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Young Women's Christian Association
YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATIONYOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. First established in Great Britain in 1855, the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) reached the United States in 1858. By 2002 the YWCA of the U.S.A. included 326 community associations, including campus and registered YWCAs and membership in the United States had reached two million. The YWCA's chief objective is to develop the full potential of the women it serves, most of them between the ages of twelve and thirty-five. The YWCA seeks to include women and girls of different racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, occupational, religious, and cultural backgrounds. Men and boys participate as associates in the YWCA. By the early twenty-first century the YWCA focused on eight key issues: childcare and youth development; economic empowerment; global awareness; health and fitness; housing and shelter; leadership development; racial justice and human rights; and violence prevention. The National Board of the YWCA of the U.S.A. was formed in 1906. Its headquarters are in New York City. Active in both World War I and World War II, in 1941 the YWCA became one of six national organizations that contributed to the United Service Organizations. Delegates from YWCAs throughout the nation attend national conventions every three years and vote on policies, goals, and direction for the organization. The priority adopted at the convention in 1970, and reaffirmed in 1973, was to join with like-minded groups to use the YWCA's collective power to achieve a just and equal society, including the elimination of institutional racism. Related to that objective, the YWCA focused on the elimination of poverty, ending war and building world peace, increasing women's self-perception and changing society's expectations of them, and involving youth in leadership and decision making within the organization. Members of the YWCA of the U.S.A. maintain that they are nonpolitical, but they encourage girls and young women to be politically active. In the late twentieth century the YWCA began campaigns to increase awareness about violence against women, including the support of legislation that would protect women and girls from violence. YWCA conventions also issued statements on difficult topics such as abortion, rape, HIV and AIDS education, and drugs and alcohol. The YWCAs provide residential halls, classes, athletic programs, recreational facilities, and lectures and forums on subjects of interest to women for its members. The YWCA also provides education on breast cancer prevention and care as well as sex education, and the organization continues programs in employment education and placement. In 2002 YWCA work was being done in more than 326 associations in the United States and in 101 countries around the world. The YWCA of the U.S.A., an affiliate of the World YWCA, which has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, participates in the World YWCA mutual service and development program. Each year it aids an average of thirty other national YWCAs through advisory staff, program grants, building loans, bringing trainees to the United States for observation and study, or a combination of some or all four methods. BIBLIOGRAPHYMjagkij, Nina, and Margaret Spratt, eds. Men and Women Adrift: The YMCA and the YWCA in the City. New York: New York University Press, 1997. Sarah E.Heath See alsoYoung Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association ; Young Men's Christian Association . |
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"Young Women's Christian Association." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Young Women's Christian Association." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401804646.html "Young Women's Christian Association." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401804646.html |
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Young Women's Christian Association
Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) Christian association for young women; the counterpart of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). Two YWCA groups founded simultaneously (1855) in different parts of England, and the associations merged in 1877. The YWCA provides accommodation, education, recreation facilities, and welfare services to young women. It has local branches in more than 80 countries.
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"Young Women's Christian Association." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Young Women's Christian Association." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-YoungWomensChristianssctn.html "Young Women's Christian Association." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-YoungWomensChristianssctn.html |
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YWCA
YWCA • n. a welfare movement with branches in many countries that began in Britain in 1855. ∎ a hostel or recreational facility run by this association. |
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"YWCA." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "YWCA." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-ywca.html "YWCA." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-ywca.html |
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YWCA
YWCA Abbreviation of Young Women's Christian Association
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Cite this article
"YWCA." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "YWCA." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-YWCA.html "YWCA." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-YWCA.html |
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Young Women's Christian Association
Young Women's Christian Association. See YMCA and YWCA.
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Cite this article
Paul S. Boyer. "Young Women's Christian Association." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Paul S. Boyer. "Young Women's Christian Association." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-YoungWomensChristianssctn.html Paul S. Boyer. "Young Women's Christian Association." The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-YoungWomensChristianssctn.html |
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YWCA
YWCA Young Women's Christian Association
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FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "YWCA." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "YWCA." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-YWCA.html FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "YWCA." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-YWCA.html |
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