Rose, William John (1920-1927) Ebersole, Amos A. (1923-1926) Rounds, Jarold Judson (1927-1950) Eyman, Frank Austin (1921-1931) Scott, Paul M. (1923-1926) Gillett, Philip Loring (1927-1928) Smith, Kenneth Jefferson (1944-1950) Henderson, Charles B. (1917-1924) Super, Paul (1922-1946) Jacob, Ernest Otto (1925-1928) Taylor, Arthur Stuart (1918-1925) Long, Harry Winfield (1920-1922) Wright, William R. (1947-1948)

Historical Information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette; from Polska YMCA London, (www.polskaymca.org.uk, 2011; retrieved September 21, 2012); from YMCA International "World Alliance of YMCAs: Poland," (www.ymca.int/where-we-work/ymca-country-profiles/europe/poland/, 2010; retrieved September 21, 2012); and from the collection.

The YMCA was one of the earliest voluntary organizations in Ghana. It was started by Wilkins Micaber Abbey in 1890 in Accra and was initially named the Accra United YMCA. During this same time the Bremen Missions in Togoland were also encouraging the growth of the YMCA movement. A number of YMCAs grew up in Ghana, though they were mostly attached to churches and missions and did not come together to form a movement.

During World War II the British YMCA extended work for its armed forces in Ghana and the YMCA began to come into the public eye. After the war, efforts were made to further develop YMCA work in Ghana with financial and staff assistance from Great Britain, Germany and the United States. The National Council of Ghana headquarters was established in Accra and became the location for all YMCA functions. The Ghana YMCA soon operated actively within seven separate regions, Greater Accra, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Western, Central, Eastern and Volta, each of which had a full time secretary. By 1961 the Ghana YMCA was a full member of the World Alliance of YMCAs and by 1981 there were 36 local YMCAs operating within the country, consisting of 12,000 adult members and 6,000 youths. Each association was autonomous, had its own board of managers, and designed its own programs.

Major program areas common to all of the YMCAs in Ghana focused on formal and non-formal education and rural work. Educational programs included adult education and literacy programs; a vocational training center in Accra that provided training in carpentry and masonry; a Rural Enterprise Guidance Association (REGA) project in Ashanti, where craftsmen and women in kente weaving, adinkra printing, clay pot making and wood carving industries were organized in cooperative societies and assisted in basic small business management; and the Family Life Education and Counseling (FLEC) program; which was designed to inform the youth and adults about the significance of married life, parenthood and to relate information about family planning. Rural work programs included health clinics, day care centers, family planning, model farms, leadership training, primary schools, and a program for the development of rural market cooperatives. The latter were focused on the Eastern region of Ghana and designed to upgrade existing methods of distribution and marketing of foodstuffs and agricultural products of farmers on a cooperative basis, create permanent or temporary employment opportunities through cooperative ventures, encourage the spirit of initiatives and self help, and provide leadership training on farm management and cooperatives.

The Ghana YMCA in the 1980s hoped to extend development projects to all regional YMCA centers, consolidate YMCA work, improve the financial base of the movement and develop new programs that could meet the needs of Ghana's young people. It developed a program with Sister Cities International and Goodwill International in the United States in order to get assistance in determining what vocational training services and/or job creation activities were required to meet the needs of the Sekondi-Takoradi area. The program was also used to determine how existing government and private agencies might provide training opportunities to youth, especially youth with disabilities in the communities of Sekondi-Takoradi.

In the early 1990s the Ghana YMCA re-emphasised the need for the further development of Ghanaian society. The YMCA continued to assist Ghana in facilitating development processes through community development, self-help programs and neighborhood collaboration. In the early 2000s the Ghana YMCA expanded their scope to also focus on the educational campaign against HIV/AIDS. The YMCA National Council of Ghana also strove to maintain the forest resources in their country. This was necessitated by the fast approach of the Sahara Desert in Northern Ghana and the country's loss of their natural resources. The Ghana YMCA also adopted a Women Empowerment Program that allowed for self sufficiency and financial independence among Ghanaian women.

(Historical information largely adapted and quoted from "YMCA International- World Alliance of YMCAs: Ghana" (http://www.ymca.int/where-we-work/ymcas-country-profile/africa/ghana/, 2010; retrieved August 8, 2012), and from the collection.)

