How Y's Men Began ...

Founded in Toledo, Ohio, USA in 1922 to support a local YMCA, Y's Men International is now oriented to serving the worldwide YMCA, the largest non-governmental youth organisation, and through it the communities in which it is present throughout the world. Since the YMCA is usually known as "the Y" in the USA, and as the Y's Men movement started there as a club of "men of and for the Y", it was named the "Y's Men's Club".

Judge Paul William Alexander (photo) was the founder of the first club together with a group of young men. (Click on photo to obtain larger one - then "Save As" to download to your computer.)

However, today women can be full members of our movement (and indeed many women are among its members and family participation is encouraged in numerous activities). This is a very important selling point in many communities. Since 1995 local affiliated clubs wishing to emphasize this openness can choose to call themselves "Y's Men and Women's Clubs" or "Y Service Clubs". Members are known as Y's Men or Y's Women.

Today Y's Men International has over 1,700 clubs with around 31,000 members in 74 countries on all continents.

Our Motto

This motto was adopted by Y's Men because of the tendency of most people to insist upon full enjoyment of all rights while remaining oblivious to the corresponding duties giving validity to such rights.

Just as the green light giving right of way to traffic on one street must have a corresponding red light to warn traffic on the cross-street of its duty to stop, so every right we enjoy is founded upon a corresponding duty.

Our motto is a constant challenge to us to pay less heed to our rights, and more to the discovery and discharge of their corresponding duties - to transfer the emphasis from rights to duties.

Our Vision

Y's Men International will be recognised globally as a service organisation promoting cultural awareness leading to brotherhood and world peace.

... or, paraphrased for a local club:

The Y's Men's Club of ............. will be recognized in ............ as a Service Club promoting cultural awareness leading to brotherhood and world peace.

Our Mission

As Y's Men International is a worldwide fellowship of persons of all faiths working constructively together, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, in partnership with and supporting the YMCA, its mission is to strive through active service to develop, encourage and provide leadership to build a better world for all humankind.

Our Emblem

The Y's Men emblem consists first of a red triangle, the symbol long employed by the YMCA to denote its three-fold programme of spirit, mind and body building.

In the upper border of the triangle appears the word INTERNATIONAL, indicative of the scope of our purposes.

Within the triangle a golden star sheds rays of light on the name, "Y'S MEN'S CLUB".

This star symbolises the Star of Bethlehem. Just as that star served as a guide to the Wise Men of the East, so shall this golden star, which also represents the ideals of our club, serve as a constant guide to the Y's Men of today and lead them to a true realisation of the nobility of unselfish service.

Y's Men Songs

Members enjoy singing at local club meetings as well as at conferences and conventions. Many special songs have been written and the one entitled "Once more we stand" with the lyrics written by our founder, Judge Paul William Alexander, to the music (slightly adapted) of "Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius is regarded as the "Official Y's Men's Hymn".

Once More We Stand
Once more we stand, new zeal our hearts im-bu-ing;
We raise our hand, our service pledge re-new-ing.
Ne'er to de-ny - our - mot-to's claim.
Y's men in fact as well as name.
Al-ways our ob - jects to pur - sue
We con-se-crate our-selves a - new.

As now we sing, in com-rade-ship more bind-ing;
Our love we bring, re-ward in friend-ship find-ing.
To ev-'ry Y'-s man far and near
we pledge de-vo - tion most sin - cere!
Glo-ry and pride Y'-s men to be,
Fill ev'ry heart with loy-al-ty!