A VISIT OF YMCA INDIA LEADERSHIP TO RUSSIA YMCA

Last Updated (Monday, 15 January 2024 09:03)

On August 3-9, 2023, an official delegation of National Council of YMCA India visited the Russian YMCA. The objectives of this visit were:

• To foster international cooperation and intercultural exchange between the two YMCA movements.
• To promote Youth and Staff Exchange programs.
• To make for a mutual exchange of best practices and start of new programme elements in respective countries.

The visiting delegation was represented by Mr. Vincent George, President; Ms. Mahima Turhi Agrawal, Vice-President; and Mr. Bertram Devadas, National General Secretary. The program in Russia was organized by NGS Alexei Kostyakov, national board members, staff of YMCA Russia office, and leaders of a local YMCA in Yaroslavl.

Discussions held in Russia resulted in identification of further steps of collaboration: a visit of YMCA Russia official delegation to India, and the two visits of youth delegations – one to India, and another one to Russia, are planned for 2024.

In Moscow, a separate meeting was organized with the National Youth Council of Russia, which is the most representative body of youth and children's associations in the Russian Federation, with more than 50 member youth organizations. Leadership of the National Youth Council expressed full support of the initiative of the YMCAs of Russia and India to develop collaboration in youth and staff exchange.

It was also agreed that a Memorandum of Understanding between the two national YMCAs will be executed in September 2023. The cooperation of YMCAs of India and Russia will focus on several aspects, including Innovative Programs in sustainable planet, youth training, identifying meaningful work in the context of youth skills.

During interaction with Indian YMCA visitors, a youth group from Yaroslavl YMCA made a short presentation of their work; YMCA India shared their presentation as well.

A visit was undertaken to YMCA Dacha, an outdoor Guest and Camp Centre owned by YMCA Russia, which is in Yaroslavl region on the Volga River. It will be the venue for future Youth Exchange projects between YMCAs of Russia and India.

It is hoped that both YMCAs will embark on a long and mutually beneficial partnership, which will unite its members, especially youth, around the ideas of peace, collaboration, and friendship.

By Mr. Bertram Devadas, National General Secretary, NCYI

The YMCA in Mongolia celebrated its 10th anniversary

Last Updated (Monday, 15 January 2024 08:57)

On November 18th, the YMCA of Mongolia joyfully celebrated its 10th anniversary with a gathering of national and international partners, volunteers and staff. The celebration, held in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar, included reflections on the start of the YMCA movement in Mongolia, traditional music and dance performances and presentation of gifts.

More than 130 guests came together to help mark the momentous occasion. The YMCA of Mongolia was pleased to welcome a number of esteemed international guests who traveled for the anniversary event. The Asia Pacific Alliance of YMCA General Secretary Nam Boo Won welcomed everyone and spoke about the importance of weathering the ups and downs of growth and coming through with a firmer foundation. He wished the YMCA of Mongolia longevity like that of what will be celebrated in Korea with their upcoming 120 year anniversary.

Remarks were also shared by Vincent George, National Council of YMCA India president and APAY vice president, with wishes for continued growth and hope for the YMCA of Mongolia’s ability to purchase land and build upon it. Mr. George personally pledged his own financial contribution to the land fund and encouraged YMCA of Mongolia General Secretary Munkhtsog Davaadorj to grow this contribution through further fundraising. Traditional Indian gifts were also bestowed upon the YMCA of Mongolia staff, presented by Mr. George and Koshy Alexander Vaidyan, Youth Secretary of the National Council of YMCA.

From Japan, the Mongolia team welcomed Tsutomu Taguchi, national general secretary of YMCA Japan, Hideki Ishibashi, director of Student YMCA and Positive Net Department, Yasuo Miyato, general secretary of Ibaraki YMCA, and Akiyuki, staff from Ibaraki YMCA. They also shared their best wishes with the assembled staff, volunteers and guests, speaking of their hope that the shared work and cooperation between the YMCA movements would continue to grow.

