The announcement that YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) now will be known as ‘the Y’ raises the question of confusion about the public identity of YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association), also known as ‘the Y.’
By way of background, YMCA and YWCA are separately incorporated and each established in the United States more than 150 years ago. With their differences and similarities, the public has been confused about YMCA – YWCA for generations.
Despite having similar acronyms (YMCA and YWCA), sharing the same abbreviated nickname (the Y), and the fact that some local YWCAs and YMCAs merged, these two distinct organizations have different origins and missions.
Since its inception, the YWCA core focus is the empowerment of women and girls, as well as, racial justice. YWCA was first established in the United States in 1858 and spread quickly across the country. Initially, YWCA helped women from rural areas navigate city life and take jobs during the industrial revolution. While its origins are in the Christian tradition, the organization is open to individuals of all backgrounds, and offers programs and services that include men and boys.
YWCA was the first women’s organization in the U.S. It has been part of and survived every wave of the women’s rights movement from the late 19th century until today. YWCA is one of the largest providers of housing and services for domestic violence survivors, child care and youth programs, job training and employment services, financial literacy and economic self-sufficiency programs, basic education and tutoring, low income and transitional housing, health, fitness and aquatics programs, and more.
In addition to its work to empower women and girls, YWCA is less known for its racial justice efforts. Formed five years before the abolition of slavery, YWCA has been engaged in every phase of the Civil Rights Movement. It was one of the earliest social justice organizations that staunchly promoted anti-lynching efforts, racial integration, voting rights, and more recently, affirmative action, opposition to hate crimes and racial profiling, and comprehensive immigration reform.
Unlike YWCA, the YMCA’s core focus is on youth development, health and fitness, and social responsibility. YMCA is not as strongly connected to the civil rights and women’s issues as the YWCA.
Before publicly announcing the rebranding, YMCA of the USA’s CEO, Neil Nicoll, shared with YWCA USA CEO, Dr. Lorraine Cole, that the reason for the identity change was to create greater brand uniformity among its local affiliates. Also, according to YMCA research, the change embraced the name already used by the majority of the general public.
However, when YWCA rebranded itself a few years ago, its research led to a different conclusion. YWCA’s research indicated that the organization needed to promote its mission. To this end, the YWCA logo was changed to contain the key words of its mission: eliminating racism, empowering women. These words appear as part of the YWCA logo in orange to stress their importance.
According to the Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100, YMCA is the undisputed leader in brand recognition among nonprofit organizations and is number 1 on the Cone list. This is largely due to the strong presence and impact of YMCA facilities and resources in communities worldwide, but also connected to the 1978 song by the Village People which has remained part of pop culture over the past three decades.
“Even with the YMCA rebranding, the public will continue to refer to YWCA as “the Y.” But YWCA should be noted for more than 150 years of advocacy and service as ‘The Y for Women’,” said Dr. Cole. She jokingly added, “If only there were Village Women to pen a catchy tune for our name.”
One interesting note is that trademark restrictions prohibit any letter of the alphabet from being trademarked, so neither the YMCA nor the YWCA could legally claim ownership of the letter ‘Y’.
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YWCA USA is a national not-for-profit membership organization that provides social service, advocacy, education and leadership development. It is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Established in the United States in 1858, the YWCA is the oldest and largest national women’s organization. Through its nearly 300 affiliated local YWCAs and its headquarters in Washington, D.C., the YWCA serves 2.5 million women and girls each year. Globally, the YWCA USA is a member of World YWCA, which has affiliates in 103 countries that serve 25 million women and girls worldwide. Visit www.ywca.org. Contact: Elisha Belgrave at 202-467-0801 or ebelgrave@ywca.org.

Free UPK for your 4 year old!
We are now enrolling for our Universal Pre-K program which is free to Binghamton City School District students who are 4 years old this fall. Registration fees are waived if enrolled before August 13th and we will be holding an orientation night on August 30th at 5:00.

Staff Certifications Update:
Congratulations to Marjorie (infant teacher) who successfully completed her Medication Administration renewal and Jennifer (substitute) who completed her first early childhood course entitled EARLY CHILDHOOD:THEORY TO PRACTICE. Two thumbs up!

