Our History

On March 3, 1866, 30 women met in Boston at the home of civic reformer Pauline Durant to adopt a constitution for the Boston Young Women’s Christian Association. It was the first time in the United States the name “YWCA” was used. Their objective: “The temporal, moral, and religious welfare of young women who are dependent upon their own exertions for support.”

Berkeley Street Residence in the South End was built to provide safe and respectable housing for women and students coming to Boston to work and study. Building included the first YWCA gymnasium for women in America.  

We joined YWCA-USA and becomes open to new ideas and professionally trained leadership by the National office.

We became one of the first organizations in the country to pioneer and advocate the concept of racial justice and social equality.

More than 700 people attended the laying of the corner stone for the new building at 140 Clarendon Street. Meanwhile, members of the Association voted, at the annual meeting, to change from the Evangelical to the Personal Basis of Membership, “so any girl or woman of any race or creed by declaring herself in sympathy with the purpose of the Association and by paying the annual fee, could be an elector.” 

Interracial Charter was adopted by the 17th National YWCA Convention, establishing that “wherever there is injustice on the basis of race, whether in the community, the nation, or the world, our protest must be clear and our labor for its removal, vigorous and steady.” 

During the 25th National Convention YWCA USA passed the One Imperative, “the elimination of racism wherever it exists and by any means necessary.”

We piloted the first training programs for “women in construction,” which made it possible for women to enter non-traditional and management occupations

We developed the Youth Voice Collaborative (YVC) Program. Innovative after school and summer program that reached over 800 urban youth each year. Program used media to engage youth in exploring social justice issues; particularly race and gender.  

We created the Women’s Health and Wellness Program, working  to empower women to take control of their health by providing health care access, health literacy education, and referral and reminder services to underserved women in Boston’s neighborhoods. 

Established the Academy of Women Achievers (AWA) to recognize and celebrate women who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and achievement in their professional lives and communities. 

In an effort to address an alarming rise in Boston’s racial and ethnic crimes, we absorbed operations of the acclaimed volunteer-led City Wide Dialogues on Boston’s Racial and Ethnic Dialogues and its subsidiary Youth/Police Dialogues Program (YPD).  

Creation of the Girl’s Health Program; exclusively focused on the comprehensive health of middle and high school girls.

To address persistent, systemic biases in Boston, the Boston Center for Community and Justice reaches an exclusive arrangement for YW Boston to run its premiere social justice and leadership development programs, LeadBoston and InIt (now F.Y.R.E.)  

In 2016, we began referring to ourselves as YW Boston to emphasize that we are a nondenominational organization that welcomes people of all faiths.