Honorio Tan, president of Manila Downtown YMCA in the Philippines, spoke about his work with the founding members of the YMCA of Mongolia and how he watched the movement take shape and begin throughout the last ten years. The Manila Downtown YMCA has been a long term financial supporter of YMCA of Mongolia, aiding in their ability to do their work. He was joined by Venus May Alinsod, executive director of Manila Downtown YMCA, in presenting honorary gifts to the Mongolian staff.

Guests from Korea also joined the international visitor delegation, bringing best wishes from the Korean YMCA and Gwangju YMCA, a strong financial supporting partner. Kaeng-Ok Kang, chairman of Gwangju YMCA, Il-Do Na, vice chairman of Gwangju YMCA, Un-Ki Lee, general secretary of Gwangju YMCA and Hyo-Jong Kim, director of Gwangju YMCA spoke of their hope for YMCA of Mongolia’s future growth and the long-lasting impact they can have on their community through young people.

During the anniversary event, the outgoing board president Bolortuya Dondovsambuu ceremoniously transferred the presidency to newly elected board president Bat-Unur Erdenebayar. Founding member Javkhlantugs Ganbaatar was also honored during the celebrations, with appreciation expressed for his work in creating the YMCA of Mongolia ten years ago. Mr. Davaadorj closed the event by expressing his gratitude for all of the work, commitment and support shown by the YMCA of Mongolia’s partners, staff and volunteers.

That evening the APAY team hosted a dinner for the YMCA of Mongolia’s international guests, staff and volunteers. Everyone had a wonderful time fellowshiping over food and multilingual conversations and translations.

The following day a Partner Support Group meeting was held in the YMCA of Mongolia’s offices. PSG members met with the outgoing and new board presidents and national general secretary and listened to a presentation about the YMCA of Mongolia’s current work and goals. They had the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the current strategies and support needed. After lunch they spent time exploring the Mongolian countryside with a trip to the Chinggis Khan statue, Terelj National Park and horseback riding. All guests safely returned to their homes after the weekend celebrations.

Haeng-Ok Kang- Chairman of Gwangju YMCA

Il-Do Na- Vice Chairman of Gwangju YMCA

Un-Ki Lee- General Secretary of Gwangju YMCA

Hyo-Jong Kim- Director of Gwangju YMCA

Venus May Alinsod - Executive Director of Manila Downtown YMCA

Honorio Tan- President of Manila Downtown YMCA

Nam Boo Won- APAY General Secretary

Vincent George, National Council of YMCA India President and APAY Vice-President

Koshy Alexander Vaidyan, National Council of YMCA, Youth Secretary

Tsutomu Taguchi, National General Secretary of YMCA Japan

Hideki Ishibashi- Director of Student YMCA and Positive Net Department

Yasuo Miyato- General Secretary of Ibaraki YMCA

Akiyuki Miyoshi- Staff of Ibaraki YMCA

Global Staff Team (GST) Meeting was Co-hosted by APAY and YMCA of Korea

Last Updated (Monday, 15 January 2024 08:58)

Global Staff Team (GST) Meeting was Co-hosted by APAY and YMCA of Korea 

Global Staff Team (GST) Meeting

Global Staff Team (GST) members meet regularly to share the current status of YMCA movement of each region and to collaboratively develop the global strategy, positioning, and visibility. The GST consists of seven professional leadership: Secretary General of the World YMCA, the General Secretaries of the Area Alliances (Africa, Asia and Pacific, Europe, Latin America and Caribbean), and representatives of YUSA and YMCA Canada.

This year, the GST meeting was held on October 3-7 in Seoul and Jeju Island, South Korea, co-hosted by Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs (APAY) and NCY-Korea. Seven YMCA leaders discussed the important agendas such as the Areas Update and Vision 2030 implementation, also had various meaningful side events such as the press conference for peace on Korean Peninsula, visit to Demilitarized zone (DMZ) between South and North Korea, meeting with Jeju Governor, and visit to the site of APAY Jeju office and soon-to-be YMCA Global Peace & Ecology Center.

