We are an autonomous Christian Charity committed to working in partnership with young people and others to help address personal and community needs, regardless of gender, culture, ability or faith.

YMCA Glasgow is a major European YMCA with over 200 members of staff, a large team of volunteers, and more than 30 projects across the central belt of Scotland including Greater Glasgow, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Renfrew, Hamilton, Skelmorlie and East Kilbride.

The Association supports Y Care International and has also developed strong international partnerships with YMCAs in the Indian sub-continent and the USA. These provide regular training, development and other exchange opportunities at volunteer, staff and client levels of partner Associations. The YMCA Glasgow Wind Orchestra is a unique membership activity which also plays an important ambassadorial role for YMCA Glasgow at home and abroad.

The Association is a registered charity governed by an elected volunteer Board of Directors who work in partnership with the professional staff team to deliver a diverse range of support services and programmes involving a range of client groups. These include primarily young people at risk, young as well as older homeless people, asylum seekers and refugees.

YMCA Glasgow traces its origins to a meeting of the Glasgow Young Men’s Society for Religious Improvement held on 13 February 1824 in the Religious Institute Rooms. Those present included the evangelist David Naismith who also founded Glasgow City Mission and a number of other Young Men’s Societies in the West of Scotland, Europe and the USA. The Society became known as the Young Men’s Christian Association after a visit to Glasgow in 1847 by George Williams, Founder of the London Central YMCA in 1844. The Glasgow Young Men’s Union, formed in the city after a visit by the evangelist D L Moody in 1873, amalgamated with the YMCA in 1877.