The Bridge for Belonging is in the Mountains

“Democracy must be learned by each generation.” The YMCA Youth & Government motto reverberates across the country through teens civically engaged in local and state communities. As both a program alum and the current Program Director for the Washington, DC Youth & Government housed at the historic Anthony Bowen YMCA, I see firsthand the benefits of educating teens about the workings of government and how they can make their impact. But how has Youth & Government historically been a bridge for belonging?

As part of the inaugural cohort for the History Scholars fellowship, I researched the origins of Youth & Government and its development in the early 20th century. The Historic Scholars fellowship brought together 10 YMCA professionals over 8 months to examine the Y’s history in order to reimagine its future. Utilizing the extensive data within Kautz Family YMCA Archives at the University of Minnesota, we each sought “to create a usable past.” We selected topics relevant to our current work in local YMCAs, contextualized it within American history, and analyzed how the past influences our current YMCA programs and services. 

My own experience as a Y teen and now as a professional led me to ask: How did the Y evolve into a space for exploring and engaging with civics, specifically through its Youth & Government program, and how was it a mechanism for belonging for America’s youth? The confluence of three departments (Boys Work, Older Boys Conferences, and Hi-Ys) laid the groundwork for Youth & Government, which was established in 1936. Hi-Y clubs, specifically, played a critical role in the establishment and expansion of Youth & Government state- and nation-wide. I assumed before beginning my research that Hi-Ys existed only for white teens, but I was surprised to discover that Hi-Y clubs existed for black boys too, especially those in proximity to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). They were led by Black leaders and played a significant role in leadership development, education, and community service for black teens, just like their white counterparts.

Ensuring that all youth felt a sense of belonging was a priority for the YMCA nationally, with suggested actions to bring people of different races together and encourage interaction in informal educational groups, classes and participation of Negro boys in city-wide Hi-Y Council and forums, and leadership of Negro young men in the city-wide Young Men’s Council. 

The Bridge for Belonging is in the Mountains

My favorite discovery from the archive was learning about the Kings Mountain Conference. Held in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, the conference was part of the YMCA's efforts to promote leadership, Christian values, and social responsibility among Black youth during a time of racial segregation. Participants attended workshops, discussions, and activities focused on personal development, leadership training, and community service. The conference was also a platform for addressing issues facing African American communities, fostering a sense of empowerment, and inspiring young Black leaders to contribute positively to their communities and advocate for social justice.

The YMCA Kings Mountain Student Conference embraced the call to Christian thought and action. The YMCA Kings Mountain Student Conference was a significant (albeit smaller) annual event organized by the Y, primarily for Black high school students during the early 20th century, whose main purpose was “to promote a positive, aggressive and efficiently constructive religious leadership among the students in schools and colleges for the education of colored youth.” The union of Christianity and leadership was a moral imperative, especially given the context of the Great War (1914-1918). War would, indeed, be the catalyst for expanding civic engagement for both black and white youth. In 1917 and again in 1918, the Conference manual emphasized the necessity of Black Christian leadership during war, stating, “Trained men are everywhere called upon to take the lead in movements to infuse the spirit of Christ into all human relationships.”

Christianity and war were two topics where white and negro students found commonality in 1924. Negro students affiliated with the summer YMCA conferences (at Kings Mountain, NC and Waveland, MS) published a memo with a resolution from white students at Blue Ridge YMCA Conference that highlight “how mutual the minds of white and colored students are becoming in regard to ‘Jesus’ way of life in all our personal, social, economic and international relationships.”

Up to this point in the archive, I knew the institutional foundations of Youth & Government and the similar work being done at Black Hi-Y’s and Kings Mountain Conference. However, it wasn’t until reading the memo exchanged between the two groups that I understood the Y as a bridge to bring separated groups together. Moreover, by 1943, the National Hi-Y committee prepared a proposal for expanding the Youth & Government program. If America was to win the war and defend democracy, it was going to need every youth from every race to participate. Membership to Youth & Government was explicitly open to every race, color, and creed. Democracy was the central value all people could agree on. 

What I loved about this expansion to include teens of color is something all YMCA teen practitioners know today: Teens can make huge impacts when given the opportunity to do so. In the 1940s, the Y thought teens were particularly suited to break down racial barriers and work together to end racial prejudice and defend democracy. Hi-Ys for black students collaborated with Hi-Ys for white students before desegregation to defend democracy in a time when it felt most at risk. Sounds relatable today, doesn’t it?

What I learned through the process of developing a research question and reading through dozens of pages of archived material is that sometimes we assume a reality that is far more complex and compelling than initially thought. This Y program’s expansion was grounded in a real need to secure a better future for our teens, sparking a collective drive to make it a reality. 

What resonated with me throughout the process of re-examining Youth & Government’s history is that affinity spaces have a place in connecting communities to the Y and bridging divides through the Y. Kings Mountain Conference was a safe Y space for black boys and young men to gather and discuss ideas of their time that were then used to create relationships with white teens at Blue Ridge Assembly. Each group believed in the ideals of the Y and its Christian principles and put them into practice during their week in North Carolina. This space didn’t encourage institutionalized, long-term separation from white teens and young men, but gave boys of color an opportunity to speak candidly and find ways to communicate mutually shared ideals with their white counterparts. 

What can we learn from this history of bridging as it relates both to the Y and to democracy? First, bridges have two sides where groups may find themselves most at home. This might be culturally, linguistically, or socially defined. Second, ask how groups might have a productive dialogue over an issue mutually important to them. Despite being different, at the Y, there is a larger commitment to communities than other organizations. Finally, continue to ask “what can I learn from you?” and “how can we solve this together?” By starting from a place of collaboration, people remain open to talking and problem solving together.