Most of our almost 250 associates are volunteers. Volunteer work is priceless and it's the only way we can offer so many activities. The YMCA/YWCA Zurich is extremely grateful for every single person who volunteers with us.

The work of the YMCA/YWCA is shaped by the following mission statement:

The YMCA/YWCA Zurich is an open Christian community in the heart of downtown Zurich.

With our activities, which are open to all people, we want to help connect people to each other and to the Christian faith.

Our goal is to approach people holistically, that is, to speak to their bodies, hearts and souls.

THe YMCA/YWCA Zurich is part of the worldwide YMCA and YWCA organisations and holds a part of its activities at Cevi Zentrum Glockenhof in downtown Zurich.

This is what living community means to us... (PDF download in German)

The currents statutes (as of 2018) for download:

The central board is responsible for the strategic leadership of the YMCA/YWCA Zurich. It makes certain that the association's affairs are conducted according to the principles of the worldwide YMCA and YWCA and the YMCA Switzerland, that the YMCA/YWCA Zurich's mission statement is implemented and that our various member groups work together well.

Members of the adivsiory committee 2019:   

*Members of the Glockenhaus Foundation elected by the YMCA/YWCA Zurich. 

Jünglingsverein Zürich, est. 1850

The beginnings of the Zurich YMCA 1 date back to the mid-19th century, a turbulent period in history. After overcoming the turmoil of the Sonderbund in 1847, the consolidation of our federal state was completed with the Federal Constitution of 1848. In Zurich, politics and the church were characterised by a liberal attitude. This led to school reform and liberal church reform. The social and spiritual needs of young people were great at that time. In the wake of the counter-movement to political and religious liberalism and moved by the plight of young people, concerned contemporaries came together and founded youth associations in various cities and towns in Switzerland in the mid-19th century. In 1850, a youth association was also established in Zurich, which organised religious gatherings, Bible study sessions, youth services and prayer meetings. It promoted the idea of Sunday school and worked to improve living conditions by operating a housing commission, setting up reading rooms and libraries, offering lessons in reading, writing and other subjects, encouraging its members to visit the sick and running a hostel for journeymen. In the early years, the young men's associations spread rapidly and joined together to form an international association, which later became the World Alliance of YMCAs.

The Zurich 1 YMCA joined the Swiss Federation of Young Men's and Men's Associations, but remained independent and autonomous, continuing to model itself on the American and English youth associations that called themselves YMCAs but were affiliated with the World Alliance of Young Men's Christian Associations.

YMCA movement worldwide, 1844

As early as 1844, George Williams had attempted to reach out to young men in London who were distant from the church and had founded a YMCA. He wanted to embrace the whole person — body, soul, and spirit— as well as their social circumstances.

YMCA Zurich 1, founded in 1887

Inspired by George Williams and the World Conference of Christian Young Men's and Young Men's Associations in 1884, several members of the Zurich 1 Young Men's Association decided in 1887 to establish a YMCA based on the new association ideas originating in America and England. Some pastors and other leaders of the regional church, who had been opposed to the Young Men's Association, became enthusiastic about the idea of the YMCA. In its very first year, the young YMCA was able to invite the population of Zurich to a diverse program: public lectures on historical, political, and scientific topics, family evenings, evening entertainment, a singing section, an orchestra, a literary and theater section, and a gymnastics section. Bible evenings formed the core of all activities, because the YMCA's work was and is based on the foundation laid down in the Bible: Jesus Christ. It is interesting to note that the YMCA was questioned by a wide variety of groups. Put simply, one could say that some found the YMCA too cosmopolitan and broad-minded, while others found it too confessional and missionary. Since its founding, the YMCA has repeatedly heard these two fundamentally different criticisms. These criticisms contain and describe in a negative way part of the basic idea of the YMCA movement, because the YMCA seeks to realize contemporary and holistic forms of life and faith by orienting itself toward biblical principles and addressing economic and social tensions. It has always been and continues to be a particular concern of the YMCA to reach out to young people who are outside the church. The YMCA should not and does not want to be a church, but rather an association open to all young and older people.

