World Council
The World Council
The World Council is the highest governing body of the global YMCA Movement, and much more. It is also where the YMCA meets as a global Movement: over a thousand people join us as we regroup and plan ahead.
Our Council meets every four years
The first (then known as ‘World Conference’) was in Paris, France in 1855, and the most recent (the 20th YMCA World Council) was in Aarhus, Denmark, in 2022.
The last meeting was the 20th YMCA World Council on 4-8 July 2022: a truly hybrid event held both in-person in Aarhus, Denmark and online.
History of the World Council
In 1855, the YMCA Movement met for the first time in Paris, France. 99 delegates from 9 countries – all under 25 – came together for what was then known as a ‘World Conference’. At that meeting, our foundational document the ‘Paris Basis’ was created and adopted.
On the 100th anniversary of the first World Conference (in Paris again, in 1955), the naming convention changed to ‘World Council’.
Special highlights have included the issuing of the Kampala Principles in Uganda (1973), and Challenge 21 in Frechen, Germany (1998), and the adoption of YMCA Vision 2030 in Aarhus, Denmark (2022).