PREFACE

As a club officer you have accepted a great responsibility for your club. You were elected by your fellow club members as the candidate they thought was best suited for the job, taking into consideration your devotion and experience.

Your term as a club officer will be full of work. You will experience frustrations and disappointments but you will also experience exhilaration from your accomplishments.

We trust that you will have many of the latter and that your depth of knowledge and understanding will continue to increase and help to make you and your club stronger in Y's dom.

Our Purpose - "To be a worldwide fellowship of persons of all faiths, working together in mutual respect and affection, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and with a common loyalty to the YMCA, striving through active service to develop, encourage and provide leadership to build a better world for all."

We say Y's Men is an International, Christian, Service movement in partnership with the YMCA and in those few words lies the essence of our existence.

Our International thrust is very strong as we believe that a major service we can perform is to promote world peace, brotherhood and understanding. We do this from a strong Christian base that stresses the equality and worth of each person and that demands our active participation in personal Service to others. We serve in many areas, in the club, in the Y, in the local community and across the oceans. When you read the bottom line, what makes Y's Men effective and worthwhile are the people in it, the men and women who care enough for others that they are prepared to act in Christian love and fellowship.

A BRIEF HISTORY

It all started in Toledo, Ohio in 1920 when the luncheon club movement was spreading rapidly in the United States. A local attorney (later Judge), Paul W. Alexander formed the first club around a group of men active in the YMCA membership drives. They later adopted the name Y's Men meaning "men of and for the Y".

In 1922, the International Association of Y's Men's Clubs was formed at a convention held in Atlantic City. It was the Sydney, N.S. club that made Y's Men an International movement when it was charted in 1923 and growth has continued until we have 56 countries represented today. In 1981 we chartered our 1000th club from Region Denmark and now in 1989, we have 1344 clubs and approximately 27,000 members.

In 1972, Y's Men celebrated its Golden Anniversary with a convention in Copenhagen that produced a major shakeup in the organization. A major program had been commissioned in 1968 to prepare Y's Men for its second 50 years. The resulting Gold program (Golden Opportunities for Leadership Development) led to a Research and Development Study, a major constitutional review, the start of the Time of Fast program and the appointment of an Associate Secretary General to be based in Geneva.

By 1973, the new constitution was adopted with a revised purpose, the doors were open to women and a decentralization system of operation was implemented. The latter fact gave Y's Men off the North American continent a larger voice recognizing the real situation of an International movement with different needs in the various localities. International conventions were no longer used to set policy but a 21 member council, with proportionate representation from the 8 areas became the legislative body. Each member serves 3 years except for areas represented by only one member in which case it can be either 2 or 3 years. Representation changes as Y's Men's membership changes in the Areas and elections are held by mail ballot.

INTERNATIONAL

Y's dom is led by an International President (IP), elected by mail ballot by the clubs. The IP works together with the Past International President (PIP), the International President Elect (IPE), the International Treasurer (IT), and the International Headquarters (IHQ) staff, located in the same house as the World Alliance of YMCAs in Geneva, Switzerland.

There are a number of International Service Directors (ISDs) appointed by the IP to give leadership to specific projects and programs.

On the international level, the Executive Officers make executive decisions and monitor the operation of the international movement. They cannot, however, make any decisions regarding the international constitution, the budget, or any policy decisions regarding programs. These questions are so-called "legislative matters" and are considered by the International Council, consisting of 21 members elected in a mail ballot by the clubs in each Area.

The 21 council seats are distributed according to paid membership strength in the eight Areas counted June 30th of each year. Each Area has at least one representative on the council. In areas that have only one council member, this person also serves as the Area President.

Date: April 1989 102 Page 3 of 21

The Y's Men's world is divided into eight Areas, namely Africa, Asia, Canada, Europe, India, Latin America/Caribbean, South Pacific, and United States. Each Area is led by an Area President (AP), elected in a mail ballot by the clubs in the Area. Area Service Directors (ASDs) are appointed by the AP to coordinate the work of the respective Regional Service Directors (RSDs) and they report to respective International Service Directors (ISD).

Each area is divided into Regions, each of which is led by an elected Regional Director (RD) who is elected at the Regional Convention. Helping the RD are the Immediate Past RD, the RD-Elect, a Regional Treasurer, a Regional Secretary, as well as the RSDs appointed by the RD to promote the different programs and projects.

Each Region is divided into Districts. Each District is led by a District Governor (DG) who is assisted by a DG-Elect, as well as the Past DG.

Each District is made up of clubs, each led by a Club President. The President is assisted by such other officers as the individual club sees fit to elect (usually, at least a Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary). In conjunction with the other officers and in accordance with the club constitution, the President appoints project and committee chairmen to plan and coordinate programs and projects.

The membership of each local club may consist of men or women or both. Local conditions have to decide on the nature of women's involvement in the club. In many places, the increased involvement of women goes parallel to a trend of more family oriented programs in the Y's Men's Clubs.

Rather than participating as regular club members, wives of Y's Men and other women may form a Y's Menettes Club, serving as an auxiliary to the Y's Men's Club.

Currently, there are 1344 Y's Men's Clubs in 56 countries with a total membership of almost 27,000.

Once a club has established its local goals and programs, we introduce the concepts of involvement outside the local club. Y's Men is organized to encourage interclub activities leading to International involvement. The Canadian Area is one of the eight in Y's Men International, with three regions: Western Canada, Ontario/Quebec, and the Maritimes. The region is the main administrative unit comprising several districts of up to 6 clubs each. Each Region holds an annual convention for handling business, leadership training, policy development and fellowship. Every two years there is a Canadian Area Convention which is held on the odd years, thus alternating with International Conventions.

The International Office produces an "Official Family" list each year, providing up-to-date names, addresses and telephone numbers of all members holding International office or service director positions at the International level (ISDs) or Area level (ASDs or Co-ordinators), and of every Regional team: RD, RD Elect and Past RD.

In the Canadian Area, this is accomplished through the newspaper "The Y's Canadian" which is published three (3) times annually and distributed to each club member in the area.

It is a means of communication to keep all informed about what is going on in the movement as well as a medium for exchange of ideas.

It has input from the AP, APE, the three RDs, the three Regional Editors, the ASDs and the National YMCA. As well, any Y's Man or Y's Menette can submit to the editors information on worthy news, special projects or other material that might be interesting or informative.