Records of YMCA international work in Taiwan

Collection

Identifier: Y.USA.9-2-42

Staff Only

SCOPE AND CONTENTS OF THE COLLECTION

The collection is composed of records and documents from the YMCAs of Taiwan dating from 1916 to 1987. A majority of the material is from YMCA associations in Taipei, Tainan, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. The material was created by fraternal and native secretaries, members of the National Council of YMCAs of the Republic of China, members of the International Committee, and other YMCA staff members in Asia and North America.

The bulk of the collection is composed of correspondence and reports concerning YMCA property, loans, and annual surveys. The collection also includes YMCA publications in English and Mandarin, histories, photographs, newspaper articles, maps, and building schematics. The collection describes youth work, physical education, religious education, educational outreach, vocational training programs, industrial programs, hobby programs, and youth hostels.

Special programs of the YMCA in Taiwan can also be found within the collection. These programs include YMCA partnerships with OSCY (Overseas Service Corps YMCA) and the Amity Foundation.

Dates

Creation: 1916-1988

Creator

YMCA of the USA. International Division. (Organization)

Language of Materials

English, Chinese

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.

HISTORY OF YMCA INTERNATIONAL WORK IN TAIWAN

The first YMCA established in Taiwan was an association created for Japanese residents in 1898 in Taipei. This association continued to serve Japanese members until the end of World War II when the Japanese were evacuated from the island and Taiwan was returned to the Chinese Nationalist Government. In 1946, a newly established (1945) Chinese YMCA moved into the former Japanese association building.

The new Chinese association was independently organized in Taipei by a group of 22 Taiwanese Christian Church leaders led by Dr. Lee Tsao-Zan. The Taipei Association was invited to join the National Committee of the YMCAs of China in 1948; however, after the intensification of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the Taipei Association ended their relationship with the mainland Chinese YMCAs. After leaving his secretary post in China in 1951, Roger David Arnold was sent to work with the YMCA in Taipei.

By 1954, Taipei was home to two YMCA centers with 3,004 members, 469 volunteer workers, and seven secretaries. A new YMCA association was established in the southern city of Tainan in 1955, and a camp was purchased in 1956. The early emphasis of the YMCA in Taiwan focused on camping, club programs, physical education, and educational programs. New associations were established in the cities of Taichung (1962) and Kaohsiung (1963), and the four city associations formed the National Council of YMCAs of the Republic of China in 1966.

The National Council focused their resources on promoting youth leadership programs throughout Taiwan. The YMCAs offered student exchange programs, English education and typing courses, vocational training, and the Management Training Project, which was established in the early 1970s to educate Taiwan’s future government and business leaders.

In addition to leadership development, the YMCAs offered physical education, water safety training, and other recreational activities to its members. The National Council also promoted the development of industrial YMCAs to make an impact on young people in Taiwan’s increasingly industrialized society. During the 1980s, the National Council worked with OSCY (Overseas Service Corps YMCA) to place American teachers with classes of Taiwanese students. The YMCA also formed a partnership with the Amity Foundation, a Chinese Christian charity, in the mid 1980s. By 1987, the YMCAs of Taiwan operated eight associations throughout the island.

The following is a list of individuals who served as YMCA secretaries in Taiwan, along with their dates of service, if known:

Arnold, Roger David (1916-1932)	Rugh, Dwight DeKalb (1956)
Brown, Robert G. (1978-1979)	Russell, Philip Lynn (1971-1972)
Fish, Ralph A. (1969-1971)	Schaefer, Mark Lang (1973-1975)
Hutchings, Pamela Gail (1980-1981)	Wu, Mabel Ann Lum (1977-1979)
Kreidler, Eric Carl (1969-1971)	Zuroski, Patricia Yuan (1975-1977)
Meyer, Myron Keith (1964)

[Historical information largely adapted from the collection, as well as from World Service: A History of the Foreign Work and World Service of the Young Men's Christian Associations of the United States and Canada(New York: Association Press, 1957) by Kenneth LaTourette.]

Extent

1.5 Cubic Feet (5 boxes)

Additional Description

Abstract

Correspondence and reports concerning YMCA property, loans, and annual surveys, YMCA publications, histories, photographs, newspaper articles, maps, and building schematics documenting YMCA international work in Taiwan, primarily in Taipei, Tainan, Taichung, and Kaohsiung.

RELATED MATERIALS

Records of YMCA International Work in China are separately cataloged in the Kautz Family YMCA Archives.

Biographical information on most of the secretaries involved in Taiwan work (see list of individuals in the historical note) is available in the YMCA Biographical Files, separately cataloged in the Kautz Family YMCA Archives.

Processing Information:

Processed as part of Fast Processing Project II, March 2009, as collection FP040. Material has been minimally processed. Folder descriptions may be general and material has not been grouped into series.

Catalog Record ID number: 6417833