First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden met at the White House today with Leadership 18, a coalition of national non-profit chief executive officers, to discuss military family matters. They were joined by Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, his wife Deborah Mullen, Dr. Cliff Stanley, Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, and other White House officials. The First Lady and Dr. Biden have issued a national call to action to address the unique challenges facing military families, build stronger civilian-military community ties, and engages and highlights the service and sacrifice of military families. The meeting today provided an opportunity to discuss ways to build a lasting national commitment to support and engage military families.
Leadership 18 is a coalition of the some of the country’s largest and most well respected human development non-profit CEOs. Altogether, the 22 member organization serves more than 87 million people annually and has more than 5.5 million staff and volunteers. The coalition represents long established charities, faith-based organizations, and nonprofits focusing on social and health issues supporting and promoting the safety, health, well-being, social and economic development of individuals and families.
Leadership 18 attendees included: Peter Goldberg, Alliance for Children and Families; Gail Mc Govern, American Red Cross; Roxanne Spillett, Boys and Girls Club of America; Father Larry Snyder, Catholic Charities USA; Kathy Cloninger, Girl Scouts of the USA; Judy Vredenburgh, Girls Incorporated; Jim Gibbons, Goodwill Industries International; Jill Schumann, Lutheran Services in America; Dr. David Shern, Mental Health America; Stephen Bennett, United Cerebral Palsy; Brian Gallagher, United Way Worldwide; Charles Gould, Volunteers of America; Neil Nicoll, YMCA of the USA; and Lorraine Cole, YWCA USA.
Earlier this month during a speech at a summit hosted by the National Military Family Association, the First Lady challenged every sector of American society to mobilize and take action to support and engage military families today and for decades to come. During the May 12 speech the First Lady said, “One percent of Americans may be fighting our wars, but we need 100 percent of Americans to support them and their families. This has to be all hands on deck.” The hope is that events like this one build a coalition to make this a reality.

Mandala Workshop Flyer

Professional Artist Joy Gilinsky Monte will be leading a Mandala Workshop at the YWCA Binghamton on Saturday June 19th 10:00-5:00.  Fee of $125 includes Materials. For additional materials or to register, contact Joy Gilinsky Monte at joysart.earthlink.net or 845-562-5305

The YWCAs of the Northeast Region is announcing its strong opposition to the recent legislation passed by the State of Arizona. We join our many sister organizations across the country that find the enactment of this law reprehensible. It is clear that this law sanctions racial profiling and violates basic civil rights.
According to Joelle Logue, the President of the YWCAs of the Northeast, “As an organization committed to the elimination of racism, we cannot remain silent when people’s civil rights are clearly desecrated. Although the United States proclaims to respect the freedom of all people, a true look at the history of this country will paint a different picture. We must no longer put laws in place that target individuals based on race or ethnicity. Laws that are motivated by hatred and fear have no place in this country. “
As the nation undertakes the important work of addressing immigration reform, the country must approach the issue using real data capable of illuminating immigration’s impact on the national economy and on the lives of millions of people. Common sense, respect and the realization that immigration is deeply woven in our nation’s fabric are all critical to achieving a fair piece of legislation.
The YWCAs of the Northeast call upon the Obama Administration and specifically on Attorney General Eric Holder to pursue a challenge to the law and to immediately file an injunction against the State of Arizona to stop the law being enacted in August. Of particular concern to the YWCAs in the region is the law’s potential impact on women, as the YWCA is one of the country’s largest domestic violence service providers. Immigrant women are expected to become more unwilling to report incidents of abuse and seek medical attention due to fear they may be detained, deported or treated as a criminal suspect. Currently, victims of domestic violence are able to obtain temporary legal status through a U-visa, which is provided to non-citizen crime victims who are providing or are willing to provide assistance to law enforcement officials investigating relevant crimes. Without intervention from the United States Justice Department, the rights of these women—and the assistance they provide to law enforcement—will become unclear and unstable in Arizona, which is just one example of how women in particular are likely to be harmed by this new state law.
The YWCA is an international women’s organization that fights racism and works to empower women. The YWCAs of the Northeast Region encompasses 32 local YWCAs in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Our mission is eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.

Dr. Dorothy I. Height fought against race and gender prejudice her whole life – starting from the age of 12, when Dorothy demanded to speak to the manager after being denied entrance to a swimming pool because of the color of her skin. Since then, Height went on to participate in virtually all of the major civil rights events from the 1950s through the 1980s, to be a leader within the YWCA and the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), and to create and run programs that help millions of people around the world.

After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from New York University, Height immediately started working on civil rights issues, serving as an organizer and eventually Vice President of the United Christian Youth Movement of North America. This work led her to the YWCA, where she spent the next 40 years, working her way up from Assistant Executive Director of the Harlem YWCA to the Executive Director of the Phyllis Wheatley YWCA in Washington D.C. and finally to the staff of the YWCA National Board where she worked from 1944 to 1977.

