70 days to go until World Council starts!
World Council News #6 - Tuesday 12 May 2026
This update brings you news of the 17 Excursions on offer on Tuesday 21 July, and many more practical and Programme details for the 21st YMCA World Council. Be sure to join the second information webinar on 28 May, and keep watching the World Council website which will grow and grow over the next 10 weeks.
Information webinars
Join the 2nd World Council information webinar on Thursday 28 May
Learn more about your arrival experience, the Canadian host YMCA Movement, further Programme details, the city of Toronto, its people and culture, as well as some of the more practical arrangements, and what to expect as World Council draws near. The information webinar is on Thursday 28 May 2026 at 12:00-13:30 UTC (13:00-14:30 BST, 14:00-15:30 CEST), and we hope to see guests from all over the world. 350 have already registered - don’t miss out!
The first World Council information webinar on 26 May was a superb online event which drew over 300 people to hear about governance, programming, and logistics for the 21st World Council.
Programme
Use the official Programme to plan your week
Generously supported by the cloud computing service company AWS (Amazon Web Services), the World Council Solutions Studios programme(Wednesday 22 to Friday 24 July) will feature more than 45 sessions and workshops. It will be a platform for YMCA leaders, innovators and changemakers across the globe to explore the ideas, challenges and opportunities shaping the future of our global Movement and the communities we serve.
Framed through the themes of ‘The Shift’, ‘Journey & Response’, and ‘Future & Transformation’, the Programme will explore leadership through complexity, climate action, meaningful work for a new generation, organisational resilience, movement-building, and bold new approaches to sustainability and community impact.
And we will also celebrate success: on Thursday 23 July we’ll present the four Vision 2020 Pillar Impact Awards, chosen from 70 remarkable submissions from across the global Movement. That day, we will also graduate the 6th Cohort of YMCA Change Agents: 85 exceptional young YMCA leaders from 44 countries.
Logistics
Registration update
World Council is currently fully subscribed and a waitlist system is in operation. To assist with the reallocation of any available places, we would ask any delegates who need to cancel their place - or whose visa has been denied - to process their cancellation as soon as possible by emailing worldcouncil@ymca.int
Allocation of places on the waitlist is prioritised as follows:
Delegates with a pre-existing discount code for a place at World Council will be approved as their registration place has already been secured.
Voting delegates not yet registered from National Movements will be prioritised as any new places become available.
All remaining delegates are allocated places on a ‘first come, first served’ basis, according to the date and time that their registration was received.
Please also note ….
The deadline for delegate substitutions or changes to bookings and requests is 23:59 Standard Eastern Time on Sunday 14 June.
We strongly urge everyone to revisit their own personal registration page to keep us updated on: arrival and departure times, visa status and visa reference numbers, and even the refusal of visas.
Guest room allocations - including which hotel you will be staying at - will be sent out from 22 June onwards.
Any delegate may request to book a room for a side-meeting at World Council YMCA World Council 2026 - Meeting Space Request.
Follow the website and future bulletins for things like: an interactive map, advice on what to pack, details on the spouse/companion programme, and much more. The information webinar of 28 May will also be very useful.
Our hosts: YMCA Canada
We’re celebrating Canada - and YMCA Canada too
At World Council we celebrate the country Canada and specifically the YMCA Canada. And this year marks a remarkable milestone: it’s 175 years since the first YMCA opened its doors in Montreal - and on the continent of North America - on 25 November 1851. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, was Canadian. YMCA Canada now comprises 37 independent local YMCA Associations, reaching 2 millions Canadians a year across more than 1,000 locations.
Governance
We’re electing a President, two other Officers, and 11 Executive Committee members from 7 regions
All applications have been received, and a Nominations Book featuring both written and video testimony from all of the candidates will be issued on or soon after 19 May 2026.
A reminder: voting delegates should arrive in Toronto on Saturday 18 July, as the first Governance session begins at 08:45 am the following day.
We'll run an information webinar for all voting delegates on Sunday 28 June. Details will be shared directly with these groups. Delegates who are unable to attend the World Council in Toronto will have the option to vote online during the elections, so this webinar will be important for them, too.
Sponsors and Exhibitors
The Exhibit Hall at World Council 2026 will offer a welcoming space for delegates, partners, and sponsors to connect throughout the event. The Exhibit Hall will feature partners whose expertise and tools can help strengthen and support YMCA initiatives around the world, alongside programmes and innovations from local YMCAs. It will serve as a central gathering point for conversation, networking, and learning. Space will be open during regular programming on Wednesday through Thursday.
World Council 2026 is made possible through the support of our valued sponsors and partners, whose commitment helps bring together YMCA leaders and changemakers from around the world. Their collaboration and shared vision strengthen the impact of this global gathering and support the future of the YMCA Movement.
Please choose your top-three Excursions
On Tuesday 21 July, you will have the opportunity to explore Toronto and its surroundings through a series of curated Excursions which will showcase the diversity of Toronto, as well as highlighting the impact of local YMCAs and the four Pillars of YMCA Vision 2030. You’ll have the chance to visit iconic destinations such as Niagara Falls and YMCA Cedar Glen, or experience a Toronto Harbour-front boat cruise.
Yesterday, 11 May, all delegates (including those in the spouse / companion programme) received an email about Excursions from the World YMCA Events Team, linking them to the World Council registration platform. You were asked to select your top three preferences there by 7 June, and you will then find out which Excursion you will join in the event App, when it appears in July.
Here is a bit of fun for Excursions Day: wear your all-time favourite YMCA t-shirt - preferably not your World Council delegation t-shirt (if you have one), but anything else, from as long ago as you like. Most of you have at least 5 old favourites to choose from… Give us 1,000 new YMCA t-shirt photos!
Excursions