YMCA house "Glockenhof"

The YMCA's principle of treating people holistically, i.e., in body, soul, and spirit, as well as in social terms, was reflected not only in the programs offered but also in the design of the YMCA clubhouse (now the Cevi Center), which was inaugurated in 1911. In its first 25 years, the YMCA moved three times before it was able to move into its own clubhouse, the Glockenhof, which was tailored to the needs of the club. The builders' idea was not only to provide space for the various club activities: they also recognized the homelessness of Zurich's adolescent youth. In addition, they were concerned about the difficult situation of the many young men from outside the city who found training or work in Zurich but often had no suitable housing or leisure opportunities. The clubhouse was intended to become a home away from home for young people. The YMCA sought to achieve this by offering, in addition to various general rooms, accommodation for 40 young men, bathrooms, a gymnasium, a library, an alcohol-free restaurant, smaller and larger halls, and a diverse club program. Despite the many club activities, ranging from gymnastics and singing to the trade department, general education lectures, job placement, and food and lodging vouchers to the boys' and scouts' department, Bible evenings remained at the heart of the club's work. Although the situation changed over time, thanks to its central location in the city, new groups, clubs, and event organizers continued to discover the Cevi Center as a venue for their events. Over the course of the association's 100-year (now 120-year) history, the social and economic environment changed repeatedly, and services that were once important to Cevi were no longer in demand and were discontinued. The post-war generation can hardly imagine the hardship of the interwar period from 1919 to 1939. The unemployed lived in the cheapest, unheated attics, and when they could no longer pay, they hid away in the brick courtyards at the foot of the Üetliberg and in empty furniture vans. For several years, the halls and reading room of the association building served as warming rooms for the unemployed, and an association secretary organized interesting afternoon programs. Thanks to the help of the local population, simple hot meals and coffee were provided every day at lunchtime. From October 6, 1932, to March 31, 1933, 34,300 cups of coffee were served. The warming rooms had a maximum attendance of 240 visitors per day. In the early years, many members came from commercial and trade professions. At that time, the state did not yet offer commercial training and further education. In the year the association was founded, courses for commercial employees were introduced and a library was set up. Initially, the courses had 60–70 participants, but later, in the new association building, the Glockenhof, this number rose to 160. When the trade school began offering language lessons with state subsidies in addition to the commercial association, this task, which the YMCA had performed for about 35 years, became superfluous. Until around 1914, the YMCA youth group was the only Protestant group for school leavers and confirmation candidates. Up to 150 young people gathered on Sunday afternoons. After the First World War, many new youth groups were formed, followed later by sports and gymnastics clubs. Young people now had a wide range of activities to choose from. The members of the youth group often brought their younger brothers to the clubhouse. As early as 1900, the YMCA recognized that it had another task ahead of it. The boys' section (up to age 15), later called the youth group, met on Sunday afternoons. In the first half hour, 100 to 200 boys listened to a gripping biblical story. Then the big box was opened and the table games were brought out. The young guests were also enthusiastic about games involving pledges and physical activity. In 1912, the YMCA commissions of French-speaking Switzerland decided to adopt the scout system for their work with boys. In Zurich, Emil Dändliker, an assistant at YMCA Zurich 1 who was fascinated by the scouting idea, was given the green light to start a trial with some boys from the boys' department.

YMCA youth group and scouts

On August 1, 1912, young people from Glockenhof met for the first time for a scouting exercise. The scouting group grew relatively quickly from the city into the surrounding region. It expanded into Glatttal and, shortly afterwards, into Wehntal. In 1958, it occupied the “last free piece of Zurich,” the lake, and founded Switzerland's first lake scout troop, whose goal was to conduct “normal” scouting activities on and around the water. After the Second World War, fewer and fewer families with children lived in City District 1 and the area around Glockenhof. There were already YMCA youth groups in the surrounding neighborhoods at that time. As a result, the Glockenhof youth group was disbanded in the 1970s.

From CVJT to CVJF

For decades, the Cevi Center mainly hosted events and groups for boys and young men. From 1962 onwards, girls and young women began meeting regularly at Glockenhof for their own program. The first leaders were Elsbeth Wiesendanger-Beck and Hanni Hui. Soon, camps and other events for men and women began to take place, and the question of mixed association work arose.