The first YMCA in Burma was located in Rangoon (Yangon) and was organized early in 1899. Late in 1898 O. H. McCowen, an Irish solicitor, was sent there as a secretary. Within five years three buildings had been occupied successively: a central branch, and what were known as the "Godwin Road branch" and the "Town branch." The first two branches had buildings on sites owned by the YMCA. The "Town branch" was housed on the ground floor of a building belonging to the English National YMCA Council, erected on a site which was also the property of the English National Council. Both this council and the International Committee of the YMCA of the USA and Canada sent out secretaries who developed the work and made the Association an effective force in the life of the city. By 1914 there were six full-time secretaries and four buildings in Burma. In 1930 an earthquake destroyed the fine 4-story central branch building. In spite of this set-back, the Association continued to carry on both its institutional work and its service to the community in general.

The Town branch served mainly Indian members, and was popular on account of its well-regarded work with the entire Indian community in Rangoon. With its extensive lay leadership, it was considered one of the most active branches of the Rangoon YMCA.

The Godwin Road branch was opened as a center for boys' work and in the course of time it became a branch with a mostly Burmese membership, many of whom were students. Before the outbreak of the war, the Association's community service was almost as important as its institutional work. The YMCA pioneered the introduction of physical education in the city and made so great an impression that the government decided to open a physical education department.

Beginning in 1919, Warren Dwight Healy worked with American-trained Burmese Christian David Tin Hla on physical education. They had government endorsement for a program preparing school teachers to conduct physical education for their students. Healy was also very deeply interested in health education. However when the depression hit the North American staff, Healy’s work was discontinued along with the work of Harold John Payne. Payne had arrived as a boys’ work secretary in 1927. One of his major accomplishments was the inauguration of a refuge for homeless street boys, many of whom were becoming criminals. The opening of the Street Boy's Refuge, which consisted of two homes, one for boys under 14 and another for those under 18, was the direct result of the service of the YMCA in this sphere. Boys' work done by the Association opened the eyes of the public to the great needs of the under-privileged children of the city.

After the war in 1945, when Rangoon was liberated, the damage to YMCA property was devastating; all of the buildings and records were destroyed. Undaunted, Payne, joined by David Tin Hla, rebuilt the YMCA in Burma, focusing on the same principals it had focused on before the war.

The associations of Burma belonged to the National Council of India, Burma, and Ceylon until 1945 when the YMCA was reorganized under Burmese leadership. In 1951 a National board was formed, distinct from the former affiliation with India and Ceylon.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Burma, along with their dates of service.

Brooks, Murray Gordon (1938-1940) Lucas, Harold Victor (1958-1963) Ferguson, Raymond James (1953-1964) Payne, Howard John (1945-1953) Healy, Warren Dwight (1919-1932) Turner, Eugene Alfred, Jr. (1949-1956)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, and from the collection.

Early YMCA work in Indonesia began around 1928 under the direction of John R. Mott, as well as Dutch and German members of the YMCA. During this time, the YMCA worked on a small number of specific projects primarily for Dutch citizens. An effort was made to establish an official YMCA movement in 1946 to provide services for Dutch residents, especially members of the Dutch military who were fighting a war against Indonesian nationalists for control of the archipelago. The largely Dutch YMCA (known as the AMVJ) operated several large, well-equipped centers throughout the country.

Following Indonesian independence in late 1949, the AMVJ administrators left a board of directors composed of four Dutchmen and five Indonesians to continue the movement. The AMVJ changed its name to become the YMCA of Indonesia, and a national committee with membership in the World Alliance was formed in 1951. Alexander Rotti, an Indonesian pastor and member of Parliament, was selected to serve as general secretary. At Rotti's request, fraternal secretary Karl H. Stange was sent to Jakarta (referred to at that time as Djakarta) in 1954.

Although the AMVJ had transferred control of its ten branches to the YMCA in 1949, the new Indonesian government was suspicious of lingering Dutch influence and seized the former AMVJ centers, arguing that they were military possessions of the former colonial power. However, the YMCA regained use of most of these facilities following litigation, and by 1956, the YMCA had made developments on all ten of its facilities. In 1953, a young Indian named C. A. Itty, who had been working for the Student Christian Movement in Indonesia, was appointed as a secretary. Itty was credited as instrumental for his ability to attract young people to the YMCA, which was quickly growing in popularity throughout the country.

