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Abstract
Throughout its history, the Canadian YMCA movement has changed and responded to community concerns and issues in a way that is unique to its Canadian setting. The thirty years of YMCA Canada history, between 1966 and 1996, has seen fundamental changes in the organization of the Canadian YMCA and it is in this period when the majority of the process that has taken the Canadian YMCA from an exclusive, Christian organization to an inclusive, interfaith one has occurred. The purpose of this study is to explore the uniqueness of this Canadian experience and what, if anything, in the Canadian identity fostered its development.
Using hermeneutical phenomenological and feminist based case study methodology, data were collected through documents searches and through self-structured interviews of individuals who have been active in the Canadian YMCA movement during the time period being examined. The group included part-time and full-time volunteers, current and former/retired staff, Christian as well as non-Christian, male and female, and those in management and board leadership positions. Interviewees' length of involvement ranged from eight to fifty-five years. Themes that emerged through these interviews were used as a basis for analysis.
The driving force behind the inclusive statements is the explicitly Christian value system on which the Canadian YMCA is founded. As Canada has moved away from its Christian roots and developed into a multicultural society, the YMCA has mirrored the changes. As Canadians have moved away from Christian churches, the YMCA has moved away from teaching Bible study. The Canadian YMCA provides a reflection of the changes in Canadian identity and the movement towards becoming inclusive.