The turbulent 1970s

In the spirit of mixed work, Cevi employees organized an open evening once a month where contemporary issues of interest to young people were discussed. The program formats varied, including lectures, slideshows, films, and more. Soon after, a mixed group called “Foyer” was formed, replacing the open evenings. The Foyer team's vision was to to create a relaxed atmosphere with snacks, drinks, and music where serious questions about life and faith could be addressed. In the early years, the Saturday evening events were so popular that the foyer was bursting at the seams and the program had to be moved to the clubhouse café. After the youth unrest of 1968, young people from the rocker scene found their way to the Foyer. Even lonely and questioning young people felt at home in the foyer. In the 1975/76 club year, the previous name “Christian Association of Young Men” was expanded to “Christian Association of Young Men and Women” to reflect the new clubhouse situation. The August 1986 issue of the Young Church newsletter states: “Today, young people seek out these other experiences in their free time in the media, in bars, discos, and other, primarily commercial venues. The church leaves this field entirely to other providers. As a result, young people of this age drift away from the church and its opportunities and later want nothing more to do with it.”

TEN SING and "Cevi" in the city

The situation described above led to the creation of the CVJM/F's TEN SING youth work program in Norway. In the summer of 1986, the CVJM Glockenhof began setting up a TEN SING (teenagers singing) choir. After an encouraging start, the TEN SING choir was already able to participate in a Christmas party for single men and a youth church service in December. The YMCA/F Zurich 1 is already a very old youth association, 100 years old (today: 120 years). But we are always committed to Christian youth work in a contemporary form. Additions to the anniversary report by Markus Leuenberger: To simplify administration, the Cevi Stadtverband and Cevi Zurich 1, Glockenhof, merged in 1998 to form today's Cevi Zurich. In addition to the services offered at the Cevi Center Glockenhof, Cevi Zurich represents all Cevi city associations and departments externally. A wide variety of events are also offered for all Cevi in the city, thus covering needs that a Cevi city department alone could not meet.

Anniversary report “100 Years of CVJM/F Zurich 1” by Markus Leuenberger, Youth Secretary 1987.

Personal memories of the 1950s and 1960s at the Glockenhof

In 1956, I joined the Glockenhof youth group and have remained loyal to the association to this day. My life has been significantly shaped by my missionary work in the Cevi. Out of gratitude, I offer my services. In the 1950s and 1960s, the following groups and celebrations shaped the program: Knappenabteilung for 9- to 12-year-old boys, Jungscharabteilung for 12- to 15-year-olds, Jungtrupp for 15- to 20-year-olds, Jungmännerabteilung for 20- to 30-year-olds, Männerabteilung for over 30-year-olds, Turngruppe for teenagers and young men, and Männerriege for older men. Every month, and later every quarter, there was a general meeting at which various speakers gave presentations on topics from the Bible, showed slides from their travels, etc. There were three celebrations throughout the year: family evening with theater and other performances, club Sunday at the Greifensee vacation home, and the bazaar in November. This allowed members to socialize, hear interesting stories, exchange ideas, and create lasting memories. Some former youth group members from that time still meet at Gloggi every few years on a Saturday for lunch. During staff training weeks at the Greifensee holiday home, I discovered a living faith in Jesus Christ. I think back with great gratitude on the two late Cevi secretaries Hans Güttinger and Thomas Brefin. Through their missionary work, they had a decisive influence on my life.

Memories of Paul Roth, President of Cevi Zurich 2000–2008.

According to the entry in the Zurich commercial register, the Glockenhaus Foundation is responsible for the administration and management of the property at Sihlstrasse 31 to 33 on a non-profit basis. In this way, it facilitates the work of the YMCA/YWCA Zurich at the Cevi Zentrum Glockenhof. The regulatory authority for the Glockenhaus Foundation is the city council of Zurich. 15 of the 25 members of the Foundation's board are elected by the YMCA/YWCA Zurich.

The Glockenhaus foundation manages our headquarters, the Cevi Zentrum Glockenhof, as a conference and convention centre and the Glockenhof Hotel (4* Superior).

Glockenhaus Foundation: www.glockenhof.org
Glockenhof Hotel: www.glockenhof.ch