The YMCA's early programs included traditional athletic activities, recreation groups, and physical and spiritual education. Karl H. Stange also worked to develop native leadership by hosting a leaders' training course, publishing literature, and offering workshops for volunteers. The YMCA also operated an orphanage and established a conference center to be used by the YMCA, churches, and schools in the city of Sukabumi in 1955. Notably, the YMCA began to operate a school in Djakarta in 1956, an idea that would be replicated by other YMCA

Despite its early growth, the YMCA of Indonesia experienced a period of decline during the 1960s. Issues of nationalism led to conflicts among the YMCA's leadership, and young leaders were forced to fill the void left by departing senior administrators like Alexander Rotti. Furthermore, the YMCA of Indonesia suffered from a lack of inter-movement support during this period partly due to increased communist influence in the country. By 1967, only five associations were actively operating in Indonesia, and the YMCA was forced to close a holiday center and numerous hostels, which had been a significant source of revenue.

Nevertheless, the YMCA continued to work throughout Indonesia. In addition to its programs of athletics, education and outdoor recreation, the YMCA also began to support family planning and medical programs, vocational training, reforestation work, and rural development work in Indonesian villages. The YMCA's schools continued to be a major focus of the movement; by 1980, YMCA schools served over 2,700 students ranging from kindergarteners to secondary school students.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Indonesia, along with their dates of service, if known:

Chappel, Danielle (1977-1979) Sloan, Lynne (1977-1979) Garber, Kim (1980-1982) Sloan, Malcolm D. (1977-1979) Kazmiroff, Boris M. (1973-1975) Summers, Karen Lynn (1982) Moyse, Lawrence (1972) Stange, Karl Henry (1953-1962) Sloan, M. Daniel (1977-1979) Storm, Carolyn (1980)

[Historical information largely adapted from the collection, as well as from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth LaTourette. Additional information was obtained online from YMCA International: http://www.ymca.int/where-we-work/ymcas-country-profile/asia-pacific/indonesia/ ]

In 1884, an American missionary, Frank K. Sanders, organized a YMCA at Jaffna College, a private school in Vaddukoddai, Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka), the first in Ceylon from North America. Several YMCAs of British origin, primarily serving Europeans, were already in existence. Colombo is said to have had a YMCA in 1859, and Kandy in 1861, however, these appear to have been short lived. The Association begun by Sanders was only the first of many; the YMCA sprang up in the schools, colleges, and villages in the northern part of the island. By 1885 there were seven. They then organized themselves into a union, which by 1892 had increased to fifteen and by the end of 1897 to twenty, with a membership of over five hundred.

In 1896, Lois Hieb was sent to Ceylon to form an association in Colombo and serve as its secretary. However, he broadened his field to the entire island. In 1899 he stimulated the formation of the Central Committee of the Young Men's Christian Associations of Ceylon. Not long after Hieb's arrival plans were begun for a building for Colombo. A site was obtained, money was raised, and a building erected and completed without debt. In 1905 Hieb retired, but before he left he reported 12 general Associations for Ceylon with 380 active and 342 associate members, and student associations with 316 members, a building in Colombo and the beginning of a building fund for Jaffna.

In 1907, with the consent of the Ceylon Associations, the island was placed under the Indian National Council. However, a subcommittee of the National Council in Ceylon had direct oversight of the associations of the island.

During World War I the government took over the Colombo building. And after the war, in 1922 Murray G. Brooks reorganized the Colombo Association and in 1924, a new building for the Central Branch was completed. R. W. Cammack came as a physical director and Glenn P. Wishard arrived. Both men gave their time primarily to Colombo. Under Cammack several athletic leagues were organized and a playground for poor children was begun.

By the time of the depression, Wishard was the only North American secretary. Then he left, and until 1951, when E. S. Wybourn arrived, there was no representative of the Associations of the United States and Canada in Ceylon. However, the YMCA had not disappeared. Colombo had more than one branch and a 1952-1953 report showed an addition to the physical plant and many kinds of activities, including a Bible study institute, physical education, a library, clubs, and social service. The YMCA in Ceylon was self-governing and self-supporting. In 1953 there were fourteen Associations, eleven of them with purely voluntary leadership.

At the Convention of the National Council of YMCAs of India and Ceylon, in December, 1961, steps were taken to separate the two movements. In June, 1962, the National Council of the YMCAs of Ceylon was duly and constitutionally established, and was then admitted to full membership in the World Alliance. The first National General Secretary was R. O. Buell who was later succeeded by Boyd I. Perera. With funds raised locally and from America, the YMCAs of Amparai, Jaffna and Kandy were given financial assistance to erect new buildings, while Colombo and Galle received grants to add useful extensions to their buildings.

In more recent years, the Sri Lanka YMCA has focused much of its work on disaster relief. This began primarily with the hurricane that struck the island in 1978. In 1976, there were 22 YMCAs, and 2011 there were 38 associations in the country.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Ceylon, along with their dates of service.

