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World Council News #5, 21 March 2022 |
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World YMCA Secretary General Carlos Sanvee writes ….
‘Since our last World Council News bulletin on February 18th (English, Espanol, Francais), the unthinkable has happened and there is war in Europe. We are witnessing appalling suffering in Ukraine, and numbers of refugees unseen in Europe since World War II. The compassion and solidarity of the YMCA response has been humbling. Wonderfully led by YMCA Europe, we have raised some 500,000 euros to support YMCAs in Ukraine and YMCAs in neighbouring countries as they in turn support those who flee. Read more here, and please join our efforts if you can.
First Covid, now war: how does this affect World Council? We are determined to continue, and believe it prudent and practicable to do so. We continue to monitor the situation very carefully. My view is that war in Ukraine gives yet more meaning and purpose to a gathering which at its simplest is designed to reaffirm who we are, what we believe, and how we enact our beliefs in the face of war, pandemic or any other human challenge which calls for dignity, equity, and compassion. The world needs YMCA more than ever, and the YMCA needs Vision 2030 more than ever. Vision 2030 will be the centrepiece of World Council.
Read more below, and stand by for more detail in the April, May and June World Council News bulletins. We commit to ‘onboarding’ all of you who have registered for the in-person and on-line events: giving you as much information as we can before and during the event, and also giving you as much context as possible to understand and engage with the shared, Movement-wide journey that is World Council. There will be information webinars for all in May and June. 104 days to go! See you soon in Aarhus or online.'
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We are delighted to have taken over 900 bookings to date for the in-person event and over 1100 for the online event, and we expect those numbers to continue to rise.
SUBSIDY SUPPORT: please remember that thanks to the generosity of some YMCA National Movements, World YMCA and YMCA partners, subsidies may be available to encourage participation from smaller YMCA Movements with less financial resource, especially young people. Requests should be made via YMCA National Movements to worldcouncil@ymca.int.
VISAS & VACCINATIONS: on registering you will receive your Visa invitation letter, with which you then apply to the Danish embassy in your country. If need be, contact worldymca@ymca.int. Covid vaccination is a condition of entry for participation in the in-person event. For more visa and vaccine information (including a list of approved World Council vaccines) please visit the World Council website.
REGISTRATION continues until 31 May. We confirm that fees for the in-person event are USD 1100 until 31 March, and thereafter USD 1300 until 31 May. Fees for the online event are USD 100, or less if individuals register via their YMCA National Movements, some of which are taking block bookings at discounted rates. Individuals should approach their National Movements, or worldcouncil@ymca.int. |
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Click here for the outline programme for the in-person event. It remains an intense work-in-progress as we confirm meetings, speakers and contents. |
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CO-LABS
These are the core of World Council week: seven different sessions from Tuesday to Friday in which we could have up to 50 groups of 20 people, all guided and facilitated to put flesh on the bones of the four pillars of YMCA Vision 2030. They will provide a starting point that will benefit YMCAs all around the world which are aligning to Vision 2030. Facilitated group sessions, where innovative tools and methods will be used, will integrate both design thinking and game theory elements. From 30 March to 1 April, some 20 people will meet in Geneva to map out every Co-Lab minute of the week, and continue the recruitment of facilitators. For more information: razvan@ymca.int.
PLENARY SESSIONS
Seven plenary sessions throughout World Council will include keynote talks, the presentation and adoption of YMCA Vision 2030, meeting candidates for election and voting for them, the President’s and the Secretary-General’s reports, Engagement Panels on the four pillars of Vision 2030, the newly elected President’s remarks, and debates and votes on motions presented by National Movements.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Names to be announced for Tuesday morning 5 July, and Friday afternoon 8 July.
ENGAGEMENT PANELS
Six Engagement panels on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon will explore how global YMCAs are advancing the four pillars of YMCA Vision 2030. In plenary format, Thursday's session will focus on the YMCA Youth Led Solutions initiative. The practical examples demonstrated in the Engagement Panels will inform and enrich the Co-Lab workshops.
DEVOTIONS
Details to follow on different types of Christian and other spiritual reflection available in the post-lunch sessions, Tuesday to Friday.
