YMCA gets a new name - ’the Y’

PTI

Boston, 13 July 2010: Non-profit organisation YMCA, short for Young Men’s Christian Association, is dropping the last three letters from the acronym and will now be known as just ’the Y’. The 166-year-old organisation is implementing a major rebranding strategy "to increase understanding of the impact the nonprofit makes in communities". The non-profit said it has changed its name to ’the Y’ to align with how people most commonly refer to the organisation. Besides changing its name, the organisation has also unveiled a "new, more forward-looking logo that reflects its vibrancy and diversity".

’The Y’ will focus resources on three core areas of youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. "This is a very important, exciting time for the Y. For 160 years, we have focused on changing lives for the better. Our commitment to building greater awareness for the important work we do will enable us to expand our efforts and further strengthen communities across the country," president and CEO of YMCA of the US Neil Nicoll said.

Through the new brand strategy, undertaken for the first time in 43 years, the nonprofit would extend its reach into communities to nurture the potential of youth and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being and provide opportunities to support neighbours, Nicoll added. The new brand strategy is the result of more than two years of analysis and research, which indicated that many people didn’t understand what the group did.

 The national resource office, YMCA of the US, has already begun the transition to the new brand. Ys across the country will transition fully within five years. The Y’s former logo had been in place since 1967 and was the organisation’s sixth since its inception. The refreshed logo, with its multiple colour options and new, contemporary look, better reflects the vibrancy of the Y and the diversity of the communities it serves, Nicoll said. The Y would be used when referring to the collective organisation, but individual locations will still be referred to as YMCAs. Across the US, 2,687 Ys engage 21 million men, women and children regardless of age, income or background.