Young Women's Christian Association (University of Washington)

The University of Washington Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) was established in 1895 by Ella Chamberlain, head of the English department. It was the first women's organization on campus and was organized before the incorporation of the national YWCA in 1906. In its early years, the UW YWCA was mostly a religious organization, offering Bible study groups, and devotional and missionary meetings. Throughout the 1910s, members volunteered to perform mission work and teach English to Japanese immigrants in local settlement houses. In 1916 the tenth anniversary of the national YWCA's founding was celebrated through the national jubilee.

From the guide to the Young Women's Christian Association (University of Washington) records, 1903-1982, (University of Washington Libraries Special Collections)

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