Category Archives: News

A European YMCA voice at the World Youth Conference 2010 in Mexico

Our Secretary General, Johan Vilhelm Eltvik, has been selected to take over the role of Secretary General of the World Alliance of YMCAs (WAY) with effect from 1 January 2011. In order to facilitate the development of important work at WAY, WAY President Ken Colloton has asked us if we could reassign Johan Vilhelm’s duties so that he can work full time on WAY matters as soon as possible. In order to help the WAY in this exciting time, I am pleased to say that we are in a position to release Johan Vilhelm with effect from 15th September 2010.

“Have you been dreaming about visit to Cuba? About the wild forest with bison? About the travel to the past – to Jewish shtetls where tailors were violinists, where klezmer music sounds like a prayer and where the son of poor herring’s seller became one of the most leading artists of XX centaury? To realize your dreams we invite you to Belarus, the most unknown country of contemporary Europe, open-air museum of communism (European Cuba), country where Marc Chagall was born and where he created his magical world;, where still you will find things, which are impossible to find in other places in the world, where you will experience the beauty of Orthodox and still alive sorrows of the World War II…. Your guides designed the programme of your journey using their own best knowledge and private contacts; because of that you will experience real ‘nomenklatura’ treatment: you will see unique places, you will meet incredible people, you will enjoy different great art, you will live in comfort conditions and eat best Eastern European food, you will be safe and protected…”.

Within an actual campaign on resource mobilization YMCA Belarus is also trying to find its own way of settling stability and progressive development. Unfortunately, according to the laws an NGO in Belarus can’t earn money in any way and grants getting possibilities are very unlimited. So, this is a big challenge for a young organization to put a strategy for development when you totally depend on the position of the government towards NGOs and from time to time have a danger to start thinking about survival rather than moving forward.

During the World Council of YMCA’s, held in Hong Kong from 19th. – 24th. July, a new Executive Committee for the World Alliance of YMCA’s has been elected.

At the World Alliance Executive Committee Meeting held on 18th July, Rev. Johan Vilhelm Eltvik was appointed as the new Secretary General of the World Alliance of YMCAs. Eltvik will take up his new position on 1 January 2011, and succeeds Dr. Bart Shaha who will complete his second term of office at the end of this year. Eltvik’s appointment was officially announced at the 17th World Council of YMCAs held in Hong Kong from 19 – 24th July.

It is with much pleasure that we invite you to enrol participation for the next conference within the YMCA Europe Catch the Vision series this time under the motto “Young Europe–Old Conflicts”. It is designed to give a chance to young people across Europe to meet and discuss the YMCA Mission through sharing knowledge and experiences, ideas and visions, etc.

I was fortunate to have been invited to attend the opening of a new YMCA building in Spitak, Armenia, on the 8th May so I took this opportunity to visit several YMCAs and also give some training to senior volunteers and staff members from 5 local associations. I travelled from 28th April to 6th May, which also gave me some time to see a bit of the country too, accompanied by YMCA Europe staff member Vardan Hambardzumyan.

Over 110 people from 40 countries attended this year’s General Assembly which was held in the YMCA Training Centre in Litomysl, Czech Republic. The theme of the conference was “Now!”. It was the last in a series of three General Assemblies where we have concentrated on Resource Mobilisation. The theme was intended to reinforce the urgent need for all YMCAs to become better at raising resources to ensure their sustainability into the future.

Some time ago I – together with my wife and the Secretary General of Ukraine YMCA, Viktor Serbulov, and his wife and daughter – visited Gammalsvenskby (the English translation of the name would be Old Swedish Village). The visit we did on our way to Kiev after having had the annual meeting with Field Group Ukraine – for which I am the leader – in the Crimean peninsula.