Adams, Chauncey Allen (1905-1907) Harty, Kevin Thomas 1971-1973 Bracken, Dwight Funk (1926-1929) Hieb, Louis 1896-1905 Brooks, Murray (1910-1925) Johnston, Robert Lee Brown, William Gordon 1917-1922 Kazimiroff, Boris M. 1959-1965 Cammack, Robert Walker 1916-1926 Meehan, Peter Martin 1973-1975 Crutchfield, William W. 1908-1915 Pringle, Robert I. 1902 Ellis, Kathleen P. 1977-1979 Torrence, Edgar Clifton Ellis, Michael G. 1977-1979 Wishard, Glenn Porter 1911-1932 Emmons, Orvill Wybourne, E. S. Harte, Archibald Clinton 1907-1908

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, and from the collection.

The first recorded information about the YMCA in Nigeria states that a number of YMCA church societies were formed in the early 1900s, such as one in the city of Kano in 1925. A YMCA in Lagos, called the "Central Club" was founded in 1944 by Reverend Davidson. Ogundiya and Pecku of the Lagos YMCA, while attending the West African YMCA conference in 1956, met with officials of the World Alliance of YMCAs. This meeting triggered negotiations and resulted in the British YMCA National Council sending the first fraternal secretary, Alan Keys, to Nigeria in 1958; he was then shortly replaced with Alex Goodall. Dr. Bankole-Wright transferred from Lagos to Ibadan and developed the interest of Chief T. L. Oyesina. Oyesina attended the World Council meeting in Kassel, Germany in 1957. While there he awakened the German movement's interest in supporting the development of the Nigerian YMCAs. In 1963 the International Committee of YMCAs of the United States and Canada sent a fraternal secretary, J. Clark Ready, to Nigeria. This was followed quickly by a secretary from Germany, Egon Slopianka. A fourth secretary, Fritz Mast, arrived from Germany in 1966. Nigeria was the first country where this multinational approach to cooperation was attempted. The two German secretaries served in the northern section of Nigeria, the British secretary was in the east and the North American International Committee's secretary was in the west, headquartered in Lagos.

Lagos opened its first hostel in 1958 and a second one in 1964, both in rented quarters. Due to lack of use, the second hostel was closed after eighteen months. The National Council of Nigerian YMCAs was formed in 1964 and at that time there were records of more than thirty YMCAs in the country; nearly all functioning as church societies. Only a dozen established an active relationship with the National Council. The National Council of Nigerian YMCAs was admitted into membership in the World Alliance of YMCAs in 1965. All secretaries in Nigeria reported to the Nigerian National Council and carried, in their separate regions, individual leadership recruiting and training responsibilities.

The Nigerian YMCA, as a whole, progressed slowly due to the lack of a large enough number of informed laymen, a persistent lack of financial resources at both the local and national levels and a limited scope of accomplishment by the church YMCAs. The unstable political situation presented another challenge. In 1966 a military coup deposed the government of the Republic of Nigeria and a federal military government was formed in its place. In 1967 a Nigerian Civil War occurred between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a rebel group within the country. The succession of three southeastern states affected the YMCA's work in Eastern Nigeria and eliminated its movement forward. The Nigerian economy was hit hard by this split as well, leaving many citizens in need of aid. British Fraternal Secretary William Harte, who was stationed in Port Harcourt, a town within the Biafran territory, was forced to leave. This left indigenous secretary-in-training S. Nwachuku to carry forward the YMCA work there. No direct contact was allowed between the YMCAs in the eastern states and those of the rest of the country. This lack of contact left the National Council of Nigerian YMCAs in the dark and the Port Harcourt YMCA on its own.

In some areas, however, the YMCA in Nigeria was successful. A 1967 push to establish Hi-Y Clubs were fruitful and approximately twenty clubs existed in Nigeria as by 1968. Boys' residence camping was also introduced by the Lagos association in 1967, as well as a successful experiment in city day-camping. A course for training camp counselors was written as part of the National Leadership College Training Plan. Local leadership training courses were conducted in Kaduna, Ibadan and Lagos. The National Council Camp Committee launched a campaign in various communities in 1968 in order to secure funds to provide camp facilities. A gift of a seventy acre tract of land for the use of a national camp site was given to the Nigerian YMCA by the Oba, chiefs and citizens of the Eruwa. The Eruwa Camp was used for boys' camping, leadership classes and seminars, experiments in international living and staff conferences.