Press Conference for Peace on the Korean Peninsula

The press conference with the title ‘World YMCA Leaders solidify with Korean civil society to Protect Peace on the Korean Peninsula’ was held on October 4 in Seoul, South Korea. The statement was released by GST members to call for i) end-of-war declaration on the Korean Peninsula, ii) conclusion of a peace agreement, iii) denuclearization of Korean Peninsula, and iv) establishment of the World YMCA Pyongyang* Liaison Office. The statement also mentioned that the peace movement on the Korean Peninsula can play a key role in establishing peace in East Asia and the world. (*Pyongyang is the capital city of North Korea.)

The matter of the World YMCA Pyongyang liaison office was adopted in the resolution at the 2018 Chiang Mai YMCA World Council and again at the 2022 Aarhus Denmark World Council. Carlos Sanvee, Secretary General of World YMCA said “The core content of the resolution is to establish a World YMCA liaison office in Pyongyang. I look forward for North Korea to open the door for the necessary dialogue.” He also added “I am ready to visit Pyongyang at any time.” APAY also showed its support for the liaison office by establishing a Task Force for peace building on the Korean Peninsula in 2021 and by adopting a resolution for peace on Korean Peninsula at the 21st General Assembly in India this year.

The related statement and resolutions can be found by clicking each item below:

- Statement of the World YMCA leaders’ in solidarity for declaration of the end of Korean War and conclusion of peace treaty denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and establishment of the World YMCA Pyongyang Liaison Office

- Resolution at 2018 19th YMCA World Council

- Resolution at 2022 20th YMCA World Council

- Resolution at 2023 21st APAY General Assembly in solidarity with Korea YMCA in its efforts towards declaration of the end of Korean War and conclusion of peace treaty as well as re-start of the YMCAs in North Korea 

Visit to Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

The South Korea and North Korea have been divided since 1945, even more with the Korean war in 1950, resulting in the creation of the border with the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) as a barrier. On October 3, the GST members had the opportunity to visit the Paju Unification Observatory in the DMZ area.  

In front of the statue of the late Cho Man-sik, former General Secretary of Pyongyang YMCA

During their visit to the Observatory, looking towards North Korea in the far, GST members realized the tragic division of the Korea over 78 years and military tension between the two Koreas. In particular, the Manghyangdan deeply resonated with them, providing a strong sense of the heart-wrenching reality of families torn apart by the division. (*Manghyangdan is an offering set where individuals or groups perform a ritual in memory of the missing or separated family member due to the division.)

Afterwards, they visited the Hantan-river UNESCO Global Geopark in the neighboring cities of Pocheon and Yeoncheon, where the unique volcanic landform and conservation of the nature were impressive. Like Hantan-river, the river that flows from the North Korea to South Korea, there remains the hope for the unobstructed connection with the peace reconciliation and solidarity between the two Koreas. 

Visit to the Site of APAY Jeju Office and YMCA Global Peace & Ecology Center

GST members visited the site of APAY Jeju office building and YMCA Global Peace & Ecology Center (GPEC). A nice walk along the future GPEC campsite and APAY Jeju office building left a deep impression to the GST members who agreed and supported the vision of the GPEC. 

Thanks to the hard work with big financial contribution by the NCY-Korea, the construction of APAY Jeju office will be completed in the near future. With the advantage of Jeju’s 30-day visa-free entry option for nationals from many countries except for a few in the AP region, APAY Jeju office will provide a safe and stable platform for diverse gatherings, in particular, for the young people.