SIDE EVENTS
Every morning from 08:00 to 09:00, different groups will meet – national groups, regional groups, thematic groups, and more, as many as 10-15 every morning. To book a room and then announce your meeting, contact worldcouncil@ymca.int.
OTHER EVENTS
A number of important events will run before, during and after the official World Council, 3-9 July.
For instance: YMCA Europe General Assembly, 1-2 July; World Mission Conference, 30 June to 3 July (registration open), the YMCA World Urban Network, Y's Men International.
The World Fellowship of YMCA Retirees (WFYR) will also be meeting, and it specifically invites young people aged 20-35 to join its members to debate the increase in religious persecution and its impact on creating ‘A Just World’ (YMCA Vision 2030, Pillar 4). The discussion will be led by Professor Jakob Enberg of the Aarhus University School of Theology. Contact Philip Dwyer, dwyer_philip@yahoo.com. |
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| World Council will elect three 'Officers' for World YMCA - a new President, a new Deputy President, a new Treasurer – as well as the 11 elected members of the 23-person World YMCA Executive Committee. |
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ELECTION CANDIDATES
- Nominations may be sent to office@ymca.int up to (the extended deadline of) 28 March. The final candidate list will be confirmed on 28 April.
- A comprehensive nominations booklet – collating all candidates, biographies, written statements and videos – will be circulated by early-May.
- All candidates will be invited to record their candidature videos (5 minutes for President, 4 minutes for Deputy President and Treasurer, 3 minutes for Executive Committee members) by end-April. Guidelines will be given to ensure the uniformity of the videos in presentation and structure.
- World YMCA will run two 'meet the candidates' webinars (one for the three ‘Officers’, one for the 11 Executive Committee members) at end-May or early-June. Candidates will be able to make their pitches, and to answer questions.
VOTING DELEGATES
- All YMCA National Movements are requested to submit the names of their voting delegates (i.e. those who may formally vote within World Council) to office@ymca.int by 15 April. World YMCA will run an information webinar for all voting delegates in early June, explaining all voting procedures.
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For the next four issues of World Council News we will highlight elements of World Council which reflect our wonderful hosts at YMCA Denmark. So stand by for more information on the Danish evening on Wednesday 6 July, and the ‘Dinner with a Dane’ evening on Thursday 7 July.
For now, get a feel for Aarhus, ‘the city of smiles’. If you want to walk through a rainbow, time-travel to a historic Danish village or feed deer near a royal palace, Aarhus is the perfect destination. It’s a modern city surrounded by amazing natural scenery as far as the eye can see. With its 52,000 students, it represents the youngest population in Denmark, with endless vibrant city life, cultural events, and a young and innovative vibe. Aarhus has a strong focus on climate and sustainability, which has led to it being named the third most sustainable city in the world. |
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| Meet Lawrence Dolo from YMCA Liberia, a graduated World YMCA Change Agent and a programme assistant at the Africa Alliance of YMCAs. He was present at the 19th YMCA World Council in Chiang Mai in 2018, and will be an online attendee at the 20th YMCA World Council in Aarhus in July this year. He speaks about what World Council has meant and will mean for him. More |
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Keep following the World Council website and the World YMCA Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn channels. Always use the hashtag #YMCAignite2022. And feel free to use these 12 images, available here. |
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| At the 17th YMCA World Council in Hong Kong in 2010, we ran a photo competition, asking people to share images of their local YMCAs. See here the winning photo from YMCA Japan, and a collage of other images. |
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We’re here to help: worldcouncil@ymca.int
This is World Council News #5. Unlike News #1-4 (which were sent to all our World YMCA contacts), it is sent to World Council registrants only. However, all YMCA audiences will still be kept informed about the World Council via the separate monthly World YMCA news bulletins, normally issued on the first day of the month. These specific World Council News bulletins will appear at mid-month until June 2022, and daily during the event, 3-9 July 2022.
World Council News #1 (12 November 2021) - English, Espanol, Francais
World Council News #2 (16 December 2021) - English, Espanol, Francais
World Council News #3 (19 January 2022) – English, Espanol, Francais
World Council News #4 (18 February 2022) – English, Espanol , Francais |
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