In 1970, Biafran leaders surrendered and the Biafran region was fully absorbed back into Nigeria. Two years later, Moses Perry came to the Nigerian YMCA to replace J. Clark Ready, who was retiring. Perry immediately began planning a USAID (United States Agency for International Development) project for the Nigerian population. The Nigeria YMCA Entrepreneur Education and Development Program was set up to experimentally develop and demonstrate, for the benefit of the Nigerian government, some field-tested techniques and processes of non-formal education for developing indigenous entrepreneurship at the small business level. This program developed a process of management education that stressed on-site management and technical assistance. Perry accepted a job as the YMCA International Division Liaison to West Africa shortly after his placement and was replaced by John N. Newton.

The Lagos association, the largest YMCA in the country, also began a building repair and expansion program for the office building and hotel facility. Major program areas for the Lagos YMCA included physical education, Hi-Y, Camp Eruwa, vocational training in printing and metal work in Ibadan and Kaduna, and construction of a third workshop for carpentry in Bauchi. The Lagos YMCA also was the first non-profit organization in Nigeria to run a journalism program.

Starting in 1978 the Nigerian YMCA became part of the International Camp Counsellors Program (ICCP) sending Nigerian counsellors to the United States and receiving United States counsellors in return. In 1983 the YMCA in Nigeria established a direct linkage to the Blue Ridge Assembly YMCA in North Carolina. The two YMCAs established a direct trade of counsellors without the involvement of the ICCP in order to further develop their counsellor training and fulfill their individual YMCAs' needs.

In the 1980s the YMCA of Nigeria had sixteen active units and 8 full or part-time professional staff. The Lagos YMCA's income was from rental condominiums and apartments in their office complex as well as from the Mobile gas station on part of their property. The Nigerian association subsisted on contributions from the city associations and any additional funds to carry the program further. In 1987 a Youth-In-Government Program was proposed for the Nigerian YMCA to address the changing Federal government in Nigeria. It was designed to provide education of the political process in the hope that it would result in a strong, stable and democratically elected government in the country.

The last of the non-indigenous fraternal secretaries in Nigeria, a German secretary in the northern zone, left in April of 2000. Technical personnel for vocational training centers (VTCs) and other special projects, however, were still recruited from Germany. Main programs in the 2000s centered around youth empowerment, gender sensitivity, poverty alleviation, leadership development, political and civic education, and the capacity of building towards self reliance.

The following is a list of individuals who served with the North American YMCA as secretaries in Nigeria along with their dates of service:

Florek, William Edward (1971-1973) Perry, Moses (1972) Henderson, Jack Rubel (1970) Ready, James Clark (1963-1972) Newton, John N.

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from "YMCA International-World Alliance of YMCAs" (http://www.ymca.int/where-we-work/ymcas-country-profile/africa/nigeria/; retrieved July 18, 2012), "YMCA Africa Alliance" (http://www.africaymca.org/africa-ymca/nigeria; retrieved July 18, 2012), and from the collection.

In 1892, Luther De Loraine Wishard assisted the YMCA World Service Committee in organizing an association in Athens. This was the first attempt at providing a YMCA to the Greek population, but it was short lived; before 1914 it disappeared. In 1918 upon invitation to the YMCA War Work Council by the Greek government and the Greek Orthodox Church, a war relief service was provided to Greek troops. Two secretaries were sent, H. A. Henderson and Richard Boardman, and they were soon reinforced by 25 North American secretaries. By 1920, 34 huts had been established, the first of these was at Toomba, Salonica (i.e. Thessaloniki, also referred to in the collection as Saloniki ). These huts were established in military posts throughout Greece and then followed the Greek military forces into Russia and Asia Minor. In total, 56 “spitia,” or huts were eventually founded in territories under Greek control. The activities in these spitia included canteen service, physical and athletic recreation, cinema shows, theatrical exhibitions, circulation libraries, lecture courses, lessons in Greek for illiterate soldiers, and religious and moral talks by Orthodox clergy and laymen. The attendance in each averaged 5,000 soldiers daily.

In 1919 requests came to the International Committee from governmental and religious authorities in Athens and Salonica to establish associations for civilians. In 1920 Darrell O. Hibbard arrived in Athens and Ulius L. Amoss was transferred from Thrace to Thessaloniki. In 1921 the Salonica YMCA and in 1923 the Athens YMCA were incorporated under Greek law as Greek institutions. In 1924 Hibbard left because of ill health and in 1925 Amoss was transferred to Athens. Herbert P. Lansdale Jr. came to Thessaloniki as general secretary and in 1926 Lewis W. Reiss arrived and became national physical director. With the blessing of the Metropolitan Bishop of Athens, in 1925 a provisional national committee for Greece was formed; Amoss became national general director. The connection was so close with the Orthodox church that in various archdioceses the YMCA was asked to lead in promoting sunday schools, bible classes, and the study of church history. From 1924 on, Metropolitan Bishops of Greece were successively honorary presidents of both of the associations. The associations had Greek membership, Greek boards of directors and constitutions that were designed according to the Greek law of philanthropic institutions.