The GPEC is a grant project of the NCY-Korea along with APAY in cooperation with Y-USA and World YMCA, to provide an inspirational education/training platform for youths to learn from each other as well as discuss and imagine life, ecology, climate, and peace in solidarity. The various global exchange programs will take place at the GPEC which is designed to be “green” buildings that run with renewable energy, and the campground surrounded by untouched nature will be used fully by the youths for their learning, interacting and networking.

Meeting with Jeju Governor

Oh Young-hoon, Jeju Governor warmly welcomed the GST member’s visit to Jeju, ‘an Island of World Peace’ with the YMCA flag. The Governor emphasized to explore the collaboration opportunities between APAY and public institutes and support the projects that give dreams and hope to the next generation. Carlos Sanvee, Secretary General of World YMCA responded with gratitude for the support and cooperation, saying that APAY office and GPEC in Jeju will be a great steppingstone for the ‘Sustainable Planet’ pillar of Vision 2030.

Quality Time with the Members of NCY-Korea

GST members had a great time with the members of NCY-Korea to learn more about the history of Korea YMCAs/civil society and Korean cultures. This quality times with amazing Korean dishes were hosted by Kim Shin-Hyang, President of NCY-Korea and Yoon Jang-Hyun, former President of NCY-Korea. GST members expressed their sincere appreciation to the said hosts, NCY-Korea, and APAY for the warm hospitality.

~ By Yura Rhee, Secretary for Youth Empowerment and Admin, APAY &
Daeun Yang, International Secretary, NCY-Korea

Greetings from Area President of Y's Men International Asia Pacific

Last Updated (Monday, 08 January 2024 17:19)

As Y’s Men International Asia Pacific Area President, it is with great pleasure and honor that I greet the members and friends of the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs.

First, I commend the APAY for its valuable and meaningful work involving young people.

As you know, Y’s Men’s Clubs exist to serve YMCAs and their respective communities. The APAY and the Asia Pacific Area are partners.

Please let me briefly introduce your partner, the Asia Pacific Area, the ASP Area for short. The ASP Area has over 3,600 members in 16 countries, divided into seven (7) Regions, namely Australia, Japan East, Japan West, the Philippines, Southeast Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, and Nepal), Sri Lanka, and Taiwan. It is one of the most diversified and vibrant Areas among eight (8) Areas in the Y’s Men International. The countries the ASP Area covers coincide with your member countries except India and Korea. These two countries form their Area due to large membership.

As Area President, I am responsible for strengthening the Area both in quality and in quantity. To achieve my responsibility, I set my theme for the Area in my term 2023-2024 as “Be the Light for Change.” I chose this theme following the International President’s, “Let the Light Shine.” As IP says, each member is a light or a lighthouse to shine and lead the way for others. The same is true with my theme. I would like the members to be the light that guides us toward our goals and leads others to the goals.

On another note, I would like to introduce two key words in Y’sdom. They are “fellowship” and “service.” Y's Men International, YMI for short, celebrated its 100th Anniversary in Taipei, Taiwan, last March, marking a new step forward into the next 100 years. "Strategy 2032," a blueprint for the next ten years of YMI, was developed as a first step. The direction in which the YMI is headed in this strategy is excellence in fellowship and community impact.

With this direction in mind, we must address YMI’s challenges, such as declining and aging membership. In tackling YMI’s challenges, I see great potential in the partnership and fellowship with the APAY. I want to emphasize that with fellowship, I mean more than developing friendships. But the fellowship, I mean, is an empowering relationship where you can achieve some objectives, or you can reach your goals with the support and assistance from the fellowship. When you apply this idea to the fellowship among YMI members, we can achieve more than each member or club can do.

If you can carry out projects or programs needed in the community, there is no question about the impact you can make on the community.

And if you successfully create empowering fellowship and community impact, we can increase the membership naturally. ASP Area’s larger membership is also a positive influence on APAY.

I sincerely hope that the cooperation and fellowship between APAY and the ASP Area will bring the light for change in the future. As Area President, I am determined to be the light for change to get the Area and APAY to a higher place!

Thank you.