Height played a major role in helping shape the YWCA’s focus on racial and social justice issues. During the 1946 YWCA convention, she fought to ensure integration of YWCA facilities nationwide. She became Director of the newly created Center for Racial Justice at the YWCA in 1965, and at the organization’s 1970 convention, worked to establish a core imperative of the YWCA mission – the elimination of racism.

She also worked with Mary McLeod Bethune at the NCNW, fighting for equal employment, pay and education for women. She served as NCNW’s president from 1957 to 1998, helping organize “Wednesdays in Mississippi,” which worked to open communication between women of different races; creating programs to address housing, teen parenting, and hunger issues; and establishing the Black Family Reunion Celebration in 1986. She served as Chair Emeritus of NCNW, going to work every day, until shortly before her 98th birthday.

Height was at the forefront of every major civil rights event of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including working with Martin Luther King, Jr., to plan the 1963 March on Washington – the only woman to help plan the march. She has been an advisor to administrations from Roosevelt to Obama, and has received 36 honorary degrees from universities and colleges. Height was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 by President Clinton and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004, the two highest civilian honors.

The highest honor bestowed by the YWCA is named for Dorothy Height and is presented to individuals whose efforts and contributions have been significant in the field of racial justice and have also had a national impact. In 2009, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of YWCA in the United States, Height was a recipient of the YWCA Fearless Leader Award.

YWCA USA CEO Dr. Lorraine Cole, herself a recipient of a Dr. Dorothy I. Height Spirit Award, said, “Dr. Height’s life’s work personifies the YWCA purpose – a quest for peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. And, I contend that her signature hats were really not hats at all; they were her crowns – and, sometimes her warrior headdresses. Her legacy to the YWCA and the nation will be enduring.”

Our recent survey results from the Young Wonder’s Early Childhood Center are back! We thought we’d share a few tidbits with you all:

• I always fell welcomed. I like the rules and questions that are asked every day about my child.
• Young Wonders is the best care provider in my experience because they are picky when it comes to our children.
• My daughter loves coming to the center every day.
• I really like the feedback about how my child’s day was when I come to pick up. I feel the written and verbal communication is great.
• We were very pleased with the parent teacher conference held to discuss different ways to handle some of the behaviors. It was a great idea to have a notebook that the teacher can write in before they leave.
• The activities and environment provided help speed up the things I’m already teaching.
• It makes me feel better about keeping my children there because I always see the place cleaned or getting cleaned.
• I love this place!
• I love that my child has a writing journal and sits for some circle activities.

If you have any to add about our fantastic center, add them in the comments section please. Hope to hear from you!

A Community Art Exhibition: Celebration of Childhood will take place 6-8 p.m. during the First Friday Art Walk on April 2 at the YWCA Binghamton! The artwork will remain on exhibit throughout the month of April in honor of the Month of the young Child

This year’s theme is: “Play: Where Learning Begins” and the community is invited to submit a two- or three-dimensional work that relates to the emotional, physical, developmental and/or cultural issues surrounding infancy and childhood. An artist’s statement addressing the content of the artwork must be included.

Log on to http://www.binghamton-aeyc.org or contact Christine Duffy-Webb, Binghamton Association for the Education of Young Children, at christineduffywebb@yahoo.com or (607) 648-5201 or 222-7520.

Also, the BAEYC/BCC 30th Annual Children’s Fair will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 17 at the BCC Student Center. Admission is $3/child or $10/families with four or more children, adults free with a non-perishable food donation to CHOW.

A special thank you to Valerie Zehl for writing this article accessible on pressconnects about a YWCA run program designed to assist the needy in our community, Perfectly Suited

takes in gently used business attire for men and women and makes it available at no cost to those who will make good use of it.

What makes this program special is the collaborative effort between a private donor, a university, a non-profit and a private retail business.

In 2004, Binghamton University business students procured a $2,000 Manley’s Leadership Grant and came up with the name and logo to launch the fledgling operation — and Sall-Stearns Men’s Clothing in downtown Binghamton donates use of its basement as a convenient site for it.

Good to see each entity, each person doing something positive; recognizing a need in the community and finding a way of meeting that need.  Thank you Valerie for your article, and to Theresa Bovier, Ron Sall, and the people who make venture possible every day.

While Governor Paterson’s proposed budget is a good first step to correcting the severe financial crisis facing NYS.  However, his proposal to stop funding supportive housing for families will burden the state’s emergency services which are proven to be far more costly per person than permanent supportive housing which has been effective in reducing homelessness across the state.

Read the full version here: http://publications.budget.state.ny.us/eBudget1011/ExecutiveBudget.html