In 1927 Reiss reported that the Greek YMCA was encouraging interscholastic sports, teaching fair play and sportsmanship and organizing a Greek branch of the International Lifesaving Corps. The physical education activities that were most popular during this time were volleyball, basketball, playground ball, tennis, football (soccer) and quoits (ring-toss). Throughout the 1920s and early 1930s many fraternal secretaries were assigned to Greece and in Athens in 1930 more than 200 persons actively served in the YMCA.

The Thessaloniki building was a large project for the Greek YMCA. The building was opened in 1933 after construction on it was halted in 1928. Construction of the building was not fully completed for several decades though it was attempted many times throughout the years. There were a few camp locations for the Greek YMCA as well. There was a boys' camp at the island of Salamis, a camp at Pelion and a camp at Phaneromeni. In 1934 the Greek YMCA was focusing its attention on physical education, educational and cultural activities, spirit development and healthy recreational services. Some prominent activities based on these areas of focus were: collecting toys at Christmas for children in need, painting and repairing these toys, YMCA boys' club's leading recreation at the boys' prison, the theatrical club camp Pelion orchestra, handball, archery, field hockey, volleyball, swimming, lifesaving class, vocational lectures, educational department advertisement, night school, use of a boys' reading room, house cleaning at camp Phaneromeni, religious discussions, working boys' discussion group, YMCA members' special retreat on Good Friday and Sunday sermons.

In Greece the deepening of the depression led to the reduction of the North American staff. Albert M. Chesney's departure in 1933 left Lansdale to be the only North American secretary left in Greece. The operating funds, at first largely supplied by the North American foreign committee, continued on a decreasing scale until most funds were raised from sources within Greece. Lansdale took charge of the Thessaloniki YMCA. He left the Athens association on a self-supporting basis with an annual membership and finance campaign of the North American pattern. In 1939 Lansdale went back to North America for family reasons and due to shortage of funds it was decided not to replace him.

In 1939 a decree by the dictator Metaxas officially dissolved the YMCA in Greece. The plants at Athens and Thessaloniki were taken over for the National Youth Organization. The right to reopen and to operate was restored in 1944, and confiscated properties were returned. Active cooperation with the International Committee was also resumed in 1945 with David Creighton as the new North American fraternal secretary in Greece. By 1948 the reorganization of a national council had been completed and membership income was the highest that it had been in the history of the movement in Greece. By 1954 David Creighton was the general secretary on the national council staff, focusing much of his time to leadership training, John A. Custer was appointed technical adviser at Saloniki and Nicholas T. Patinos was also appointed a fraternal secretary in Greece.

In 1955 an Athens building site was gifted by the Greek government and a conditional grant of $80,000 was donated by the International Committee in order to finance the construction of an Athens YMCA building. A nine-story building was constructed. It was dedicated in 1964 and at the time still needed approximately $250,000 worth of finishing and equipping. Also in 1964 David Creighton passed away. Friends of Creighton set up a memorial fund in order to cover the expenses of finishing the Athens building and also to finance other YMCA projects in Greece.

The Greek YMCA continued to grow and develop throughout the years becoming more and more autonomous. The camping programs continued to grow and new camp locations were bought or donated and absorbed into the programs of the Greek YMCA. Hostels and educational activities also continued to be a staple of the services that the Greek YMCA provided. The YMCA centers in Athens and Thessaloniki worked to offer adult education classes, language classes, fine arts classes, spiritual study classes, athletic and recreational programs and the camps at Salamis, Pelion and Chalkidiki also offered many learning opportunities and boys' work options. The Greek Orthodox church was always very involved in the YMCA and continued to be into the 2010s. The Greek YMCA continued a strong relationship with the North American YMCA and continued to introduce programs that would help its community.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Greece along with their dates of service:

Amoss, Ulius Louis (1920-1929) Howe, Warren Francis (1920-1921) Bakken, James O. (1966-1967) Jacob, Ernest Otto (1928-1931) Baugher, Richard Allen (1968-1969) Ladwig, Michael W. (1969-1970) Chesley, Albert Meader (1934-1935) Lamb, Charles Stanley (1922-1923) Conklin, Richard C. (1967-1968) Lansdale, Herbert P., Jr. (1925-1938) Creighton, David Coleridge (1945-1964) Lapp, Carol Ann (1973-1974) Custer, John Alexander (1950-1969) Machotka, Joseph Frank (1925-1927) Diamantides, Diamandes (1934-1940, 1965-1968) Moulton, Orman William (1945-1949) Doenecke, Charles C. (1969-1970) Patinos, Nicholas Thomas (1952-1955) Fisher, Edward Michael (1922-1924) Riess, Lewis William (1924-1934) Foote, Seward Rowley (1963-1969) Talton, Philip A. (1965-1967) Frederiksen, Oliver Jul (1930-1933) Wheeler, David B. (1974-1976) Garver, Charles W. (1973) Wilkinson, P. David (1964-1965) Hibbard, Darrell Osmer (1920-1925)

Historical information largely adapted and quoted from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth Scott Latourette, from the collection and from "YMCA International, YMCA Greece 2012," (http://www.ymca.gr).

The first YMCA established in Taiwan was an association created for Japanese residents in 1898 in Taipei. This association continued to serve Japanese members until the end of World War II when the Japanese were evacuated from the island and Taiwan was returned to the Chinese Nationalist Government. In 1946, a newly established (1945) Chinese YMCA moved into the former Japanese association building.

The new Chinese association was independently organized in Taipei by a group of 22 Taiwanese Christian Church leaders led by Dr. Lee Tsao-Zan. The Taipei Association was invited to join the National Committee of the YMCAs of China in 1948; however, after the intensification of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Taipei Association ended their relationship with the mainland Chinese YMCAs. After leaving his secretary post in China in 1951, Roger David Arnold was sent to work with the YMCA in Taipei.

By 1954, Taipei was home to two YMCA centers with 3,004 members, 469 volunteer workers, and seven secretaries. A new YMCA association was established in the southern city of Tainan in 1955, and a camp was purchased in 1956. The early emphasis of the YMCA in Taiwan focused on camping, club programs, physical education, and educational programs. New associations were established in the cities of Taichung (1962) and Kaohsiung (1963), and the four city associations formed the National Council of YMCAs of the Republic of China in 1966.

The National Council focused their resources on promoting youth leadership programs throughout Taiwan. The YMCAs offered student exchange programs, English education and typing courses, vocational training, and the Management Training Project, which was established in the early 1970s to educate Taiwan’s future government and business leaders.

In addition to leadership development, the YMCAs offered physical education, water safety training, and other recreational activities to its members. The National Council also promoted the development of industrial YMCAs to make an impact on young people in Taiwan’s increasingly industrialized society. During the 1980s, the National Council worked with OSCY (Overseas Service Corps YMCA) to place American teachers with classes of Taiwanese students. The YMCA also formed a partnership with the Amity Foundation, a Chinese Christian charity, in the mid 1980s. By 1987, the YMCAs of Taiwan operated eight associations throughout the island.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Taiwan, along with their dates of service, if known:

Arnold, Roger David (1916-1932) Rugh, Dwight DeKalb (1956) Brown, Robert G. (1978-1979) Russell, Philip Lynn (1971-1972) Fish, Ralph A. (1969-1971) Schaefer, Mark Lang (1973-1975) Hutchings, Pamela Gail (1980-1981) Wu, Mabel Ann Lum (1977-1979) Kreidler, Eric Carl (1969-1971) Zuroski, Patricia Yuan (1975-1977) Meyer, Myron Keith (1964)

[Historical information largely adapted from the collection, as well as from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada (New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth LaTourette.]

YMCAs, primarily for foreigners, existed in Japan before the direct involvement from the North American associations began in 1889. The North American YMCA efforts in Japan began with the work of John.T. Swift. Swift went to Japan in 1888 to teach English at the government schools. He formed Bible study groups which evolved into nascent college YMCAs in the Imperial University, the Higher Middle College and the High Commercial College. With the assistance of the Minneapolis YMCA in 1889, the International Committee was able to secure funding for Swift's position and a permanent YMCA presence was officially created in Japan.

The early work of the Japanese YMCA consisted of holding evangelistic meetings, publishing a magazine, forming a lending library and holding meetings on philosophical and religious subjects. In 1890 Seijiro Niwa became the first General Secretary of the Tokyo City Association. Under the leadership of Swift and Niwa the association work in Japan quickly spread. The Japanese YMCA embraced the traditions of its North American counterparts by providing service to the armed forces and assisting in local disasters. During the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905, and in Siberia at the close of World War I the Japanese YMCA provided service. In 1923 an earthquake damaged the association buildings in Tokyo and Yokohama, but the Japanese YMCAs were still able to provide assistance to the general public.

