|
|
|
|
 |
The
YMCA was first established in England in 1844.
It was born from the ideas of George William,
who invited his friends to come together and
make use of their time after work. They used
their free time to exchange knowledge with
each other and organize activities to serve
the community. The idea of the YMCA first
came to Thailand during the reign of King
Rama V. Many Thai students who pursued higher
education abroad saw the value of the YMCA's
activities in Europe and the USA and desired
to bring those benefits to Thailand. Of these
students, there was one Prof. Boontuan Boonit
who studied in the USA, who strongly believed
in the principles of the YMCA. When he passed
away, his students and relatives constructed
a two-story building on Worajak Road in Bangkok.
They named it Boonit Memorial in memory of
him, and it was used as a meeting-place for
government officials, tradesmen, and
wealthy people. They called the organization
Boonit
Silapakarn Club and accepted youths as members.
They trained their members according to international
YMCA standards. Then in 1932, during the reign
of King Rama VII, with royal patronage the
name was changed to The YMCA of Bangkok.
At present there are two YMCA's in Thailand:
The YMCA of Bangkok and The YMCA of Chiang
Mai. Each of the organizations is independent,
however, they are affiliated through The National
Council of YMCA's of Thailand, Asia Alliance
of YMCA's in Hong Kong, and World Alliance
of YMCA's based in Geneva, Switzerland. |
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
