Minneapolis YMCA Boys' Work and Youth Services Records
SCOPE AND CONTENTS OF THE COLLECTION
Program administration, correspondence, reports, memoranda, articles, newspapers, pamphlets, photographs, scrapbooks, and other records documenting the programs devoted to the development of Minneapolis boys and youth, covering the years of 1914 to 1995. This series includes materials on various notable YMCA programs as Indian Guides, Gra-Y, Junior Hi-Y, Hi-Y, Youth in Government, Model United Nations, and Summer Work Training, among others. Records relating to the function and activities of the Minnesota Youth in Government make up the bulk of this collection.
Dates
- 1914-2004
- Majority of material found within ( 1965-1990)
Creator
Language of Materials
English
Use of Materials:
This collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright, ownership, and to obtain all the necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials.
KEY DATES IN THE HISTORY OF YMCA MINNEAPOLIS BOYS' WORK AND YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
- 1885
- The Minneapolis YMCA recognizes that boys and young men need the same opportunities for mental, physical and spiritual and development currently offered to the men of the Minneapolis community, with programs specifically designed for that age group. The first boys-specific meetings are Friday night prayer groups. An official Boys Branch/Junior Department for Boys is established later the same year, with a minimum age of 12.
- 1900
- The first Minneapolis YMCA Boys Camp is held on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, with 47 boys attending.
- 1901
- Working Boys Night School is established for the boys of families who needed them to work rather than go to school during the day. The program expands to over 100 boys, until 1908 when the public school system began offering night classes.
- 1902
- W. G. Cartlich is hired as the first full-time Boys' Work Director for the YMCA Minneapolis.
- 1903
- The first official building devoted to the Boys Division is established, directly adjacent to the Central Branch building, opens.
- 1908
- The first Minneapolis YMCA owned resident camp, Icaghowan opens.
- 1909
- Hi-Y Clubs are organized in the fall. Short for "High School Y," Hi-Y clubs are designed to extend high standard of Christian living among the students of each of the five Minneapolis high schools. Participation is limited to boys selected for their leadership in academics, athletics, social life and other student activities.
- 1938
- John Werness, a member of the Minneapolis' first Y Men's Club, establishes the Christmas Tree program. Selling Christmas trees during the holiday season provides money for camp scholarships for disadvantaged youth who would otherwise be unable to attend summer camp. Despite initial skepticism, this program is a huge success.
- 1946
- YMCA Youth in Government program is established. The original purpose of the program is to prepare young men for political leadership by providing "guidance, training, and experience in theory and practice of determining public policy."
- 1947
- Y-Indian Guides program is established. Designed for grade-school age boys, this program is created to foster relationships between fathers and sons by providing joint activities focused on learning and engaging with Native American cultures.
- 1960-1969
- Girls are integrated into the Minneapolis YMCA Youth programs.
- 1968
- Urban Department is formed. The program is designed to provide inner city youth with a variety of positive activities, experiences, and role-models. Junior Sports and the Summer Olympics programs are offshoots of this group.
- 1988
- Model United Nations program begins. A sister program to the Minnesota Youth in Government, the Model UN focuses on conflict resolution, art of negotiation, diplomacy, and a respect for diversity.
(Information taken from Breaking New Ground, Building Strong Lives: 140 Years of Youth Work with the Minneapolis YMCA by Paul Hillmer, 2006; from Builders of Men: A History of the Minneapolis Young Men's Christian Association: 1866-1936by S. Wirt Wiley and Florence Lehmann; and from the collection).
Extent
20 Cubic Feet (32 boxes)
Abstract
Records documenting YMCA Minneapolis programs focused on boys' work and youth development. This series includes materials on various notable YMCA programs as Indian Guides, Gra-Y, Junior Hi-Y, Hi-Y, Youth in Government, Model United Nations, and Summer Work Training.
ORGANIZATION/ARRANGEMENT OF THE RECORDS
These documents are organized into the following sections:
- General Program Records
- Hi-Y Program Records
- Indian Guides Program Records
- Summer Work Training Program Records
- Youth in Government Program Records
Physical Location
See Detailed Description section for box listing.
Processing Information:
Processed by: Jesse Harpestad, Kathryn Oosterhuis, and Alex Bentley, March 2014.
Catalog Record ID number: 6400630
- American Model United Nations International.
- Boys -- Societies and clubs. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Girls -- Societies and clubs. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Minneapolis (Minn.) Subject Source: Lcnaf
- Social work with youth -- Minnesota. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Young Men's Christian Association of the City of Minneapolis.
- Young Men's Christian associations -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Youth -- Societies and clubs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- YMCA OF METROPOLITAN MINNEAPOLIS BOYS' AND YOUTH SERVICES:
- Subtitle
- An Inventory of its Records
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Kathryn Oosterhuis and Alex Bentley.
- Date
- 2014
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Kautz Family YMCA Archives Collecting Area