The economic depression that hit America in the 1930s put severe constraints on the number of American secretaries the International Committee was willing to send to Japan. The number in Japan was reduced down to seven and the necessity of having American secretaries was called into question. The Japanese continued involvement in Chinese Manchuria put further strains on the relationship of the Japanese and American YMCAs. World War II ended the activity of the North American YMCAs in Japan but the Japanese YMCAs were able to continue their work, though on a limited basis. Due to the drafting of youth, the Student Associations were suspended. Also as a result of governmental pressure, the Japanese Associations were pressed to formally end their relations with the World Alliance of YMCAs. Following the cessation of hostilities in Japan, Russell Luther Durgin (the last American Secretary to leave Japan in 1942) was asked by the State Department to assist as an advisor to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (SCAP). There was a great deal of work to do as six of the twelve major city YMCA buildings were completely destroyed and several more were badly damaged by the Allied forces. The return of peace to Japan allowed the YMCA to flourish again and many former associations were again reopened. Support to rebuild came from around the world. By 1949 there were YMCAs in 31 different cities. The Japanese YMCA movement continues to this day to be a vibrant organization.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Japan, along with their dates of service, if known:

Alexander, Ronni (1977-1981) Jorgenson, Arthur Peter (1911-1924, 1926-1943) Andrews, John Bartlett (1912-1914) Kessler, Clifford F. (1975-1977) Bower, Peter Maxwell (1961-) Kolak, Stephen (1977-1981) Bradley, Adrian C. (1921-1924) Kunkel, John C. (1978-1980) Brown, Franklin Hartwell (1913-1930) Leeper, Harry Dean (1948-1954) Buckley, Earle Reid (1952-1964) Long, Winthrop Austin (1950-1959) Call, Dwight William (1968-1969) Luce, Ronald B. (1966-1967) Converse, Guy Chester (1915-1931) McGlaufin, Deborah A. (1975-1977) Craford, Mary (1984-1986) McLennan, Donald M (1917-1920) Daughrety, Gregory Dean (1969-1970) Miller, Ransford S.,Jr. (1891-1895) Dawson Sumiyasu, Jill (1983-1985) Mills, Stewart Jon (1973-1975) Dean, Michelle (1977-1979) Moran, Sherwood Ford (1911-1912) Davis, John Merle (1905-1925) Patterson, George Sutton (1921-1932) DiPasquale, Philip (1979-1981) Peterson, Louse Miller (1976-1978) Doak, Leslie A. (1968) Phelps, George Sidney (1902-1935) Downing, Thomas M. (1978-1980) Reiff, Lyle (1980-1982) Drury, Clifton M. (1964-1967) Ryan, Winfield Scott (1917-1930) Durgin, Russell Luther (1919-1951) Sneyd, Herbert Stanley (1913-1932) Fisher, Galen (1898-1924) Stanley, Rupert Harrison (1920-1923) Gleason, George (1901-1922) Stier, Wilhelm Rudolf F. (1917-1925) Grafton, Homer Harold (1916-1922) Swan, George Dempster (1913-1929) Haag, Howard, Lee (1950-1954) Swift, John Trumbull (1889-1898) Hague, Donald (1972-1973) Thatcher, Bruce F. (1971-1973) Harlan, Betsy Ann (1977-1979) Trueman, George Ernest (1909-1931) Harris, S. A. (1910-1911) Valde, Gregory Alan (1978) Hayes, Cameron Douglas (1914-1918) Wedel, Alfred Delmar (1955-1968) Helm, N. Wilbur (1903-1904) Wetzel, Susan (1980-1981) Helm, Verling Winchel (1899-1907) Wilbur, Hollis Adelbert (1909-1913) Hermann, Valentine (1903-1909) Wilhelmson, Carl (1924-1925) Hibbard, Carlisie V. (1902-1917) Wilson, Lucian C. (1917-1919) Hoyle, Lynn (1979-1981) Yorman, Kathy (1986-1988) Hynes, Margaret (1983-1985) Young, Etienne (1986-1988) Jackson, Frederic Ivor (1924-1930)

Historical information taken from A World of Crisis and Progress, by Jon Thares Davidann, World Service: A History of Foreign work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada, by Kenneth LaTourette, and from the collection.