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The Young Men’s and Young Women’s Christian Association of Winnipeg has changed its full legal name to YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg.
The reason for dropping references to Christianity and gender is to both reflect the reality of the organization and remove any barriers or concerns some might feel because of those words, said president and chief executive officer Cordella Friesen.
“We are open to all faiths,” Friesen said Thursday, noting while the organization was founded on Christian principles and values in the 19th century, it hasn’t been overtly Christian in Canada since the 1970s.
“That has not been our emphasis for a long time.”
However, she was often asked about the role Christianity played in the organization, including when hiring new staff or when signing partnership agreements.
This is especially true when entering into agreements with Indigenous groups, Friesen said, noting references to Christianity in the former full legal name could be triggering and concerning for some.
Changing it to the acronym YMCA-YWCA “just reflects the reality of who we have been for decades and who we are,” Friesen said, noting the organization serves a lot of people from the local Muslim community.
This includes wanting to make sure the YMCA-YWCA is seen as being open and welcoming to members of the LGBTTQ+ community, she added. The organization is providing a universal washroom and locker room at its downtown Winnipeg location, although it will still have gendered change rooms and bathrooms.
“Having separate rooms for men and women is important for some faith groups,” Friesen said.
The end goal of the name change is to send the message the YMCA-YWCA is “welcoming to all,” Friesen said. “The Y will always be a safe place that promotes and celebrates diversity.”
The name change is part of the organization’s recently released 2024-27 strategic plan, developed by YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg’s board of directors over the past year.
The YMCA was founded in 1844 in London, as a response to the terrible working conditions facing young men in cities at that time. The first YMCA in North America opened in Montreal in 1851; the Manitoba branch opened in 1879.
The YWCA was founded in 1858 in New York City.
faith@freepress.mb.ca
John Longhurst
Faith reporter
John Longhurst has been writing for Winnipeg’s faith pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the U.S., and blogs about the media, marketing and communications at Making the News.
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